Every year, seniors at the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science attend meetings with their counselors to discuss plans for the remainder of their senior year, as well as examine their college choices and scholarship opportunities.

The senior meeting has several purposes that are designed for the benefit of the student. Dr. Heath Stevens shared that the primary purpose of the meeting is “to verify a student has met all graduation requirements” as well as “to discuss the student’s college and career plans.” He stated that “We also use this opportunity to give each student a copy of his/her unofficial transcript to make sure those are as accurate as possible.”

Each senior is required to schedule a meeting with their own counselor, but they are also encouraged to schedule a meeting with the counselor assigned to students with last names in the other half of the alphabet. This allows students to gain multiple perspectives on college choices, scholarship opportunities and career plans.  

Each counselor has different topics that they choose to focus on with the student. Dr. Heath Stevens, the counselor assigned to students with last names A-L, focuses “most of the time on college planning because some application deadlines are as early as late September and mid-October.” Stevens believes that these meetings are helpful to students because “Many need assistance narrowing down their list of colleges, and we can help with that.” In addition to this, they are “able to recommend certain scholarship opportunities uniquely suited to each student that he/she might not have known about prior to the meeting.”

After attending his senior meeting, Jack Sparkman felt that it was “reassuring to go over the fact that I had all of my credits and for Dr. Crook to tell me that I was good to go for college.” Sparkman stated that the conversation centered primarily around his career choice and led to them cross referencing his careers of interest with potential colleges. Sparkman felt that the senior meeting is especially beneficial because it is “calming to hear from someone who is encouraging and has experience with helping students make these choices.”

Another senior, Anna Katherine Overstreet, said that “During my senior meeting, Dr. Crook and I discussed requirements for graduation, my GPA, and what colleges and majors that I was considering.” They focused primarily on “what colleges and universities I was considering applying to” in addition to “what majors I was considering.” They also discussed the best choice of university for Overstreet’s specific major. She believes that the senior meetings are “beneficial because it brings the whole application process into a sharper focus.”