Easing the Transition: A High School Counsellor’s Guide for Incoming Students

An in-depth chat about academic planning, misconceptions, and support to ensure success for new grade 10 students.

Interview conducted by Vanshika K and Zoya M; May, 2025

As course selection approaches, many incoming high school students may feel anxious about the next step in their education. To offer guidance, Blog Writer Vanshika sat down with Kim Hertlein, a school counsellor at Dr. Anne Anderson High School, to discuss common questions and advice to ensure a smooth transition into high school.

As a school counsellor, what types of support do you provide for incoming students?

As counselors, we provide academic counseling if students are struggling or have questions about their timetables or courses. We also provide post-secondary support, for university, work, or trades. And of course, personal counseling.

How does the process of course selection work? What does a schedule for each grade typically look like?

High schools will often send representatives to junior high schools to help out with course selection. It’s not something that has to be done on your own!

In grade 10 we recommend taking 8 classes (or 40 credits) to create a full-time schedule with 4 classes each semester.

In grade 11 we recommend taking 7 classes to allocate a spare in one of the semesters. And then in grade 12, six classes would be taken with one spare each semester.

In the end, this schedule will total 100 credits that are needed to graduate. The additional graduation requirements are checked along the way and we are here to help with that! We do graduation checks for both grade 11 and 12 students to make sure they are on the right track.

What skills and abilities would be important to improve before entering high school?

I would say asking for help! I think a lot of students are afraid to ask teachers or even come down to Student Services. It’s so important for students to use the resources available to them on websites such as Schoolzone or the daily announcements, as well as having the courage to book an appointment with a counsellor when they need help.

What is your opinion on students deciding to enter academically challenging programs such as AP or IB?

Deciding whether to take academically rigorous courses is a personal decision that should involve both parents and caregivers! For students wanting to be challenged, they are excellent in that they involve a greater degree of critical thinking. As they are indeed challenging, I think it is best for those wanting the additional practice for university-level coursework.

For those involved in sports, or have a job, the heavy course load that is taken on to complete both Alberta and AP or IB curriculum can be more tough to manage. However, Student Services is always there to help if it becomes overwhelming.

Although some students can manage a full AP or IB course load, a lot do partial, which I think is also a good option!

Additionally, if you complete an AP/IB course to the 30 level with a sufficient grade, you may get university credits. The trade-off, however, is that you may get a lower grade in your Alberta curriculum classes. Your transcripts do not say if you have taken AP or IB, so your higher-level, more difficult, work is not directly represented. For example, if an AP student gets an 88, while a non-AP student attains a 92 for the same class, the non-AP student may be favoured by the university, despite the other student doing higher-level work.

What are some common misconceptions incoming students may have about High School?

One common misconception is that it's as easy as junior high. Many students can coast through junior high by only studying a little bit, but once they get to high school, they realize you don’t just get passed along, and instead require at least a 60 to move on to the next class. And it can be a rude awakening.

On the other hand, many junior high students think that high school is this big scary place, and it’s not! High school consists of the same clubs, teams, and teachers, just within a larger population. Unlike high school, most junior highs don’t have school counselors. In Edmonton, every highschool is equipped with a counsellor that you can visit if feeling overwhelmed or isolated. By coming down and just hanging out with Student Services, we can listen to and address these questions! And I promise you, it's not as scary as you think!

What are some ways in which families can better support their children’s journey through high school?

I think teaching them to be independent and advocate for themselves is really important. We focus on this at our school by preferring students contacting us directly with their issues, rather than through parents. Of course, there are exceptions in extreme circumstances, but if parents can encourage their children to reach out when having issues at school, it can set them up for success by learning an important life skill.

Another way to support your children is by fostering good study skills. As high school students aren’t yet adults, it’s important to provide them guidance such as helping them create a designated study space at home. So it's important that they’re independent in advocacy, but guided in their studying, nutrition, and appropriate sleep!

Rapid Fire Questions!

What's your #1 piece of advice for grade 10 students?

Don’t be too cool to try new things! Get out there, join a club, and meet new people.

What’s your best study tip?

I love coloured pens and cue cards! Making your own study questions is also very effective - if you can teach it, you know it!

What is one thing you wish all students knew before entering high school?

How much support there is! Your teachers really care about you, so reach out and get to know them.

What mistake do you think all students should avoid making?

Skipping classes. There’s so much information covered in one 80-minute class, and it’s foundational, so information covered in grade 10 is still important in grade 11! Absences can add up so going to class is important to ensuring success.