Counseling Department

Why should you meet with a counselor?

Counseling services are essential for every college student whether you are excelling or struggling in your classes.  Counselors can make sure you're taking the right classes and have a realistic schedule based on your outside responsibilities such as work, family, and other obligations.  Counselors can provide you with the support and guidance to help you make informed decisions about colleges, majors, and career goals.  Counselors can connect you to campus resources to ensure you are receiving wrap around services to enhance your academic experience at Allan Hancock College.

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How often should you meet with a counselor?

Ideally, you should plan to meet with a counselor once a semester.  A counselor can help you explore and define both academic and career goals and provide resources to use in the exploration process.  There may come a moment in your educational journey where you might feel discouraged or overwhelmed.  Don't hesitate to check in with a counselor.  We are here to support and encourage you along the way.

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How do you prepare for a counseling appointment?

Your counseling appointment is all about you and your educational goals.  So, it helps to do some prep work!  To ensure you get the most out of your counseling appointment, we suggest the following:

• Schedule a counseling appointment during your availability.  Don't schedule an appointment during valuable class time.  

• Write down your questions prior to your appointment. This ensures you ask all the important questions.

• Arrive to your counseling appointment 5-minutes prior to the start of your session.  You will be required to check-in at the front counter. 

• If you're considering earning an Allan Hancock College certificate and/or degree, check out our list of programs available to you.  

• If you're considering transferring to a university, check out our University Transfer Centerand explore university options, majors/programs, and become familiar with our transfer resources.  Transferring to a university can be a complicated process, however counselors are here to help you understand the transfer requirements and prepare you for admission. 

• Unsure of your career goal?  Take a quick career quiz prior to your counseling appointment to get an idea of possible career options that match your likes and interests.  Bring  your results to your counseling appointment to get a conversation started.  You may also visit the Career Center and speak to a career counselor. 

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What are some counselor tips?

• Take notes when you meet with a counselor.  Don't come empty handed.  Be prepared. 

• Create a semester by semester plan with a counselor to outline every class needed to earn your certificate, degree, and/or satisfy transfer requirements.

• Know your priority registration date which is located in your Hancock portal.  Your priority registration date is posted when the class schedule is available online.  Registering on time ensures you get into the classes needed to reach your goal in a timely manner. 

• Reference the class schedule and double check if your planned classes are being offered.  If not, see a counselor to update your semester by semester plan.

• Check to see if you have any registration holds.  You can view this information on your Hancock portal.

• Stick to the plan!  We know things happen that may alter your plan.  Schedule an appointment with a counselor to update your plan as needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Reasons to schedule a counseling appointment:

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Before you schedule a counseling appointment, complete the following:

• Appointments are only open to Hancock students.  An Admission Application must be on file with the Admissions and Records Office.  
• If you are transferring to Hancock from another college and need your transcript evaluated by a counselor, please take the following steps prior to scheduling your counseling appointment.
  1. Order all official transcripts to be directly sent to our Admissions and Records Office. 
  2. Wait for your email confirmation that your transcripts were received and evaluated. 
  3. Once confirmed, schedule your counseling appointment. 

Select the following link for more information on the Transcript Evaluation Process, 

To schedule a counseling appointment, you are required to use the Successnet link below.  You will be able to schedule an appointment with a counselor in your area of interest.  Counselors are available in-person and zoom. 

Schedule a Counseling Appointment

Helpful YouTube Videos:

How to schedule a counseling appointment

How to cancel a scheduled appointment

How to Find People in SuccessNet

Frequently Asked Questions

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Drop-In Questions:

Students enrolled in a support program on campus are encouraged to seek counseling in their respected area before attempting to see a general counselor. 

Pending on the week, counseling may have extra drop-in hours.  Contact counseling office for more information.

Santa Maria Campus Drop-in Hours:

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

10-2 pm   10-2 pm   10-2 pm   10-2 pm   10-2 pm

Lompoc Valley Campus Drop-in Hours:

Contact the LVC for drop-in hours at 805-735-3366 ext. 5200

Please arrive/call the Counseling Department to check-in.  Wait times may vary.  A counselor will call you on a first-come, first-served bases. 

Email your quick question to counseling. We encourage you to use your Hancock email account.  The email must include your Student ID number, better known as your H#.  The response time will depend on the volume of emails.  Most questions will be responded to within three business days.  Please email your questions to:

counseling@hancockcollege.edu

ACADEMIC RENEWAL POLICY

Academic Renewal allows substandard grades to be disregarded in the computation of a student's GPA if the work was not reflective of the student's present scholastic level of performance. 

Alleviated work will always remain on the student's permanent record, and it shall be annotated in a manner that all work remains legible ensuring a true and complete academic history.  Only the units and grade points will be alleviated.  Once the academic renewal has been processed, it may not be reversed at any time.  Students may not petition for academic renewal if the coursework was used to award a degree/certificate.  

Academic Renewal Options:

• Option 1- Alleviate the entire semester when semester GPA is below a 2.0.
• Option 2- Alleviate individual substandard grades (D or F) within the semester.

Eligibility:

• A maximum of three semesters can be alleviated.
• A period of one year has elapsed since the work to be alleviated was completed.
• A student must have completed, since the work to be alleviated, at AHC or another accredited college/university:
  • 18 semester units with at least a 2.4 GPA, or
  • 24 semester units with at least a 2.0 GPA

Next Step:

If you met the above criteria, you are required to meet with a counselor to file an academic renewal.  If you attended another college and demonstrated academic improvement, you are required to submit an official transcript to the Admissions and Records Office before meeting with a counselor.  

Financial Aid Students:

Federal financial aid regulations do not accept academic renewal to improve Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).  Academic Renewal only improves your Hancock GPA.  

Course Repetition Policy

Course Repetition allows students to repeat a course in which they have received a substandard grade of D or F.  Upon successfully completing the course with a grade of C or better, the initial grade earned will be alleviated to improve the student’s GPA.

Alleviated work will always remain on the student's permanent record, and it shall be annotated in a manner that all work remains legible ensuring a true and complete academic history.  Only the units and grade points will be alleviated. 

Next Step:

Meet with a counselor to ensure you are required to repeat the course.  Only repeat the course if it's required for your academic goal.  

Financial Aid Students:

Federal financial aid regulations do not accept course repetition to improve Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).  Course Repetition only improves your Hancock GPA.

Course reciprocity policy

Course Reciprocity allows substandard grades to be disregarded in the computation of a student's grade point average if the student successfully completed the equivalent course at another accredited institution with a grade of C or better.  Should a student have more than one non-passing grade in a specific course, only the first two substandard grades will be alleviated from the Hancock transcript. 

Alleviated work will always remain on the student's permanent record, and it shall be annotated in a manner that all work remains legible ensuring a true and complete academic history.  Only the units and grade points will be alleviated. 

Next Step:

If you meet the above criteria, you are required to submit an official transcript to the Admissions and Records Office before submitting your form.  Once A&R has received your official transcript, your next step is to submit your form.  

Financial Aid Students:

Federal financial aid regulations do not accept course reciprocity to improve Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).  Academic Renewal only improves your Hancock GPA.

Course Reciprocity Form