With cap & gown collections having started on May 15, seniors have been in a frenzy trying to get cleared to pick up what they have worked so hard for. In order to pick up their cap & gown, seniors must have turned in their pink cards on time (if issued one), be free of all financial obligations, and complete both the Senior Exit Survey and the Senior CAP Survey. While the pink cards, Senior Exit Survey, and the financial obligations are standard procedures in other schools and are understandable, have you ever wondered what the purpose of the CAP Survey may be?

Last year Gables was blessed with a phenomenal College Assistance Counselor, Mrs. Stack, who takes the time to update her Facebook page with scholarship opportunities multiple times a day, sends out emails to the student body regarding important and need-to-know information about the application process, financial aid process, etc, and has also held multiple assemblies to teach students how to complete the FAFSA and Bright Futures application. Because she has implemented many changes, she created the CAP survey to not only find out each senior’s plan post graduation, but to also have feedback on those changes in order to make them even better for the following year. Although the student portal offers a similar exit survey, “I have very little to do with that survey. It is for the district officials’ use. More importantly, I do not have full access to all the results of that survey in order to capture the information I need,”  Mrs. Stack said.

The information gained from the CAP survey is used to write a report at the end of the school year, which will show where the students are going to college, and how much money they have received in scholarships. In addition, Mrs. Stack  personally looks through all survey responses and notes what seniors thought she did well, and what they thought she needs to improve on.Once she reviews each response, she tries her best to implement the suggestions that the seniors gave her. According to Mrs. Stack, she  values their input.

As mentioned above, it has been set as a graduation requirement for many valuable reasons. The types of questions that are found on the CAP Senior Survey include information such as, where the senior is going to college, scholarships received, eligibility for Bright Futures, and thoughts and suggestions on the CAP process.

This will be the second year that completion of the survey is a graduation requirement. According to Mrs. Stack, the seniors last year were instrumental in helping me create the survey.On average, it takes a student 6-10 minutes to complete the survey.  By doing so, students can be assured that their final transcripts are forwarded to the college or university that they will be attending.

“I take the survey suggestions to heart and try to make the CAP program better each year,” Mrs.Stack said. Many students really like the idea that they are helping build a better CAP program to benefit their peers for years to come. With this data, an accurate picture of all of the great accomplishments each senior has had is gained.  This data never fails to highlight the school’s successes.

“Most of the seniors complete the survey without a problem, but there are always those few who don’t understand the true purpose behind it and how it will later benefit our school. I think it was a great thing to be implemented because no one other than the students know whether Mrs. Stack’s efforts really work or not. The results can help put her at ease and show her that she has really made a difference in each of our college experiences,” senior Patricia Passwaters said.

Therefore, as reiterated in this article, it is beneficial to all seniors to complete the CAP survey. Not only are they helping themselves out, their peers out, but they are also helping strengthen Mrs. Stack’s program. For the seniors who have not yet completed the survey, you’ve still got time! The last day to pick up your cap & gown is May 23. Be wise, and don’t wait till the last minute!