Science Academic Counselling at Western University

Very rude, I feel like helping the students is not really a priority for science counselors.

completely useless. impossible to get an appointment, didnt know the answers to my questions, and made me feel like trash.

At first I felt very stressed and alone, but eventually the team here did a fantastic job with compassion for my first year situation. They helped a ton and did it fast! It's worth the walk to come here, they will do your best to help if you demonstrate a strong need.

i've found john de heus to be helpful so far.

The number of times I've had friends call me, crying because they just had a meeting with a science academic counsellor, is ridiculous. Science academic counselling is truly the worse academic counselling office at Western.They deny accommodations for assignments and exams based on physical or mental illnesses, even if the proper documentation is presented. They told one of my friends who's suffering from mental illness that she's too unwell to enroll in courses at Western, despite her doctor stating the contrary.The first time I ever went to Science Academic Counselling, I handed my student card to the person at the front desk, only for her to throw it back in my face.When I had an issue with an exam conflict, they refused to book an appointment for me to see a counsellor. I tried going to drop-in counselling instead. It would open at 9 and be filled by 9:10. I ended up skipping class just to be able to visit the office. Yet I was never able to get in.They later communicated to me through email that there was nothing they could do to resolve my exam conflict. I ended up having to go to the Dean's office to resolve the situation.Science Academic Counselling is truly useless.

Nice, caring counsellors (generally, esp. Trish) but the whole drop-in/appointment thing could use a bit of an update. Waiting lists for appointments are far too long (days, if not weeks) and telephone appointments (esp. in summer) are virtually impossible to access.

I would love to know how Western managed to hire an ableist academic counsellor to work with people with disabilities and mental health issues. Western, doing what they are best known for - driving students to the brink of suicide.

They’ve been understanding when they’ve been understanding, but you’d have better odds winning the lottery.They simply wont accept documentation written up by my psychiatrist detailing the conditions that affect me and what they mean for various aspects of my life, including school. They believe a Student Medical Certificate is a much more appropriate document in lieu, which by the way is meant for injuries/illnesses that have a set start and end time. Do you guys want me to keep paying $20-$60 just to get SMCs filled for chronic conditions that affect every waking minute of my life for the foreseeable future? I didn’t know I’d become a source of revenue for these guys but here we are lol.My psychiatrist, who’s now passed away, has been on TV and radio shows, as well as invited by NASA to give a presentation in Prague. It seems that many people were inspired and impressed by his sheer knowledge and expertise, but since Western knows better I guess his word is nonsensical.I’ve also provided documentation from my family doctor that details even further the extent my conditions affect my academic capability. The counsellor dealing with my case said that they ‘weren’t a doctor’ so an SMC would make more sense to them. Both documentation provided by my psychiatrist and family doctor were in Laymen’s terms and as comprehensible as whatever doctor would write on the SMC. Maybe you just didn’t take the time to read.The matter of fact, an SMC is terrible at explaining my need for academic consideration given how little space there is for anything. It’s ironic because I swear AC requires you to write a fifteen-thousand word essay in APA7 format with an annotated bibliography along with secondary references that validate my primary just so you can write a makeup exam without an SRA.I’m sick and tired of pouring my heart out and having to re-open past trauma just so “counsellors” can believe me.Please remove this SMC garbage, students can’t afford to keep pouring $20+ down the drain every time. Better yet, rehire counsellors that have the empathy and understanding needed to deal with the delicate nature of our situations so we actually feel encouraged and supported and not left with a festering in the same emotion(s) and mental state(s) that made us reach out to you in the first place.On another note:The performance activism is real here. I’ve witnessed the baseless support and promotion of mental health firsthand. It’s appalling and calls for change. You all can cover up the cracks in the wall with as many layers of drywall and paint as your heart desires, but how far can you go before seeing the cracks again?

Used to really like the academic counsellors, but now, I'm not so sure with the new hires. Does not matter what you go through they will only accomodate you if you have a medical note.

Shocking that the university with the best student experience" has such aggressive counsellors. They are needlessly aggressive