Issue 2 | October 14, 2014 5Hoofbeat Opinions

Quick PollHave you gone to your-guidance counsel-or volun-tarily?

Yes—76%

No—

24%

Quick PollAre bigger phones better?

Yes—27%

No—

73%

Halloween Happenings

*Based on a survey of 50 people

What are your plans for Halloween?

Editorial Cartoon

MN football game 30%

Costume party 16%

Trick-or treating 6%

O t h e r 28%

Getting to know your guidance counselor Staff Editorial

With School in full swing, students are pil-ing on the stress and MN guidance counselors have the tools to help.

High school students play the balancing act of maintaining grades, participating in extra-curricular activities, and keeping up with college searches, not to mention having responsibiliteis outside of school.

Guidance counsel-ors are here to help with all the pressure that high school students endure as well as prepare them for the next step in their lives.

The counselors at MN are helpful for the many struggles that high school students face, from man-aging time and classes

friends to problems at home.

“Students always have relationships with peers, but having adult connec-tions are really important because they give a dif-ferent perspective and it helps [students]build communication skills with different age groups,” guidance counselor, Jodi Therkelsen said.

Counselors are here to make high school as stress free as possible and help students stay focused on what’s most important.

Some students pre-fer to make decisions on their own about their fu-ture, some might even know exactly where they want to go to college and what they want to do, but most high school students are confused with infinite possibilities that will lead

to finding the right col-lege, MN counselors have the resources and tools it takes to help students to be successful.

Many students know their counselor because they have changed or dropped a class, but that is only the surface of the counselors’ work.

Counselors assist stu-dents who are struggling with tough classes by or-ganizing tutors and of-fering studying tools and methods. They are knowl-edgeable about time man-agement and can offer plenty of resources to aid students balancing tough classes with daily life.

MN counselors are also experienced in coun-seling for personal issues that students face in high school. They give advice ranging from trouble with

them into the rest of their lives.

Guidance counselors are the most convenient and educated people to receive advice from about college preparation. Not only are they equipped as counselors, but they too went through the difficul-ty of choosing the right college.

There are many re-sources that can make the college decision much easier. Counselors are ex-perts on these programs.

Naviance, for exam-ple, includes tools to help organize potential col-leges, scholarships, and even includes a resume builder, yet many stu-dents are hesitant to use it because it’s sometimes overwhelming and con-fusing.

Counselors know all

about Naviance and can guide a student through the various programs it includes, making preparation much easier for stu-dents.

I think [talk-ing with a guidance counselor] is the first step towards self-awareness and tak-ing control of your life. I may not have all of the answers but I like to problem solve with students,” guid-ance counselor, Jillian Depue said.

With all of the new challanges, it’s impor-tant to be open with your counselor, get to know each other, and high school will be-come a better experi-ence and a smoother transition into college.

MN fall musical 20%

Bigger really is better: iPhone 6 joins the bandwagon

priya kukrejafrocus editor

“No one is going to buy a bigger phone. You can’t get your hand around it,” former CEO of Apple Inc., Steve Jobs said.

On July 17th, 2010, Jobs attended a press conference about the release of the iPhone 4, using the opportunity to criticize increasingly larger phones. Over 4 years later, Apple Inc. tacitly admitted that bigger phones are better by re-leasing the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus.

The first successful com-pany to embrace the larger phone size was Samsung when it released the Galaxy Note in 2011. This was when the “phablet was born – a type of smarphone with a larger screen to fulfill the function of a tablet.

When apple released the news of the new model for the iPhone 6 with the larger screen, Samsung jumped at the opper-tunity to remind Apple of Jobs previous statement. Samsung launched an anti-iphone com-mercial implying that Apple had copied the old Galaxy Note.

However, with its in-creased utility and chiche new look, the iPhone 6 larger screen is definetely better than the smaller previous versions.

It is true, of course, that in-creasingly larger smart phones have become more inconve-nient, but the reality is that phones don’t stay in pockets as often anymore. The average consumer has learned to adapt to the larger sized phone and more often than not, people carry them either in their hand

or in their bags. Of even greater impor-

tance, the size of the phone af-fects the utility of the device. Although it might seem un-usual or even awkward to hold a 5.5 inch phone against your face, smart phones are used for emailing, texting, checking so-cial media, and surfing the web. The larger screen size guaran-tees better resolution and more information. With the larger screens, watching an episode of The Office on Netfix or flinging birds at wood structures glori-fies the experience.

When Apple released the new iPhone model, the media exploded with praise as well as criticism for joining the big phone bandwagon. The iPhone 6 has a smooth curved design, met with glass and aluminum. The rounded edges gives the phone a nicer feel. Apple has also worked on decreasing the weight of the phone, now just 172g and 7.1 mm, which stops the phone from feeling too bulky as well.

Although Apple’s gotten enough criticism for ripping on bigger smart phones, the switch they’ve made is well warranted. The company as well as its gen-eral customers seem to agree that bigger really is better.

Apple’s shift to a larger phone isn’t just an instance of tweaking an old model. It’s the recognition that the very defi-nition of a smartphone is eve-olving.

“iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are the biggest advance-ments in iPhone history. Sales for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus exceeded our expectations for the launch weekend, and we couldn’t be happier,” current CEO of Apple Inc, Tim Cook said.