Instead of waiting in long lines for appointments or an email reply from a counselor for a quick question, don’t you wish there was a way you could just get straight to the point?

The Cosumnes River College Counseling Department is reaching out to students by chatting with them face to face online with a program called Counseling Live Chat.

Hoyt Fong, department chair of counseling and counselor, has already chatted with students online. But there are certain limitations that cannot be met by using CLC.

“We can’t give you detailed comprehensive information like what you will need to do to transfer, or how these transfers will work with other colleges,” said Fong. “Definitely for quick details, short answers needed, it is very helpful.”

CLC is easily accessible for students who quickly need help from a counselor.

Access the CRC website at www.crc.losrios.edu, then click on Student Services in the upper part of the screen. Under the popular links section you will find the counseling tab where you will click on it and it will take you to the counseling  homepage.

The first thing you will see in the center text will be information about Counseling Live Chat. It will let you know when the next available chat session with a counselor online will be.

Currently the CLC is having a CRC counselor on chatting with students between the hours of 12 and 1 p.m. Monday through Friday. Students are able to ask quick academic and career related questions.

18-year-old film studies major Aliyah Ausmer liked the opportunity to speak with a counselor off of campus for a quick answer to a question that just pops up in her head.

“If they need a quick question, so they don’t have to drive all the way here to schedule an appointment or wait on the phone,” said Ausmer. “I think it’s very fast.”

Although CLC is available one hour a day for five days during the week, you can still ask the counselors a question and they will get back to you.

While the CLC is not in session, there is an option to ask a counselor a question and they will respond back to you.

“It benefits them by catering easier times to students,” said Fong. “Whether they wake up at home, or they’re at work and they can just get online and ask a question.”