School counselors in training receive support from their preparation programs; upon graduation, the expectation is that novice school counselors have the necessary tools to meet the needs of their students and the school-wide community. Understanding the collective experience of school counselors is crucial in determining if and how they were sufficiently prepared to meet the demands of their role. The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain insight into the perceptions of preparedness of new school counselors. In addition, this study attempted to identify the emergent challenges resulting from being underprepared and determine how new school counselors envision transformational change in the preparation experience. This study sought to expand upon and highlight the unique challenges and needs of the novice school counseling population. Coding and analyses identified nine emergent themes: the enmeshment of graduate programs, the acquisition of internship and practicum placements, prior experience, student behaviors, other assigned duties, the only school counselor, administration, elementary school counselors, and special education. Implications for school counseling graduate programs and best practices for supporting school counselors in training are discussed. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]