College Knowledge for the Community College Student

Chapter 3. Resource Fundamentals: Listen to Advice and Be Open to Support

1. Pay Attention at Orientation A great thing about college is that all students are considered adults. But it’s important to remember that this means that all of your decisions about courses matter and that your signature for tuition payments, apartment leases, and various purchases has significant associated costs. If you have not done so already, start reading every item related to your enrollment—each one. You can start by carefully reading all mail and email. If required, be sure to send in your enrollment deposit, sign up for orientation, complete all your financial aid forms, pick up your student identifica55 3 CHAPT ER College Knowledge/Community College Student 56 tion card, and purchase your bus or parking pass. Record important deadlines on your calendar, particularly those for fees, registration, and adding and dropping classes. Learn whether your college has a waiting list for classes, and find out the policies about wait lists. If you plan to rent an apartment, look for one now. Go to orientation, even if it is optional. At orientation, read everything more carefully and take detailed notes, especially about dates, deadlines, and people to contact when you have questions. Read the college catalog (in print or online). To be sure, it’s boring. But it also serves as the community college’s academic contract with you. It will tell you what core or general education/distribution courses are required for you to graduate. The college catalog and the course schedules provide you with the academic calendar, so you will know when the term or semester starts, when final exams and term breaks are held, and whether there are days that classes will be cancelled or the college will be closed. Make sure you read these dates carefully before you schedule an extra shift at work or plan a trip. The community college materials will include campus maps, which, as hard as they may be to read, will come in handy on the first day of class when you’re lost and need to get to a class in a big hurry. Mark on your map where your classes meet. Carry the map with you. Read the course guide and time schedule carefully. Read about all the courses that are open to you, which do and do not have prerequisites —required test scores or courses that must be completed first. Find out how many credits are needed for full-time enrollment 3: Resource Fundamentals 57 or to qualify for financial aid. Check when and how often courses meet. Note additional hours for lab or studio sessions. Look carefully to see when ESL or developmental courses are required or when four-year transfer college courses are required. Plan your schedule around these courses. Check out the rules about dropping and adding classes with or without penalties, about withdrawing from school, about when tuition payments are due, and when financial aid checks are available. Mark all important dates in your planner or PDA. Carry your planner or PDA with you. Fortunately, today, much of this information is now accessible online. Go to the college’s website, and learn how to navigate to get to the resources that you will need. Which links take you to information about class schedules and registration? Where are the faculty pages where you can get email addresses, phone numbers , office locations, and office hours? What additional resources are available so that you can access those at any time, from any place? Reading about the logistical details of college life would certainly rank low on the list of the most intellectually liberating and stimulating tasks in college, but it will surely help you get through the bureaucracy of college life. And, that’s by no means an insignificant task—so don’t fight it. Read the rules, figure out the rules, and learn all the angles and exceptions to the rules so that you know how to use them to benefit your educational experience. Then, get on with the good stuff, and start having some fun learning. College Knowledge/Community College Student 58 2. Visit Your Academic Advisor Often Whether your college assigns students to a specific advisor, provides group or drop-in advising, or allows you to make appointments with a designated group of advisors, take advantage of this very important service. Think of academic advisors as coaches. A coach’s goal is to help you grow, improve your skills...