Completion/Transfer rates dropping


Less than half the students who started in a California community college in 2006 completed their goal after six years. What is causing the drop in degree completion and transfer rates? Fewer Community College Students Completing Their Degrees appeared in the "LA Times" on April 9, 2013. The article was forwarded by Rudy Zamora.

Want to see how City College compares to other CA community colleges in completion and transfer rates? The "Student Success Scorecard" will break it down by gender, ethnicity, and age.

Have an opinion about why students are not finishing their degrees? What obstacles have you encountered in school? What do you think would help? Post your reaction to this article in the "comments" below.

Summer classes

picture by Nehrams 2020

As many of you know, summer classes aren't available at City this year, but there are other options. Rudy Zamora and Luis Perez have informed us that Grossmont College and Cuyamaca College will be offering extensive classes this summer. It's best to apply to these colleges by April 12th. Patsy Maes and Cathi Lopez told us Palomar College is offering summer courses. Apply by April 30th. Also, we will be offering cross-enrollment with SDSU. If students want to enroll at SDSU this summer for one class at a reduced cost ($52.00 for the course), they need to go to Admissions (A-112) to start the process. Students must be enrolled in 6 units at City during the spring 2013 semester to qualify.

The following info about SDSU cross-enrollment was provided by Marilyn Harvey:

SDSU summer class schedule has been released and can be found at https://sunspot.sdsu.edu/schedule/#.   There are three sessions during summer and each one has a different deadline to add/drop courses.

There is now only one schedule adjustment deadline per session. 

S1  (6 weeks)     Classes begin May 22 and the deadline to add/drop a course is May 31.

T1  (13 weeks)   Classes begin May 22 and the deadline to add/drop a course is June 4.

S2  (6 week)      Classes begin July 8 and the deadline to add/drop a course is July 16.

picture by Allan Ferguson

Because the course offerings at our campuses may be very limited this summer SDSU will accept forms verified using spring 2013 attendance in 6 units.  If a student was not enrolled in 6 units for spring 2013 then they cannot be verified for cross enrollment for summer 2013.

The verified forms must be turned in to SDSU by the student to the Office of the Registrar by the deadlines stated above.  NO exceptions will be made for late forms.   All SDSU matriculated students are held to the same deadlines with no exceptions so any student wishing to enroll via the cross enrollment program must do the same. 

The cost is $52 per course and only one course can be enrolled in for the entire summer term. 


  

New Scholarships!

This $500.00 scholarship is for students between 18-25. Deadline: Sept. 30, 2013.

The following link from Nora Hinsley provides info on many types of scholarships:
http://ccctransfer.org/resources/scholarship-links

GPA Questions Answered

by Kelli Turpin



picture by Mando vzl

This blog post is in response to an anonymous comment on the blog a few days ago regarding GPA.  I’ve edited the questions a bit and answered them a little more fully than the commenter probably thought I would. 

Let’s start at the beginning.  GPA stands for Grade Point Average.   Your GPA tells anyone looking at your transcript how good your grades are.  (You’ll notice I didn’t say “how good a student/person/employee you are.  Your grades are a direct reflection of how well you absorb and remember specific information, not necessarily how much you know and definitely not how smart you are.) 

Student Profile

"I had a great teacher who really challenged me, and I challenged him back." -- Rediet.

Rediet T. came to the U.S. at the age of 18 as an international student from Ethiopia. Everything was new. The country, the educational system, even the communication was hard. Living and going to school in a different country was scary. She didn’t know a lot of people, and Rediet was away from her mother, her center of comfort and stability since the age of 3-and-a-half when her father passed away from cancer.

The school system in Ethiopia is completely different. There, the schedule is set for students, and they have limited choices. After high school, students take a test similar to the SAT, and they need to score high enough to choose a certain major. Rediet earned a good GPA in high school but she still didn’t get into the university she preferred. She ended up studying at Arba Minch University but really wanted to attend Addis Ababa University because that’s where she grew up. Then Rediet obtained an international student visa to study in the U.S. and came to San Diego City College.

Job Demand for Computer Science Majors

If you want to land a high-paying job after graduation, major in computer science. A spokesman for Microsoft said the company has 6,300 job openings and 3,600 are in computer science and engineering. What can you expect to earn? Most of these jobs pay $100,000 and up in salary and benefits. Want a Job After College? Major in Computer Science appeared in the "U-T San Diego" on Feb. 2, 2013.

picture by Antony-22

Also, if you're thinking about earning a Ph.D. to teach in academia, How Many Ph.D's Actually Get To Become College Professors? from "The Atlantic" breaks down the percentage of graduates who obtain a tenured college teaching position by major. The article was forwarded by John Gradilla.

Math Advice



picture by Rovnet

"Math does not have to be intimidating." -- Victoria Phung.

Here is an interview with City College Math Professor, Victoria Phung, who is teaching Math 38 this semester. The actual interview took place in the fall of 2012, but we thought it would be appropriate to post it at the beginning of the semester. 

What classes are you teaching this semester?

-I am teaching Math 38, Pre-Algebra.

How long have you been at City? 

-I've been here for at least 10 years.

What are some of the most rewarding aspects of teaching math?

-Help students come to understand mathematics.  It is very rewarding when I see that they get the concept and the students themselves are excited that they get it.

In our global society, why is it important to have a strong foundation in math?

-Because math is everywhere, all around us.  Understanding mathematics enhances your reasoning and problem solving skills. 

UCSD Top 10 in Best Value




Revelle College by Tktktk

 
According to Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, UCSD is one of the best value colleges in public university education. UCLA and UC Berkeley also made the top 10. SDSU ranked 77th and CSU Long Beach, Cal Poly Pomona, and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also made the top 100. Kiplinger's Rates UCSD 10th Nationally Again ran in the U-T San Diego on Jan. 13, 2013.



UCSD literature building by Tktktk


Speaking of UCSD, a few months ago, we posted an article about the TAG ending at UCSD in fall 2014 and some students voiced objections. Here's an option for first-year students wanting to transfer to UCSD. UniversityLink is a program that allows a student to transfer with a minimum 3.0 GPA if they meet specific requirements. Interested first-year students should meet with a counselor to discuss requirements for this program. Note: you must be either a high school senior or in your first year of college to be eligible.

Pay Off Student Loans



Picture by Marya

Want to pay off your student loans? Brian McBride paid off $26,500 in student loan debt in two years. This Huffington Post article shows how he did it. Here's a Wall Street Journal article from "Yahoo! Finance" about people who threw a "loan-payoff party" after taking care of their student loan debts. Also, an online article detailing four ways to avoid excessive student loan debt recommends students work no more than 20 hours a week: "Research by the nonprofit thinktank Public Agenda shows that balancing school and too many hours of work is the No. 1 reason students drop out of college."   

County of San Diego hiring

The County of San Diego is hiring for a number of positions such as certified nursing assistant, project manager, and environmental health specialist. Here is info on County positions open for hiring.

Healing loss through helping others

picture by Einar Einarsson Kvaran

Anita and Nathan Weedmark suffered a parent's worst nightmare -- the loss of their 19-year-old daughter, Elizabeth. A Mesa College student, Elizabeth died in a car accident in 2006 while driving to San Francisco to visit friends. Anita and Nathan plunged into despair, but eventually came to terms with their loss. Nathan: "In a way, you don't want to lose your grief because you don't want to lose the memories." Anita: "And I just started sobbing, and I thought, 'Oh no, is this what's going to happen? I'll just forget about her?' But I'm not going to forget her. I talk about her practically every day."

Anita and Nathan Weedmark transformed their pain to start an annual event called "Lizfest" in honor of their deceased daughter and raise funds to help children through music. A Couple's Brave Journey Through Heartbreak appeared in the "U-T San Diego" on December 17, 2013.  

CSU San Marcos proposes fee increase

picture by Thomas

Will raising fees encourage students to graduate faster and create more room for admission? CSU San Marcos apparently thinks so. Even after the passage of Prop. 30, this college is sending these proposals to their Board of Trustees: institute a per unit supplement fee of $372 for students with 160 or more units, inititate a $91 per unit fee for repeating a class, and a $182 per unit fee for students taking more than 18 units (this discourages enrolling in more units than needed in order to drop them later). What's your take on this as a student?  Cal State University Seeking New Fees Next Fall was forwarded by counseling support staff supervisor, Megan Soto. It was published in the LA Times on Nov. 8th, 2012.

picture by Neon Tommy

Fear not! Governor Brown to the rescue! The governor voiced his opposition to proposed fee increases on the part of UC and CSU universities after the passage of Proposition 30. His reasoning: "This is not the time to be raising fees of any kind," he said. "Voters gave us billions in new revenue, now we have to use that judiciously." CSU, UC Postpone Plans to Hike Fees, Tuition appeared in the "U-T San Diego" on Nov. 14, 2012.

Choosing a Major

Choosing a Major
by Kelli Turpin

When I was publishing my last post (the one about Catalog Rights), I realized that we hadn’t yet talked about how to choose a major.  Since I brought it up, I get to talk about the process of choosing a major.  The things I get myself into!



 



Before you start thinking about a major, think about your career.  You’re in college for a reason, right?  Many times, career choice dictates major choice: you can’t be an engineer without an engineering degree.  Even for those careers that don’t have connected majors, knowing your end goal will help you maintain your motivation, which will in turn keep your grades up, which will improve your chances of getting into the university of your choice, which should lead to graduation and a real job. 

Best Careers in U.S.

What careers have top pay, excellent employment growth, flexibility, and good job satisfaction? Here are the top 10 careers according to CNN Money and the reasons they're the best. The article appeared on Yahoo on Nov. 1, 2012.

Spring schedule and registration



picture by Anita Martinz

Here are some key dates for spring forwarded by counseling support staff supervisor, Megan Soto:

• Nov. 8th -- The spring class schedule is available online.
• Nov. 15th -- Last day to apply for spring and receive a priority appt date for registration by e-mail.
• Nov. 16th -- Registration date/time available for viewing on Reg-e.
• Nov. 26th -- Registration by appt begins.
• Nov. 30th -- Last day to apply for spring and receive a registration appointment after Dec. 14th (Note that students who apply after Nov. 30th will need to register for classes after Jan. 7th).
• Dec. 17th -- Last day of the fall semester.
• Jan. 7th -- Open registration begins.
• Jan. 8th -- Last day to submit a petition to re-take a class in the spring semester.
• Jan. 28th -- First day of spring classes.
• Feb. 8th -- Add/drop period for semester-length classes.
• March 2nd -- Best priority for FAFSA submission to receive financial aid.
• March 4th -- Pass/No Pass option deadline for semester-length classes.
• March 22nd -- Deadline to petition for fall reinstatement after a 3rd disqualification.
• April 1st -- Deadline to petition for a certificate/AA/AS degree and have your name in the program. Start of 2nd 8-week classes.
• April 11-- Career Fair 10am to 1:30 in Gorton Quad. 
• April 12th -- Withdrawal deadline for semester-length classes. 

Private Colleges



Amherst College


Where are the best values in private colleges? Which school is offering free tuition? Read this Kiplinger article to find the best bets in private colleges.

Also, here's a resource for info about private colleges.

USD info



photo by Chris Palmer

Here's some info about University of San Diego from Erik Castillo, their Assistant Director of Transfer Admissions and forwarded by Counseling Support Staff Supervisor, Megan Soto:

       

   http://www.sandiego.edu/admissions/undergraduate/visit/upcoming_events.php

for more information on upcoming events.

 

Florence Italy by Marius Fiskum



Recently Added Majors:

• Behavioral Neuroscience major (2012)
• Italian Studies major (2012)
• Biophysics major (2011)
• Architecture major (2010)

USD in the news

• Ranked 1^st in the nation for the percentage of our students who study abroad. Over 71% of USD students have had at least one international experience. (Institute for International Education)
• Recognized by Ashoka U as a Changemaker campus, an honor that affirms our commitment to social entrepreneurship.  There are only 14 other Changemaker campuses. Read more at http://ashokau.org/about/what-we-do/
• USD is the first university in the West Coast Conference to win the Commissioner’s Cup for 5 years consecutively. This recognizes the best overall performance in conference play.
• One of three universities to host the Dalai Lama during his visit to San Diego in April 2012.

Admissions Facts:

• Total undergraduate enrollment is 5,493
• 48% of total student body is from CA
• 46% of total student body is from out-of-state

·         6% of total student body is international

• 31% of total student body identify as a person of color

Catalog Rights - by Kelli Turpin

Many of the terms that you hear from City's faculty and staff are unfamiliar.  In order to be sure that you've completed all the requirements for an associate degree, you need to know a) what your major is, and b) what your catalog year is.  This post aims to help you understand your catalog rights and how to determine catalog year.  (What if you don't know what your major is?  Stay tuned.  I have a feeling that we're going to cover that at some point in the near future.)

First, some background:

An associate degree requires 60 units, or 20 classes.  A well-prepared full-time student usually takes 12 (or more) units (4 classes) each semester and finishes in 5 (or fewer) semesters (approximately 2 ½ years).  If a student cannot take 12 units a semester, then the same degree will take longer to finish.  (For those of you who like numbers: If our hypothetical student takes one class a semester, then that student will take 20 semesters to finish a degree.  Given the lack of summer school in our district, that translates into 10 years.  Two classes a semester = 10 semesters = 5 years.)

The requirements for each degree program are published in the College Catalog each academic year.  The catalog is the official document that establishes each program’s requirements.  Each department has the responsibility to update and revise its section of the catalog each year.  When technology, employment needs, or transfer requirements change, the affected departments change their programs accordingly.