Thanks to all of the great students who attended today’s
academic workshop for new students immediately following the immigration
check-in session. Below are some of your questions and my answers. I have
consolidated and paraphrased some of the questions, so read them carefully.
Also, I received some questions that were clearly answered in the presentation
and/or in the online new student orientation, so I have not included those
questions. You know how to review the material if you need such basic information.
Finally, I am not answering questions that are specific to your individual
educational plan in this blog. You must have a counseling appointment to
discuss such individualized questions.
Before I
address the questions, I want to say that I am very displeased with any new
international student who has not enrolled in any classes yet. You have had the
opportunity to enroll in classes for a long time now, and there is no excuse
for you not to be enrolled in units. There are still many classes with open
seats (more than 500 as of this afternoon, to be exact!), and since you must be
enrolled in at least 12 units to maintain your immigration status, you must
enroll in units. At this point you cannot be particular about which classes you
take. If you want to remain in the US and in status, you must enroll.
Q. How can I learn
more about the assessment process?
A. Review the presentation at www.dvc.edu/international/resources
and visit the Assessment Center website to learn more about assessment: http://www.dvc.edu/org/departments/assessment-center/.
Assessments are given throughout the year.
Q. When are we
supposed to have books by?
A. As soon as possible, otherwise you might fall behind in
the readings and assignments for the class. See the Book Center website for
more details and to order books: http://www.bookcenter.dvc.edu/.
Q. Is it possible to
transfer from DVC to an Ivy League or other prestigious university?
A. Anything is possible, but in all honesty, it is highly
unlikely that a DVC student will gain admission as a transfer student to an Ivy
League university. My advice: apply anyway, but have a Plan B…and a Plan C, and
possibly a Plan D, as well.
Q. Do I need a TOEFL and/or
SAT score to transfer to a CSU or UC?
A. For UCs, as long as your English 122 and Critical
Thinking grades are each B or better, you do not need to submit a TOEFL score.
If you make a C in one of those classes, you might need a TOEFL for some of the
UCs. See www.universityofcalifornia.edu
or contact the admissions office of the UC campuses you are interested in
attending for details.
The CSUs have
varying policies. In any case, if you study full-time in the US for three or
more years, you do not have to submit a TOEFL. Contact the admissions office of
the CSU campuses you are interested in attending for details.
Neither the
CSUs nor the UCs require SAT of transfer applicants.
Q. Are there any
scholarships for international students?
A. International students can apply for scholarships that
are not need-based (i.e. awarded based on your financial need) because you had
to prove you had enough money for your studies at DVC in order to get your
I-20. There is one scholarship specifically for international students at DVC.
Contact the Scholarship office for details: http://www.dvc.edu/org/departments/foundation/scholarship/.
Q. I have credits
from a previous college. How do I know how they will be accepted?
A. This question was addressed in a previous blog post.
Please see posts from August 5-8 and August 12 for the answer.
Q. How many courses
must I take to be eligible to enroll in ENGL-122?
A. That depends on which level you start. Read the course
description for ENGL-122 in the DVC Catalog and see the prerequisite
information, then read the course descriptions for those courses and read their prerequisite information. Doing so
will help you determine how many courses you might need to take before you can
enroll in ENGL-122.
Q. How do I know how
many Math classes, if any, I need to take for my major?
A. If you want to transfer to a CSU or UC campus, look up
the articulation agreement between DVC and the CSU or UC campus’s major on www.assist.org, and you will know how many
Math classes you need to take. If your major does not require any Math, then
you will need only one transferable Math class to meet admissions requirements.
Q. What is the
maximum number of units I can enroll in each semester?
A. Students in their first semester at DVC can enroll in a
maximum of 19 units. Thereafter you can request permission to enroll in more
than 19 units. See my previous posts for my thoughts on enrolling in excessive
units. It is not a wise thing to do academically.
Q. Where is the ISAS?
What do they do? Where is the Counseling Center? What do they do?
A. The International Student Admissions and Services office
(ISAS) is located on the second floor of the Student Services Center, and the
Counseling Center is on the same floor but at the opposite end of the building.
The ISAS
responds to concerns about immigration status, working on and off campus,
health insurances, housing, and other non-academic issues. The Counseling
Center provides academic, career, and personal counseling. See a counselor to
identify an academic goal, understand the requirements for achieving your goal,
know how to identify appropriate classes for meeting those requirements, and
accessing resources available for your academic success.
The ISAS sees
students on a drop-in basis only. The Counseling Center sees students primarily
by appointment. Book early; sometimes you must wait 2-3 weeks for your
appointment. Come with a list of your questions so the time (30 minutes
maximum) can be used well. Educate yourself using resources provided to you and
do not waste the counselor’s time asking questions that are clearly addressed
in those resources.
