Thanks to all of the great students who attended today’s
academic workshop following the immigration check-in session. Here are some
questions and answers that some of you had. I’ve consolidated some of the
questions because a few of them were similar.
Q. Is English
assessment mandatory? How many times can I take the English assessment?
A. You do not have to have an English assessment score in
order to enroll in ENGL-116 or ENGL-118 or lower-numbered English or ESL
courses. However, if you enroll in ENGL-116 and/or ENGL-118 and you are not
qualified to be at that level, the instructor might ask you to drop the class
and give up your seat to a student who is qualified for that level. So, it’s
best to take the English assessment and abide by its recommendations for course
placement. You can take the English assessment only twice during your studies
at DVC. If you qualify for ENGL-122 in one area (e.g. Reading) but not the
other area (i.e. Writing), you may take only the Writing portion of the
assessment again.
When you are registering for a
course, be sure to read its course description very carefully. For example, some
English courses are part of certain programs (such as Umoja or Puente) and are
open only to students participating in those programs, thus you will not be
able to enroll in those courses.
Q. What subjects does
IGETC cover?
A. I’m assuming you mean, what subjects count for IGETC?
That can be easily known from the IGETC handout, available on the Counseling
Center’s website: http://www.dvc.edu/org/departments/counseling/12-13%20IGETC%2010-3-2012.pdf.
The IGETC FAQs handout is very useful in helping you
understand IGETC requirements and issues: http://www.dvc.edu/org/departments/counseling/FAQ%20for%20IGETC.pdf.
If you mean, which majors
will use IGETC, you can find that information when you look up your UC or
CSU campus and major in www.assist.org. In
general, any major except Engineering,
Computer Science, and Natural Sciences (e.g. Chemistry, Biology, Biochemistry,
etc.) at any CSU or UC campus, and Business Administration at UCB, will accept
IGETC.
Remember, the
Assist website also indicates which DVC classes are CSU- and UC-transferable.
If a class is not on the Assist website, it is not transferable.
Q. What is the
minimum number of units I must take at DVC each semester? And if I took a DVC
class this summer, is Summer or Fall my first semester at DVC?
A. You must enroll in at least 12 units each Fall or Spring
semester per Department of Homeland Security rules. At least 6 of those units
must be at DVC (Pleasant Hill and/or San Ramon campus; it doesn’t matter). The
other 6 or more can be at Los Medanos College or Contra Costa College. You do
not need to get permission from the International Office (ISAS) because your
enrollment will show in Web Advisor. You can take units at a college outside of
the Contra Costa Community College District, but you must get permission from
ISAS first. Their office is on the second floor of the Student Services
Building.
NOTE: If you
do not have your own car or access to a
car and driver, I strongly discourage you from taking classes at more than one
campus. It can take a VERY long time to travel from DVC to another campus via
bus and BART.
Your first
semester at DVC is the first time you took a DVC class; that’s what your
transcript will indicate. However, you might have a different start term on
your I-20, which is separate from your academic history (transcript). It doesn’t
matter, but if you have any concerns, see Gloria or Renee in the ISAS office.
Q. I got a diploma
from a foreign university. Can I transfer the credits to DVC and use them here?
Also, some of my grades in my university in my country were bad. How can I deal
with that?
A. If you have units from a foreign university and your goal
is to earn a DVC certificate or associate’s degree, and if you want to use some
of those foreign units at DVC, you must get an official evaluation from a
private agency. Visit www.naces.org and
search the providers there. Ask for a detailed, course-by-course evaluation,
and ask the provider to send it directly to DVC.
If you plan
on transferring to a university from DVC to earn another bachelor’s degree, you
need to confirm whether or not the university you plan on transferring to
accepts students seeking a second bachelor’s degree. For example, at this time
the UC system does not accept applications from students seeking a second
bachelor’s degree.
In any case,
understand that a university might make a different decision about your foreign
coursework than DVC does, so you need to speak with a representative of that
university to discuss how they accept and apply foreign units toward their
programs.
If you have
bad marks on your transcript, no matter where you earned those marks (either in
the US or in another country), you CANNOT erase bad grades. You MUST submit
your records and show ALL of your grades from ALL colleges and universities you
have attended in the US and abroad. If the university denies your application,
you do have the right to submit an appeal to that decision. See the university’s
website for details on appealing a denied application.
