The last orientation for new international students for Fall 2009 was held on Friday, August 7. More than one hundred students attended. However, if you are new for Fall semester and did not attend the orientation, you still have a chance to view the slides from the presentation on authorstream.com. Just click on this link: http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/misham-235910-dvc-new-international-student-orientatio-orientation-c105-intl-version-education-ppt-powerpoint/, or visit http://www.authorstream.com/tag/misham and click on "DVC New International Student Orientation."
Before meeting with a counselor, all new students are expected to attend new international student orientation. Please view this presentation before meeting with a counselor so that you will have the framework for the conversation that you will have with the counselor and so that you will know how to think about choosing classes for the Fall semester. This will save both you and the counselor valuable time.
Also please note that at this time, there are very few open seats in DVC English, Math, and Science courses. You might have to wait until Spring, Summer, or even Fall 2010 to begin a Math or Science sequence. This is the current reality for all California community colleges: The demand for classes far exceeds the supply due to state budget cuts. DVC will do the best it can to provide classes and services for students, but only so much can be done with limited resources. Thank you for your patience, flexibility, and understanding during these rather trying times.
For more information on what to do if the classes you want to take are already full, refer to the last few slides of the orientation presentation linked above.
Showing posts with label classes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label classes. Show all posts
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
California's Budget Crisis and DVC
By now, I'm sure everyone has heard about the very serious budget crisis that the state of California is experiencing. This crisis severely impacts the public education system, including Diablo Valley College. For students, this means that fewer classes may be offered, and student services may be drastically cut. It might be harder for students to get into classes that they need, and it might be more difficult to access individualized help. So, what's a student to do?
First of all, students can be self-guided and self-motivated and take advantage of the numerous online resources available to find out valuable information for academic planning. For transfering to CSU and UC campuses, www.assist.org is the best resource. Not only does it show students how their DVC courses will transfer to the CSU and UC systems, but it also shows which DVC courses fulfill admissions requirements for both systems, as well as IGETC and CSU-GE requirements. The DVC website itself contains much valuable information, along with digital copies of the DVC catalog, in case students misplaced the one they received at New Student Orientation. Other useful websites include www.csumentor.edu and www.universityofcalifornia.edu. The Student Planning Guide that students receive at orientation contains a list of other helpful websites. Students can also look in my blog archives to find other useful internet resources. Of course, looking at the websites of the universities is very informative.
Second, students should plan well in advance to see a counselor and not expect to get counseling on demand. There are a limited number of counseling appointments available, and those fill up fast. So, students should make an appointment, make a list of their questions, and while waiting for their appointment date, they should research the answers to their questions on their own and get confirmation from the counselor at the appointment. This will save both the student and the counselor valuable time.
Finally, the best pieces of advice are: Remain calm. Be flexible. Stay open-minded. Adapt. Be independent. Successful students are the ones who are most resilient when faced with challenges, and these are challenging times.
In conclusion, I am reminded of an old Asian proverb: The reed that fails to bend in the wind, breaks. Will you be the reed that bends with the wind and remains standing once the storm has passed, or will you be the reed that breaks because you were too inflexible and rigid?
First of all, students can be self-guided and self-motivated and take advantage of the numerous online resources available to find out valuable information for academic planning. For transfering to CSU and UC campuses, www.assist.org is the best resource. Not only does it show students how their DVC courses will transfer to the CSU and UC systems, but it also shows which DVC courses fulfill admissions requirements for both systems, as well as IGETC and CSU-GE requirements. The DVC website itself contains much valuable information, along with digital copies of the DVC catalog, in case students misplaced the one they received at New Student Orientation. Other useful websites include www.csumentor.edu and www.universityofcalifornia.edu. The Student Planning Guide that students receive at orientation contains a list of other helpful websites. Students can also look in my blog archives to find other useful internet resources. Of course, looking at the websites of the universities is very informative.
Second, students should plan well in advance to see a counselor and not expect to get counseling on demand. There are a limited number of counseling appointments available, and those fill up fast. So, students should make an appointment, make a list of their questions, and while waiting for their appointment date, they should research the answers to their questions on their own and get confirmation from the counselor at the appointment. This will save both the student and the counselor valuable time.
Finally, the best pieces of advice are: Remain calm. Be flexible. Stay open-minded. Adapt. Be independent. Successful students are the ones who are most resilient when faced with challenges, and these are challenging times.
In conclusion, I am reminded of an old Asian proverb: The reed that fails to bend in the wind, breaks. Will you be the reed that bends with the wind and remains standing once the storm has passed, or will you be the reed that breaks because you were too inflexible and rigid?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)