Using units earned at another college or university

Many students are coming to DVC having already earned some units either at another U.S. college or university, or at a foreign institution. How can you find out if those units can help you meet your academic goal at DVC?

First, if your units are from a U.S. college or university: Make sure that DVC has an official copy of your transcript(s) in your file. Then, schedule a counseling appointment with me, being sure to tell the scheduler that you have units from another school. The scheduler will ask you questions about your academic goal, so be sure you have identified a goal by then. About two or three weeks later, you will come for your appointment, and I will have your file. In it will be an official evaluation of your units from DVC's Admissions and Records office. In the meantime, I can help you guess how your units might be applied to your requirements at DVC, but until I have the official report from DVC's A&R, I cannot provide you with exact information. If your units are from another California community college, you can use http://www.assist.org to determine how those units can meet your goal to transfer to CSU or UC.

Second, if your units are from a foreign college or university: DVC can use foreign-earned units ONLY as elective units; those units cannot be applied toward the DVC Associate's degree General Education requirements. They might be applicable to a DVC major, but you would have to talk to someone in the major department regarding that issue. So, if your goal is to earn an associate's degree from DVC, you must get an evaluation of your foreign-earned units from an outside agency, as DVC does not employee foreign transcript evaluators. This link will take you to a list of agencies from which you can choose: http://www.naces.org. My advice is to choose the least expensive agency. Once DVC has received an official copy of the evaluation from the agency, schedule an appointment with me, and when you come for your appointment, I will have a report from DVC's Admissions and Records office explaining how many units you can use as electives. If you want to use those units toward a DVC major, then you'll have to visit the appropriate academic department.

If your goal is to transfer to a CSU or a UC, DO NOT get an evaluation of your foreign-earned units from a private agency. CSU's and UC's employee their own foreign transcript evaluators. When you apply to the CSU or UC, you will be required to submit official copies of ALL of the colleges and universities you have attended, both here in the U.S. and in other countries. This is required; you cannot hide foreign-earned units. Attempting to do so could result in your being denied admissions at ANY of the CSU or UC campuses. If you plan to transfer to a private or out-of-state university, you need to read that university's website to determine their expectations. I am unable to tell you about the requirements of private and out-of-state universities.

Stress Management

It's that time of the semester: Mid-term exams are happening, projects are due, extra-curricular activities are eating up a lot of your time. Spring break is still a week away. The pressure to succeed is greater than ever. What's a stressed-out student to do?

Stress itself is neither positive nor negative; it simply "is." However, how we deal with the stress in our lives is what matters. Some people choose to deal with stress negatively; they smoke, overdrink, overeat or eat unhealthily, or otherwise engage in activities that are not helpful. There are, however, positive ways to deal with stress. Getting enough sleep is one of the most important ways to deal with stress. With homework and assignments piling up, it might be easy to rationalize "pulling an all-nighter." But good time management skills will solve this problem. Knowing when your assignments are due and when your exams are scheduled, and working/studying a little bit each day, will help you avoid the "all-nighter." Exercise is another positive way to deal with stress. You don't have to spend hours in the gym, or even break a sweat; just going for a walk or jog can help your body work out the tension caused by stress. Finally, eating properly is vital in maintaining your health in stressful times. Avoid fast foods and processed products. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain products, protein-rich foods, and other nutritious options. And drink plenty of water; dehydration will cause headaches and other aches and pains.

And on a final note, while over-socializing can contribute to poor time management, and thus cause you to neglect your responsibilities as a student, having a good social-support network can de-stress your life. A good time manager will schedule time for fun and relaxation; do something that you enjoy with someone whom you enjoy being with. You could even combine strategies by exercising or sharing a healthy meal with a friend.

For more information on stress management for college students, refer to this article on stress and students at about.com: http://stress.about.com/od/studentstress/ht/schoolstress.htm.

Welcome to the DVC International Counselor's Blog!

Hello, DVC international students! I've created this blog as a way to get academic planning information to you on a regular basis. I'll blog about upcoming deadlines, changes in academic policies and requirements, planning practices you should be performing, and more. Here are some things for you to consider:
1. If you will complete the requirements for an AA degree, the deadline for petitioning for the degree is March 31. Visit the A&R office in the Student Services Building to get and submit the form, or click this link: http://www.dvc.edu/pdfs/Application_for_Degree.pdf.
2. The deadline to drop a full-term course is April 24. Remember you will receive a W for the course (W's are not bad; they do not affect your GPA, and in most cases, they will not affect your admissibility for a university). Be cautioned: F-1 international students have to maintain full-time enrollment each semester. If you drop a course and it causes you to be enrolled in less than 12 units, you will be out of status! Use the Schedule Request Form, available in the A&R office, or here: http://www.dvc.edu/pdfs/Schedule-Request.pdf.
3. The summer and fall 2009 schedules are now online: http://www.dvc.edu/org/info/schedules/. Now is the time to make a counseling appointment for academic planning for those terms. If you wait too late, there might be no more appointments available. Call 925-685-1230, extension 2276 to make an appointment.

Thanks for reading, and check back daily for updates!