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survival
guide
Learning Alliance
offers chance to excel
By Clayton Wood
Special to the On-line Forty-Niner
In the fall of
1994, Mary Anne Rose was a typical teenager ready to embark
onto college. Wanting to gain an edge on other undergraduates,
she enrolled in Cal State Long Beach's Learning Alliance program,
which is dedicated to help incoming freshman seek a personalized
college experience.
Five years later,
Rose, who graduated from CSULB with a master's degree in counseling
with an emphasis in student development in higher education,
remembered the peer-mentoring program that helped her discover
her passion and eventually became the Learning Alliance's
head coordinator.
Without the Learning
Alliance, Rose said, she would not have discovered CSULB's
undergraduate counseling degree.
The volunteer program
hand-selects 200 first-time freshmen, many of whom live off-campus
and commute, each fall semester based upon certain qualifications.
It is set up for students who seek success in academics as
well as a positive transition to university life, according
to Rose.
In addition to
priority registration, "connected classes," in which
students share courses to relate their experiences and easy
opportunities to meet people, the program also offers personalized
interaction with selected instructors and support from other
students, faculty, and administration, Rose said.
According to Rose,
the current drop-out rate for incoming freshmen at CSULB is
hovering at 40 percent by the end of their first year. Rose
believes that building a solid learning community will help
improve retention.
"The Learning
Alliance gives new students a sense of belonging at their
new campus," Rose says. "They feel connected."
The program's first
year includes the academic portion where students enroll in
a minimum of eight units in paired general education courses
in the fall and six units of specialized coursework in the
spring, according to the Learning Alliance pamphlet.
Specialized coursework
includes shared reading assignments, group projects and other
combined group activities.
The second year
requires students to participate in campus-related extracurricular
activities, campus-life programs, and student services as
well as community relations opportunities.
To become eligible
for the Learning Alliance, one must be a first-time freshman
with less than 18 transferable units. Also required is meeting
test score requirements regarding your Scholastic Assessment
Test (SAT), American College Testing Assessment Test (ACT),
English Placement Test, or the English Advanced Placement
Exam scores.
Although the deadline
for this year's program has passed, applicants are based on
a first-come, first-served basis and encouraged to register
on the waiting list for possible spring enrollment. To find
out more information or to speak with a Learning Alliance
counselor, contact the offices of CSULB Learning Alliance
at (562) 985-2477.
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