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survival
guide
Students SOAR
through transition
By Candice Blackmon
Special to the On-line Forty-Niner
Attending a new
college can be overwhelming, with questions about registering,
library location, and available resources just a few of the
problems new students face.
At Cal State Long
Beach, the Student Orientation Advising Registration program
is designed to help students with the transition.
Elissa Klonsky,
23, was happy that she went. Klonsky is a transfer student
from Golden West College. She will be attending CSULB this
fall.
The SOAR program,
which costs $50, not only provided pizza and soda but also
an opportunity to register early with confidence, Klonsky
said. Advisers provided guidance with classes towards her
health science degree.
"Learning
the campus and feeling confident that I am not wasting time
taking the wrong classes was well worth the fee," Klonsky
said.
SOAR, sponsored
by the Student Transition and Retention Services, has served
approximately 7,100 students in 31 sessions this summer, said
Elmira Sasis, office manager at SOAR. Sessions are based
on a first-come, first-serve basis, so it is always a good
idea to sign up early.
The program has
two parts, the advising portion and the orientation to campus
life and resources. The advising session focuses on figuring
out which classes to take and registering for those classes.
The orientation
to campus life and resources, which includes a campus tour,
is a guide to departments beneficial to students.
SOAR is especially
beneficial to entering freshmen, who must receive advising
before registering, Sasis said. The program not only provides
advising but also gives freshmen an opportunity to register
prior to the open access date of Aug. 8. Plus, students can
receive advising while they register.
After entering
students have attended the program, they feel "more acquainted,
more at home" on their first day at school as opposed
to feeling lost, Sasis said.
Evaluation forms
are available to students to either compliment or critique
the program at the end of both the advising session and the
orientation to campus life and resources, Sasis said.
How does a student
sign up for the program? Upon receiving an entrance
letter to CSULB, SOAR will mail a brochure explaining the
program and dates available. If the brochure were somehow
lost in the mail, SOAR is available online at http://www.csulb.edu/programs/soar/soar.htm.
Klonsky will begin
class on Aug. 28. She is already familiar with the location
of her classes and where to go to write her first paper. She
also met some students that will be in her health classes.
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