BESST

Core Engineering Major Courses: BESST students will enroll in appropriate courses related to their engineering majors in the Fall and Spring semesters depending on their placement. See Cohort Schedules, below.

Peer Mentoring: Each BESST student will be assigned a peer mentor in their first year. Upper-division peer mentors provide resources, tutoring, and mentoring to help freshmen achieve academic success and transition from high school to college.

Freshmen Advising: BESST students will be assigned a dedicated pre-engineering academic advisor and must meet with them during mandatory freshmen advising workshops. Academic advisors are also available through drop-in advising or scheduled appointments.

Reserved Courses for Fall:

• ENGR 101: Introduction to the Engineering Profession
• GE: COMM 130: Essentials of Public Speaking OR GE: Ethnic Studies
• MATH 111 and MATH 113, or MATH 122 (Depending on ALEKS Math Placement)
• Supplemental Instruction (S/I)
• CE 101: Intro to Civil Engineering and Constr. Engr. Mgmt.*
• MAE 172A: Engineering Design Graphics – AutoCAD*
• MAE 101B: Intro to Mechanical Engineering**
• MAE 172B: Engineering Design Graphics – SolidWorks**

Reserved Courses for Spring: 

• ENGR 102: Academic Success Skills
• MATH 122 or MATH 123 (Depending on cohort)
• Supplemental Instruction (S/I)

*For BESST students in Pre-Civil Engineering (Track 5)
** For BESST students in Pre-Mechanical Engineering (Track 6)

• No cost to students
• Learning Community
• Reserved courses
• Dedicated BESST/BeachXP Academic Advisor
• Individual and group mentoring
• Study groups and tutoring
• Exclusive academic and professional workshops
• Opportunities to attend student leadership workshops and conferences
• Social activities with student organizations and other BESST students
• Mentoring opportunities with past BESST participants
• Exposure to CSULB services
• Opportunity to form friendships
• Chance to connect with faculty and staff
• $2,000 MESA Scholarship for twenty BESST students who participated in MESA at their respective high schools, to be disbursed in Fall 2023 and Spring 2024*
• Additional merit-based scholarship opportunities for students who maintain a 3.0 GPA minimum

*Students must maintain eligibility requirements in both semesters

Incoming first-time-freshmen with pre-engineering majors who place in:

• Pre-Calculus (MATH 111) AND Trigonometry (MATH 113) are eligible to join BESST: Track 1 or 2
• Calculus 1 (MATH 122) may join BESST: Track 3 or 4
• Calculus 1 (MATH 122) and are Pre-Civil Engineering majors may join BESST: Track 5
• Calculus 1 (MATH 122) and are Pre-Mechanical Engineering majors may join BESST: Track 6

For students who place in MATH 111 and MATH 113 (Tracks 1 and 2), BESST will kick off with the *FREE* Engineering Summer Academy in mid-August, where students will commute to CSULB for one week and attend workshops to prepare for the coming year.

Event: Engineering Summer Academy
Dates: August 14^th through August 18^th
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Location: CSULB, Room: TBD
Breakfast and Lunch will be provided.

A BESST Information Session is offered for eligible incoming freshmen to discuss the program and answer any questions that students/parents might have. Details are posted below:

Event: BESST Information Session
Date: Friday, June 30, 2023
Time: 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

What’s the difference between BESST and BeachXP?
Beach Engineering Student Success Team (BESST) is the engineering-based learning community, which is a part of the university-wide Beach Experience (BeachXP) Learning Communities.

How do I join BESST?
Space is limited, so be sure to complete the ALEKS Math Placement by June 30^th. If space is available, you may also speak to an advisor on your Advising and Registration day. Click here for more information about Math placement in the College of Engineering. Interested in BESST? Click below to complete your application by June 30^th.

Who can join BESST?
Pre-engineering majors who place into MATH 111 (Pre-Calculus Trigonometry) and MATH 113 (Pre-Calculus Algebra) or MATH 122 (Calculus 1) are eligible for BESST.
If you have credit for AP Calculus (score of 3 or greater on the AB or BC exam) or college credit for MATH 122 (Calculus 1), or you will be enrolling in MATH 123 (Calculus 2) or higher, then you won’t be eligible to join BESST.

How much does it cost?
BESST is free for students.

Will I take different classes in BESST?
No, all engineering and computing majors take the math and ENGR 101/102 classes. As an added benefit, if you join Tracks 1-4, you’ll be guaranteed a spot in the math, ENGR 101/102, COMM 130, and a one-unit Supplemental Instruction (SI) class will help you succeed in your math class. For students who join Tracks 5 and 6, the Pre-Civil or Pre-Mechanical cohorts, they will also be guaranteed a spot in two introductory major courses and an Ethnic Studies course.

Can I change my major while in BESST?
You may only change majors within the College of Engineering. If you change majors outside of engineering, you can’t continue with BESST.

What happens if I don’t pass a BESST course?
Students must receive a C or better in their BESST courses. If students don’t pass the classes, they cannot continue with the BESST cohort and will need to retake the classes.

Can I drop a BESST course?
BESST courses are linked, so they can’t be dropped individually. Dropping all BESST courses will result in a reduced course load, possibly changing your status from full-time to part-time and affecting your financial aid. It could also potentially lead to delayed graduation.

Space is limited, so be sure to complete the ALEKS Math Placement by June 30^th.  If space is available, you may also speak to an advisor on your Advising and Registration day. Click here for more information about Math placement in the College of Engineering. Interested in BESST? Click below to complete your application by August 1^st.

            BESST Application: https://bit.ly/2024BESSTApplication