Your First Semester: What to Expect, What to Do

Hopefully, the preceding information will help you get a sense of what the “big picture” is in terms of the requirements and options at the College. It's good to have this as background information as you prepare to start at CPCS, but there will be lots of opportunities for you to learn more and understand more about how you can put the different pieces together to develop your plan for learning at CPCS. For now, the most important thing will be understanding enough to make some initial decisions about what you'll do in your first semester. At Orientation, we will be helping you to decide what you want to start with at CPCS. We will help you pick out the competencies that you will register for, and figure out what kind of schedule you want for your first semester. In preparation for that, there are a few things to consider:   One thing to consider is whether you want to be full time or part time. Students who want to be full time should plan on working on at least 4 competencies in their first semester. (Each competency is worth 3 credits and full time students must be registered for at least 12 credits.) But, it is not required that you attend full time, if you wish to take fewer than 4 competencies, that's fine.

 

There are a number of factors that might influence your decision:

What kind of time do you have for school?

One important consideration is how much time you have to commit to your education this semester. You should expect to spend several hours a week outside of class time working on assignments and studying for every competency you do. It's really important to figure this time into your planning about the semester. Don't overload yourself, particularly if you're also juggling work, family and community commitments.

 

Remember you have options at CPCS:

Don't think that you have to sign up for classes to do all the competencies you want to do. One of the great things about CPCS is that there are different options for working on competencies outside of classroom experiences- prior learning evaluation, independent learning, group projects, etc. You will learn more about these options as the semester progresses, but it's important to remember.

 

How much can you afford to do?

It is critical for students to consider the cost of tuition and fees before making registration decisions. It's really important to know how you're going to pay for school when you start. You won't be billed until about a month after classes start, but don't get caught short. Know ahead of time that when that bill comes, you'll have the money or the financial aid to cover it.

 

Tuition rates are found at http://www.umb.edu/students/bursar/tuition_fees.shtml.

Each semester, students should also check into financial assistance options which include Scholarships, Grants, and Federal Student Aid.

 

When you have an idea about HOW MUCH you want to take on in your first semester. The next decision is WHAT to take on.

 

First Year Requirements and Options

The CPCS curriculum has four levels. Most students will begin by addressing the requirements in Level I. If you are coming in with transfer credits or experiential learning that addresses those requirements, you may begin to work on competencies in Level II in the Core or in your major (if you know what that will be).

 

The First Year Experience: Critical Learning Seminars

All entering students share a common first year experience called the Critical Learning Seminar that, along with helping students develop important academic skills, provides students with the advising support and orientation they need to become acclimated to the College and the options it provides.

 

The seminars are designed to provide students with interesting learning options focused on different topics related to the CPCS curriculum and current issues and topics in public and community service. The seminars also provide support for students in developing the kinds of skills they will need – critical reading, academic writing, applied technology and quantitative reasoning – to be successful learners at the College. In addition, ongoing orientation sessions and support workshops (study skills, time management, etc) are built into the Critical Learning Seminar schedule to insure that students are getting the information and support they need about options at the college, as well as advising, registration and learning plan support.

 

Each year long seminar addresses a cluster of four competencies from Levels I and II of Core Knowledge and Skills area. There are two options available:

 

Option A:

  Semester 1:   Dimensions of Learning/Understanding Arguments   

  Semester 2:   Critical Inquiry/Making Arguments

 

Option B:

  Semester 1:   Dimensions of Learning/Critical Inquiry

  Semester 2:   Understanding Arguments/Value Conflicts

 

Each seminar will focus on a different topic and throughout the year, students will have the opportunity fully engage in learning about the topic and develop an inquiry of their own choosing about an issue or area of the topic that is of particular interest to them.

 

In the first semester, the seminars will meet for 4 hours each week – some seminars meet twice a week for two hours; others meet once a week. The weekly sessions will include a mix of focused work on the topic of the seminar, as well as different workshops, group activities, and orientation sessions focused more on particular skill development.

 

Your Critical Learning teacher will also be your academic advisor for the first semester. As part of the seminar, you will continue to learn more about the options and rules of the game at CPCS. You will get assistance in developing your learning plan, choosing a major, and understanding the different modes of competency evaluation that are available to you at CPCS.

 

A Peer Advisor will also be assigned to your Critical Learning Section. A Peer Advisor is a CPCS student who is farther along in their program at the College. The Peer Advisor is there to work with you, help get your questions answered, and provide guidance and support for your first semester. The Peer Advisors can also provide tutoring support for writing that you do in that class.

 

Because there are two competencies addressed each semester in the Critical Learning Seminar, it is the equivalent of a 6-credit course. Students who wish to be part time may want to just do the Critical Learning Seminar for their first semester. That's fine, but you're not limited to this.

 

At Orientation we will review your options for classes that are available to first semester students in the different areas of the curriculum. We will also review your transfer credits with you, so you'll know which competencies have been completed via transfer credit.