RCC Cuts Units For Bridge Students
- February 26, 2010
RCC cuts units for Bridge students
The Medieval Times
By Victoria Strelow
A letter sent home from Bridge Principal Mr. Koski informs students and parents that RCC will now enforce its “long-standing” eight-unit limit for Bridge students in the spring and fall semesters.
Also, students are limited to five units during winter and summer terms.
Technically, this limit has been in place since the beginning of the Early College program; now, however, RCC is utilizing the eight-unit maximum to help cut back on classes and alleviate budget deficits.
According to Mrs. Frey, “Students can only exceed the limit if and only if it’s their senior year, and they only need one more class to graduate.”
There are two accomplishments which Bridge students pursue while at RCC. The first is obtaining an Associate’s Degree (AA/S), for which students must complete 60 units.
The other is the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC), which requires 34 units for transfer to a UC and 37 units for transfer to a Cal State.
The new restrictions, though, may require students to reassess their RCC goals.
Consider how many years Bridge students participate in the Early College program. Assuming a student attends the Bridge starting in the freshman year through their senior the freshman year through their senior year, they will go through eight fall and spring semesters.
If that student were able to take eight, degree-applicable units per semester, the student would indeed be able to achieve their Associate Degree with 64 credits.
With the smaller and smaller number of classes being offered at RCC, it becomes even harder for upperclassmen to get enrolled in eight total units.
The letter identified that, in order to graduate from the Bridge with both a high school diploma and an AA/S, students will have to take classes during nearly all summer and winter terms in “the 4 to 5 years covered by our program.” It also says setting aside extracurricular activities and taking classes at other community colleges might be necessary.
If a student wants to graduate with an AA/S, they will have to dedicate significant portions of their breaks and after school hours while high school is in session.
With this in mind, should all Bridge students aim for an AA/S? Arguably, no.
For one thing, the majority of students coming to this school do not know specifically what major they want. It is risky for these students to dedicate themselves to an AA/S, which generally points to where one is headed in a four-year college.
Most importantly, however, is that the number of completed college units is not all that colleges look for in prospective students. If a student dedicates themselves to achieving an AA/S, they make it difficult to engage in sports, clubs, and other extracurricular activities.
As Mrs. Frey points out, pursuing an IGETC, “let’s students continue with their extracurricular activities, including sports.” Colleges certainly look at scholastic accomplishments, but they also look for well-rounded students.
Well-rounded students are students with noteworthy community service ventures and participation in school and community life, which is hard to do when taking the time necessary to complete an AA/S.
The IGETC, if completed, will complete a student’s undergraduate (or General Education) requirements, and calls for significantly fewer completed units than an AA/S.
A student with a completed IGETC has the potential of being accepted into a college with junior status.
Though it is true that many students have used the AA/S program as an intermediate step toward four-year college, this may not be as good of an option in this economic turmoil.
So should students drastically change their plans? Not necessarily.
Many of the classes which apply for an AA/S also apply for the IGETC requirements.
If you have already begun working on an AA/S path, you can check to see which of your classes are required for the IGETC and go from there.
Mrs. Frey reminds students that fulfilling one’s high school A-G requirements is also important.
Those are the high school courses recommended or required for entry into most four-year colleges.
Getting an AA/S should not be your only goal, for you do not require one to gain entrance to either the UC or CSU systems. The IGETC actually takes care of college freshman and sophomore work, and is what allows one to begin work on major classes sooner. It also demands fewer units, allowing students to still engage in enriching student activities.