ADMISSIONS

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APPLICATION

MATRICULATION

HOW TO ENROLL

ASSESSMENT

ORIENTATION

For the typical student at Santa Monica College, education represents a serious commitment of personal time and energy. To help students pursue their educational goals and dreams, the College has a planned educational process called "matriculation."

All students are encouraged to go through the matriculation process, which includes orientation, educational assessment tests, and academic counseling to design a program of courses that meets their educational goals.

1. Orientation: Orientation informs students about the wide range of services and support the College provides, including academic counseling to help sort out educational and career goals, health and psychological services, financial aid and scholarships, job referral services, tutoring services, and support programs for students with special needs. Orientation is also a chance to meet fellow students, share concerns and dreams with them and start new friendships.

2. Assessment of English and Math skills and educational background: To help students get the most out of their higher education, the College provides tests that assess a student's general educational background and skills in Math, English, English as a Second Language, and Chemistry. These tests help students select the educational programs that are realistic and in line with their level of academic preparation and experience.

3. Definition and development of educational and career goals: While some students arrive at Santa Monica College with a very clear and firm idea of what their educational goals are, most have several different areas they wish to pursue, and others have no particular direction at all, often because they have many different interests. The College has three educational planning "tracks" to help students meet general education requirements while developing their educational goals:

• The Certain Track, for students focused on a specific educational goal and anxious to pursue it in the most direct way possible. Students following this track design a study program that leads directly to their transfer to a four-year institution to pursue a specific major or to their certification in a vocational or occupational field.
• The Exploring Track, for students with a variety of interests they wish to explore before settling into one particular field. Most students fall into this category. As they learn more about particular fields and their own capabilities in those fields they are able to sort out their interest and eventually focus on a particular program of study.
• The Undecided Track, for students who are truly undecided about what educational goals to pursue. Many students fall into this category and need help to sort out their values, interests, abilities, and how they want their education to contribute to their life and well-being.

4. Academic counseling: The college provides a professional staff of academic counselors to help students identify their educational track and plan how to pursue it. Counseling services vary according to the particular educational track that a student selects to follow. The Transfer/Counseling Center helps Certain Track students develop an educational plan that outlines the courses they need to meet specific transfer, occupational certificate, or AA degree goals. It also helps Exploring Track students develop and select a plan to meet general education requirements and choose a major and transfer institution. The Career Center helps students on the Undecided Track sort out potential majors and educational goals through discovery exercises based on a student's interest, aptitudes, and values.

5. Other support services: The College also provides a caring and committed faculty, a Transfer/Counseling Center, a Latino Center, an African American Center, an International Education Center, a Women's Center, tutoring services, financial aid, and a number of other means to support students in their pursuit of higher education. Many of these services are described in detail in the Student Handbook available through the Transfer/Counseling center.

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