Greetings from the College of Southern Nevada!
It is time to enroll for the fall 2015 semester.
Beginning May 22, new students can begin registering for classes at CSN for the fall. Registration for the Summer 2015 semester is already open.
New graduates of the Clark County School District should be aware of some important changes we have implemented to the enrollment process. Many of these changes were put in place last year and we have expanded on them for the upcoming semester.
These graduating students from CCSD schools will be required to attend advising and orientation sessions, as well as take placement tests in math, English and reading. Numerous studies show that students who get adequate advising and orientation and are placed in the proper level courses do better in college. Preliminary data from CSN’s initial implementation of this policy last year shows students who were affected were more likely to return the following semester than those who did not fall under the program.
We know that many students come to college with little idea of what classes they should take, what their majors should be, or how to go about forming a plan. We are changing that.
The policy was expanded this year to include reading placement testing. In all, CSN expects about 3,500 CCSD grads to be affected. CSN has communicated about the policy with more than 20,000 high school students expected to graduate this year.
Once students have applied for admission, they can come to an on-campus orientation session, or complete one online. They must also prepare for and take the placement tests. Students who fall under the new policy are strongly encouraged to start the process now.
The orientation process will direct students to services available at CSN and will help them navigate registration. The students will also have help from their advisors to build their class schedules, with a goal of registering for necessary classes early in their college careers, particularly math requirements, which students often delay until the end of college. As students progress through CSN, they will be paired with a counselor from their department and a faculty mentor.
Student progress will be closely monitored and, if the initiative continues to prove successful, it will be expanded in the future to include all new incoming CSN students.
This column ran online May 8, 2015 in El Tiempo.