Educational Planning (Text Version)

What is an Education Plan?

All types of students come to community colleges, but no matter what brought you here, you'll get ahead if you develop and stick to an "Education Plan." What is an Education Plan? An Education Plan is a plan that you will develop alongside your college counselor based on your goals and interests, and it basically lays out which kinds of classes you need to take, and when. All students benefit from creating their personal Education Plan, no matter what has brought them to community college and where they see themselves going after. We've brought in a few of our students to show you how diverse the community college student body is through their stories, and how they might benefit from creating an Education Plan for themselves, with the help of their college counselor. We'll follow their stories up with 5 Tips from Gina, our virtual college counselor, about the importance of creating an effective Education Plan.

A Diverse Body of Students

Three Essential Tasks

Maybe some of these stories sound familiar to you, and maybe they don't. But you can see that on a community college campus, the student body is extremely diverse. The California Community College system wants to help all of you, no matter what your stories, become successful college students.

So what do you have to do on your end? First, you have to participate in an orientation, in order to get an idea of what being a student at your community college will be like. Second, you'll take placement tests so that your community college knows which level of required classes (think, math or writing) you would be most successful in. The third step is your Education Plan, which can be a two-step process. A preliminary Education Plan is fine in your first semester, but after that you'll need a more comprehensive Education Plan, your college counselor can really help you develop this.

Gina, our virtual college counselor, is here to tell you why an Education Plan is so important for you as a student.

The S.T.E.P. Process

Hi, my name is Gina, and as you already know, I am your virtual college counselor, here to talk to you about your Education Plan. When students come to me for advice, I tell them that a careful and well thought-out Educational Plan perfect way to STEP up their college career!

Conclusion

The bottom line is, when students know how the courses they are taking apply to their degree and can see their progress by using an Education Plan, they're more likely to complete their educational goals. It's as simple as that. Even if you're feeling a bit overwhelmed right now, know that there are California Community College Academic Advisors and Counselors who will be more than happy to help you out. Develop a relationship with an Academic Advisor/Counselor sooner rather than later, and avoid waiting until peak advising times. It might just be one of the smartest things you do in college. They have a wealth of information and are ready and willing to help you to achieve your goals.