March 2015, Issue 3
Message from VPSA
Sam Gonzales
Great things come in fours! From the teenage mutant ninja turtles to Mount Rushmore, four seems to be a lucky number. It is true for the undergraduate experience as well. Our aim for students is that they are able to Finish in Four. To illustrate this point, one of the committees of GRIP is in the process of posting inspirational reminders throughout the campuses. A couple examples from the JPL are pictured below. The banners, posters and t-shirts remind students of the benefits of staying on track with their class year.
Snap a pic with one of these and promote them on your department’s social media channels using #Finishin4.
Registration is beginning now for summer and fall, depending on the student’s academic classification (i.e. freshman, sophomore, etc.). Be sure to remind the students in your area to register for the next semester. Here is where students can find information on when to register, class schedules and related topics.
Finishing college in four years just makes sense, both from a financial and personal perspective. That is why it is so important to register for 15 credit hours each semester. Additionally, taking summer classes is a great way to keep the momentum going when a full load of classes is not feasible. The typical undergraduate education is comprised of 120 credit hours. Therefore, a question could be, “How can that effort be equally distributed?” In this context, 15 hours a semester for 8 semesters equals 120 hours in 4 years. I have even heard George Norton give that particular example during Orientation, and it is true. Equal distribution of effort means steady progress toward the ultimate goal – graduation. Now is the time of the semester that students will decide what progress means for them. Is it 15 hours in the fall or spring - or less plus summer courses? Any way they choose to solve it, we hope the result for our students adds up to #Finishin4.
Best wishes,
Sam
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