“COLLEGE 101” PREPARES HUNDREDS OF SCC FRESHMEN
FOR SMOOTH START TO COLLEGE

                  
More than 850 college freshmen couldn’t wait to get started at St. Charles Community College this fall; they enrolled in the pre-fall version of College 101, a one-credit-hour course held in early August that orients them to campus and gives them tips for academic success.

This year, 855 students enrolled for the pre-fall session, and enrollment for all 31 fall College 101 sessions are full, said Barb Chandler, associate dean of the academic and career enhancement services at SCC.

“The purpose of College 101 is to give students a realistic picture of what life will be like as a college student,” Chandler said. The course helps them get acquainted with the campus, faculty expectations, academic workload, and student services they’ll need to use regularly, such as the library, Career Center, WebCT, and SCC Connection, Chandler said.

“We want students to feel comfortable here when classes start,” Chandler said. “We can’t provide them all the answers in a one-credit-hour course, but we can give them a great head start and help them know who to ask and where to go when they do need help.”

For the College 101 summer sessions, students attended class for four-and-a-half hours a day for five consecutive days. Students’ final day featured a pizza lunch/social and a panel of SCC faculty members who fielded student questions. Students also learned about SCC clubs and activities, and 270 students signed up to be involved in campus life.

“The faculty panel showed me the teachers are cool,” said freshman Meghan Cobalt. “I was worried I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the workload, but this helped ease the fear.”

“College 101 helped me better prepare for college. Now I know where things are,” joked one SCC freshman. “Also, it really helped me understand SCC Connection and WebCT.”

SCC Connection is an online service that gives students a convenient way to register and pay for classes. WebCT is used by many faculty members to manage their courses and communicate with students through the convenience of the Web and e-mail.

For information about SCC, visit www.stchas.edu or call 636-922-8273. Fall semester classes start Aug. 18.

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