Fall 2012 Admitted Student Deadlines

As some of you may already know, our first batch of admission packets have already gone out!  Congratulations to those of you who have been admitted for fall 2012!  This is an exciting time and I hope you’ll make Chico your campus of choice. 

Decisions from now on will be rolling out on an on-going basis.  Don’t lose heart if you haven’t heard.  We have over 22,000 applications to process, so be patient.  Remember to keep checking your student portal and Wildcat e-mail for information about your admission decision or any requests from our campus.  Once students are admitted, several other deadlines must be met before beginning next fall.  Failure to meet these deadlines might result in having your admission rescinded, and we all want you to avoid that.  Here’s a list of important deadlines to be aware of for both first-time freshmen and transfer students.

• January 31, 2012: Application fee deadline. Students can submit a paper application fee waiver if you think you’ve made a mistake on the on-line version or you can pay via CASH Net. The CSU application fee is $55.
• January 31, 2012: First time freshmen deadline to submit SAT or ACT test scores.  
• February 15, 2012: Initial transcript deadline for TRANSFER students ONLY.  
•  March 1, 2012: Transcripts due ONLY from first-time freshmen applicants whom we’ve specifically contacted.  If we've requested a transcipt, it means we need extra information to make a decision.  Don't delay in sending it in.
• May 1, 2012:  Deadline to submit your Intent to Enroll (IE) and make Chico State your campus of choice for both transfer students and first-time freshmen.   Your Intent to Enroll (IE) can be submitted via your Chico State student portal.   You can refer back to our older post for how to do this.
• July 14, 2012:  Final Official Transcripts due for all admitted students, both first-time freshmen and transfers. Transcripts can be mailed to Office of Admissions, 400 West First Street, Chico, CA 95929-0722. We will also accept transcripts sent to us electronically from other institutions.

Students will also receive regular reminders about these deadlines in their student portal and Wildcat email accounts so you’ll be sure not to miss them. Good luck to those of you who are still waiting and Happy Holidays!

Advice for Senior Applicants Part 2

Let's pick up right where we left off in the last post.

4.  Don’t be afraid to call for help, but realize that you’re not the only one who is calling.  
It’s important to realize that high traffic times like submission deadlines can cause a glut of phone calls.   University staff is only human.  Getting a patient, helpful answer is almost guaranteed when you’re not calling at the same time as a hundred other students.   At Chico State, we pride ourselves on answering the phone and being as helpful as possible, but sometimes we need a little extra time. 

5.  Make friends among staff and faculty.  It’s always a good idea to have a connection that is in the know.  The people who work at Chico State care about students and want them to be successful.  It’s very smart to find someone who might go out of his or her way to help you.  An introduction, a good attitude and a word of thanks go a long way towards this.

6.  Reduce your stress and plan ahead.    We live in age of high speed Internet and on-demand everything.  However, the University doesn’t always function that way.  If students submit test scores or transcripts, especially during a high traffic time, it doesn’t mean offices will get that information five minutes later nor have it posted to your file.  The best thing students can do is send test scores, transcripts, or any other information in a timely manner allowing for travel and processing time.

I could go on with this list, but I just wanted to share a few ideas to give you the inside track on the admission process.  Good luck to those of you who have applied.  I hope I see you on campus next fall! 

Advice for Senior Applicants

One of the reasons I work in higher education is because I love helping students succeed.  Nothing makes me feel better than knowing that a student is thriving at Chico State.   While answering a ton of panicky phone calls on November 30th (the very last day of the fall 2012 application period), I thought to myself: “I wish I could help seniors avoid these pitfalls!”  Then I realized, I blog, I can totally do that!  So here are my helpful hints for seniors who've applied to Chico State.

1.  Never, ever wait till the last minute to submit anything!   We had over 2,000 applications submitted in one day for Chico State’s fall 2012 term.  If you multiply 2,000 by 23 campuses that's roughly over 40,000 students trying to apply at the same time.  If that isn’t a website crash waiting to happen I don’t know what is.   Really, for your sanity’s sake, don’t wait till the last minute. 

2.  Realize that submitting an application for admission is just a first step.   Your college process is not complete by a long shot.  There are going to be a lot of steps you’ll have to follow up with beyond the application:  submitting transcripts, an intent to enroll, testing, financial aid and housing are just some of the things admitted students will still have to complete.

3.  E-mail, e-mail, e-mail.   Most Universities are now communicating with students by e-mail or university portal accounts.  One of the first things you’ll be directed to do is create a portal account.  If you wait too long or neglect to do this, you will likely miss important deadlines that could result in your application being cancelled.  Chico State’s portal link can be found on our website.  Once you create your account, check it often. 

I’m not done here; there's lots more I'd like to share.  Look for part 2 of Advice to Senior Applicants.

CSU, Chico Online Scholarship Application Now Available

 The scholarship application for California State University, Chico for the 2012-2013 academic year opened on October 1, 2011.  Scholarship recipients are selected in the spring for the following academic year.  In order to be considered  for 2012-2013, students must submit an application no later than December 15, 2011.  CSU Chico provides scholarships based on a variety of criteria including academic merit, financial need, participation in clubs and activities, volunteer and community involvement, major and career goals, etc.  All students are encouraged to apply.  Please follow this link for more information on how to apply www.csuchico.edu/fa.   Don't wait to hear about your admissions, appy now!

Early Start Classes: Your Ticket to Success

Recently we talked about being exempted out of the Early Start Program through qualifying test scores, but what happens to students who aren't exempt through testing?  What’s their next step?

Students who do not have a qualifying score on the SAT, ACT, or AP tests and do not pass the Entry Level Math Test (ELM) with a 50 or higher or the English Placement Test (EPT) with a 138 or more have to enroll in an Early Start experience.  Let's look at how Early Start will work:

• Students who are determined to need Early Start in math and English must register for an Early Start course in each subject.  If students only need Early Start in English, they only have to register for an English course. Likewise, students who only need a math experience, only have to register for a math ESP course. 
• Every CSU campus is developing Early Start courses and students may take Early Start courses at any CSU campus they choose.  Students will be able to select courses that are held on campus, online or a hybrid of both.
• Registration for Early Start classes will be done through an online Smart Page to be linked through your University portal.
• Early Start classes will cost $180 per unit plus material fees. 
• Fee waivers for Early Start classes will be available for students whose Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is less than $5,000.
• Students who are required to participate in an Early Start experience, but do not register may be disenrolled or prevented from enrolling in their fall classes.

The best action steps students can take is to watch for communications from their University about Early Start.  Checking University portal and email accounts on a regular basis is great way to stay up to date.  Remember, enrolling in Early Start is your ticket to success. 

Gone Fishin'



Nicholas Carrico and Matt Wetmore show off their catch at this year's National Guard FLW College Fish even at Clear Lake. (Photo by David A. Brown)

 Did you know that Chico State boasts an award winning Bass Fishing Team?  That's right!  Check out the fun-filled story of Bryce Hayes' experience.  Chico State really has something for everybody! 


Starting Smart

It’s a truth universally acknowledged, that the early bird catches the worm and this especially true when preparing for university. Hopefully students and parents have begun to hear rumblings of the new statewide initiative called the Early Start Program.  In a nutshell, the CSU Broad of Trustees has mandated that from fall 2011 onward, any in-state, first-time freshman admitted to any CSU campus must demonstrate college readiness in Math and English or begin their remediation prior to enrollment.  In other words, they must get an Early Start on their success in college.

Historically nearly 60% of freshmen admitted to the CSU have been deemed not ready for college level Math and English.  This is true even for students who were in the top one-third of their high school graduating classes!  Doing remediation at the university is an expensive undertaking for everyone involved.  The University must provide specialized courses and students must invest time and money in classes that are often repeats of high school material.  This is particularly frustrating when students realize that remedial courses done at the university do not apply towards graduation or major requirements.

What’s a savvy student to do?  Early preparation is the key to success!  Ideally students will avoid remediation by testing out of the Early Start Program and there are lots of ways to do this.  Juniors can get a jump on gaining exemptions by passing the Early Assessment portion of the California Standards Test.  The CST is administered in the spring at most California public schools and EAP results can be found online via the CSU English and Math Success website.  All is not lost if you don’t pass the EAP; qualifying test scores in the SAT, ACT, AP or CSU English Placement Test (EPT) and Entry Level Math Test (ELM) will also make you exempt.  We’ve created this handy chart for you outlining Early Start exemptions scores in more detail.  What happens if you aren’t exempt through testing?  How will you meet the Early Start requirement?  Stay tuned for the next blog post when I’ll go into detail about Early Start summer classes. Meanwhile, if you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments.