Some backstory. My new college is 100% online, where every course has Discussion Boards due weekly, various tests and assignments sprinkled throughout, and an end of term Capstone Project that may or may not replace a final exam (sometimes it does, but sometimes you have this final project and a final). This capstone project takes the form of a very long essay or a presentation video of some sort. The purpose of the capstone is to show that you have complete mastery of the material presented throughout the course of the class. It is recommended that one starts the capstone project at the start of the term, which is an advanced, fast paced, 8 week course. So there isn't a lot of time to dilly dally.

I finished the Capstone Projects for my classes one particular term without much of a hitch. One was a lengthy analysis of a study between two independent variables (gender and altruism) and the dependent variable (anxiety), and ended up being 27 pages. The other was a research project on a book. I started the projects during the middle of the course, and kept extensive notes, and turned them in on time.

However, while the statistics paper received a 100%, the research project received a C. The feedback I received stated that the paper seemed to be written for another class, and did not meet the requirements. Also, there were parts missing that were required, and parts were added that were not asked for.

I was a little confused. I had been expecting a great grade for this paper. I had made sure to follow the rubric to a T. I re-read the paper to try to find where the professor was seeing these mistakes. But I came back satisfied that I had, indeed, met the requirements. Even though with the C on the paper, I got an A- in the class. But I was not happy about the grade.

I faced a choice. I could accept the grade...after all, A- isn't bad. Or, I could fight it.

I am a person of principles. I believe that if I did A grade work, I should get an A. I'd even settle for a high B on this paper. But I knew I did not do C level work. And if I did miss something on the paper to make the C grade valid, I wanted to know what it was so that, in the future, I could do better.

What is a person supposed to do in this situation?

So I plan to speak up, what next?

But first, find out who you can get in your corner to assist you.

Cover all the bases.

Send the email...and follow up.

Get ready for the process.

What about you? Have you ever faced a situation like this? What did you do about it?

I'm a person who loves books. During my several-months-long break from school (between August and what is now to be January 7th), I've dusted probably 3 novels a week. I have trophies for the number of books I've read in elementary school. That being said...sometimes I run into reading assignments that make me want to rip out my eyes or hair or both because they're just so dang boring.

It happens. Something in our brain decides that the things we want to study are suddenly things we don't want anything to do with because the things we want to do suddenly become the things we have to do. There's a bit of negative association there, which isn't helped when the book is written in a boring way, or we are reading something for an elective that we honestly don't care much for.

Despite all that, if we want the good grades, we feel the need to buckle down and bite the bullet. This can then lead to more resistance, more intimidation, and then, procrastination.

Which we all try to avoid, right?

I have a few tricks that get me through reading such boring material, and these tricks work for me. But I've compiled that list, plus stuff I've seen through the net, and perhaps you can find something that works for you.

First, get rid of all distractions.

Count the pages...

Break down the reading into chunks...if you can.

Annotate as you go.

Get your notebook out and write notes as you go, if it seems important. Write the page number of where you found that tidbit of info...that way you don't have to go back and re-search your book for the info, if you need to cite it.

Don't read it all.

Audiobook it.

Ask for help.

How do you get through a reading assignment? Let me know your tips and tricks 

Online schooling is one of those things that I could only dream of when I went to FIDM in the early 2000s. I had a wicked 2-hour-each-way-commute, and aside from pattern classes, there was no reason for me to make that commute. I wanted online or at least hybrid courses, to save not only my wallet from gas prices, but my car from its inevitable early demise (joke's on me, that car was a tank and lasted 10 whole years).

What do you think? Would you dare to try an online-only school? If you have, what are your experiences?

A friend of mine expressed a concern she had the other day, a concern regarding how the people in her life seemed less than supportive of her in her college journey. She is still doing sophomore level classes for her major, despite being in college for three years, and this is beginning to raise questions about her competence in college. Those questions aren't being posed by her professors or counselors, or even by herself. They are coming from her family and friends.

I thought on this today, as I prepared to do homework, and realized that every person I have spoken to who has returned to college in their late twenties and beyond has a similar story. Many of these people have taken on strategies to manage their time so that school has not detracted from their home life, or has spoken to friends and family about their plans. Many get initial support as they begin, but as the process draws out, and hurdles and obstacles throw off best laid plans, it becomes that this support is conditional.

I, too, have experienced conditional support. I had decided to go back to school and the support I received was more of an agreement that I needed to find a better way to spend my time, as I would not be returning to my previous career. There was much emphasis on achievement, and without a stellar career, I was not in the process of chasing achievement, nor was I in the status of just having achieved something. It was unfamiliar for me, and the unfamiliarity of this stalemate gathered support, just as long as I was put back on the right track.

The As I earned soon lost their luster, and when I had to change majors, I could hear the sighs and the carefully reworded concerns that college was turning from an occupation of time to a waste of time. I heard statements encouraging me to try just one more time in my previous industry. I obviously did not listen.

Then came a conversation I won't forget. It started with this person, who I love dearly, telling me that college was easy, and that not only would this person be able to pass all classes with flying colors, that the teachers would get angry at them because they would be so smart. They would be doing the work for the teachers! Irritated, they would surely be sent home, never to return, an honorary degree in hand.

This conversation may seem to be in jest, but it was a hypothetical story that was told more than once by the same person, whenever I seemed to struggle. It often came with additional tags to it, such as that they have had a career spanning forty years and never once stepped onto a college campus, and seemed to do just fine.

In the meantime, I had lost friends who did not support my return to college or my desire to change careers. Other people in my life met behind my back to discuss my "problem" and how to fix it, even calling into question the security of my living situation. Perhaps I would just quit if I needed to find another place to live.

That, paired with the hypothetical statements, added another layer of stress to the stress normally felt by a nontraditional college student. It soon became apparent that I was not going to quit school. I was going to follow through with this to the end. I wanted a Bachelor's degree. I wanted a change. But I knew that the people who were supposed to be in my corner actually were not. The only person who was there for me, was me.

That is not to say that I did not get support in other ways. My housing needs, my anxiety, my low income job, everything...it was all tolerated. I didn't end up losing my housing. And no one ever did step up to fix my "problem" of school and apparent crisis of the soul or occupation, or whatever it was that they felt needed fixing. I graduated with my AA, and now I am finishing up my Bachelor's.

In a way, their non-support helped fuel the fire to at least come this far. That doesn't mean that I enjoyed it. That doesn't mean that I won't remember, either. It is a strange sort of motivation, one that didn't come from a need to prove them wrong, but rather, to recommit to myself.

To the person who said that they could do college "no problem," well, I called them out on it. I asked them to come enroll with me at college, and we'd take a class together, any class they wanted. I told them it would be fun. They restated their hypothetical story again, and I told them that I did not believe them. I believed that they would not enroll because they were scared, and they see how much work I do and are not truly prepared to do the same. And college is a place where one must become comfortable with being wrong. I said to them that I knew that this was not something they could stomach.

No other hypothetical stories came my way, and in the end, I was able to continue my studies. Also, this person never enrolled in college to answer my challenge.

While I know that I will reach the finish line on my own, and I will achieve once more, I know that this experience would be much more endearing if these unsupportive obstacles had not been put in my way. And I know that others have had to deal with much worse. This lack of support is often not seen for what it is, and is seen more as problems that need to be addressed and fixed. It often stems from fear and uncertainty, that should truly be dealt with on a personal level and not projected.

A college student is taking on an endeavor that is trying from many angles. Most traditional (fresh out of high school) college students are young, with parental support, who don't need to worry about kids or family or full time jobs. They usually do not need to dodge questions and accusations posed as "worries" and "concerns." They do not have to worry that their success is going to cause a negative reaction in someone. But many are still familiar with the burden of disappointing someone when they do not achieve, achieve, achieve. And this needs to stop.

We are not responsible for someone else's disappointment. That is something they have set up on their own.

Dear nontraditional college student reading this now, please keep going. I don't know what your major is, and I don't know your exact situation, but I know that it is worth it. Even if it only means something to you. You don't need to get straight As, have a perfect GPA, or even finish within 4 years for it to be worth it. You are worth it.

Don't let them get you down. You can do it.

<3

Last week, after a failed orientation at UCR, I called my dad to just get the emotion out of me. He and I don't always see eye to eye, and I know that when faced with dilemmas he would rather seek a solution instead of just listen, but whenever life bites me in the ass, I know I can always call him. I found the words just spilling out of me even as I cried in frustration right in the middle of the UCR quad.

They don't have classes for people who work. I know, they said they did. Nothing in the evenings and weekends. There is no way for me to complete a degree here. I asked, Dad. Even the psychology advisors can't believe admissions accepted me knowing that I work full time. It isn't a school for people who work.

The admissions and counseling staff were filing past me as I sat under a huge, shady tree, doing my best to cry in a dignified way. They were heading home. They've done their jobs, held up their hands, and said, "There's nothing we can do. We're sorry that you feel that you did not receive the information you needed before you submitted your SIR fee. It is non-refundable." It was time for them to go home, but I wasn't quite ready to quit.

Neither was Dad.

Don't they know they are messing with people's lives? After everything you've done for this? Changing jobs, changing majors? Trig?

Trig was a sore for us all. I had just finished teaching myself Trig during the summer, unhelped by a professor with no teaching capabilities and school tutors who didn't understand why I didn't understand the subject as taught. I escaped with a B+.

But Dad has been witness to it all. The late nights, the anxiety, the studying, and when I had to change majors, the defeat in knowing I had come so far only to stop and do it all over again. When I mentioned I was stressed or tired in the beginning, he told me that I had to find a way to make it work, because this is what I had signed up for.

Now I could tell he wasn't so sure of that.

I could hear him tell me not to quit, and to keep being determined. It was what had got me all those As, after all. Its what got me into UCR anyway. And Cal Poly Pomona. And Cal State Fullerton, and Cal State San Bernardino, and University of La Verne. I had just been...misinformed. I had to find another solution. Juggle the future again. Like always.

But it has gotten tiring. I am 36 years old, and my love for school and patience for overcoming obstacles is wearing thin, because the obstacles I seem to be facing are coming from the structures of high education built for young adults who flounder outside the stringent structure of High School. They are also structures put in place when dealing with thousands of people who may come and go like the wind. They're numbers. If you don't know the answers to the questions you didn't know to ask, its your fault.

It is only through painful experience that you learn what questions to ask counselors who just want you out of their office so they can get through the workday. It is only through missteps and brick walls that you learn you can't finish your Early Childhood Education program because you didn't know that there were classes that required you to miss work. It is only after misinformation that you realize that, yet again, you need to take another math class to meet a requirement that you didn't know about. It was only after you pay your $250 non-refundable fee to UCR, and filled out all their paperwork, and gone to all their events and orientations and tours, and take days off work, and email and call endless counselors and advisors, and even get your student ID, that you learn that you are not the type of student that this school caters to.

No wonder so many students quit. All they want is to get ahead and they keep getting shoved behind.

I think I was the one who said that.

I could tell that Dad was getting agitated, and he was driving. I told him I'd hang up because I wanted him to be focused on what he was doing. He said he'd driven angry before. A lot of things get resolved in the car when you own your own business. When you are in charge of important things, solutions always need to be at the ready. It didn't matter if you were angry or driving.

You can't let them get you down. I know you can find a way out of this. If they don't give you that money back, I will. You can't stop now.

I know Dad has always had my back, but I know Dad won't always have my back. He's getting close to retirement, and I am at the age where I'm seriously thinking about my own. That was one of the reasons why I decided to change careers. Fashion doesn't give you a pension. It is hard to save when you always have to have and be the Next Big Thing. I'm 36. I can't go back into my 20s and make me be the traditional student I should have been.

That doesn't mean I should be punished for it. And sometimes that's what these obstacles feel like. You should have known. You should have done this instead of that. Why didn't you know what you didn't know? Figure it out.

I know that I will figure it out eventually. I know that when I get knocked down, to get back up, because no one is going to help me up. But I also know that some people are not that resilient, or don't know how to be. Some people who face these problems are lured by the promise of a better tomorrow if only they commit, but don't understand what that means. And they certainly don't know what to do when those who are supposed to help and support them don't.

As long as this keeps happening, more and more students will turn away from education. I can understand now why a 45 year old friend who wants to get out of a rut refuses to sign up for school, because its too late. I can understand why a mother of three doesn't want to complete her degree because she doesn't have time to "figure it out." I can understand why someone my age, who has only ever worked what they could with a high school degree, refuses to go to college now: because its too hard to figure out what to do.

These are people with established lives and kids and everyday hurdles that need attention, and definitely don't need more hurdles piled on top of them.

I definitely didn't need the hurdle set before me. I am now without a school, and am out near $500 after the last bout of admissions fees, plus the fees paid to UCR. I could feel the research opportunities and sought after professors and community activities slipping away. That beautiful campus wasn't going to mean anything to me. Trig was for nothing. I had moved to a new city for UCR. But now what could I do? All the deadlines had passed, so I could not apply to any other UC or Cal State school. If I wanted to attend one of those, I would have to wait until next fall.

My life would be pushed back another year. I'd be falling behind another year.

I hung up with my Dad and cleaned myself up. I was pretty much alone at that point, standing in the middle of UCR. It felt a little like Disneyland at this point. Carefully crafted and manicured, but you know there's a disembodied Mickey head hidden somewhere behind the false building fronts of Main Street. But Dad was right. There was a solution out there. It wouldn't be the one I wanted. I had them ready. Just in case.

I called a phone number I'd saved from last fall, when I had started applying to schools, seeking to transfer. It was the end of the day, and I didn't expect anyone to answer.

They did.

Hi, yes, this is Jennifer. Thanks for taking my call. I have a unique predicament, and was hoping if you could tell me if enrollment is still open. It is? School starts at the end of October. Do you have night and weekend classes?

You do.

I didn't realize it going into this second foray into schooling, but apparently there is a little controversy behind extra credit. I've read quite a few articles from the perspectives of professors and students alike that voice a negative opinion of the practice of extra credit: from the student's perspectives, we are already busy with life and work, and having to take time to do yet one more project is just too much (it never is too much from my experience), and from the perspective of professors, they dislike having to grade extra stuff and coming up with ways to boost students' grades.

Many professors see extra credit as enabling students who are too lazy to work hard for regular credit. I, however, am a student who puts 100% of my effort into school. I mean, why bother going to school if you are not going to be committed? It is a waste of time and money, and I would not get either of those back by lack of effort. However, sometimes my 100% of hard work and effort does not give me 100% of return. There is where students get frustrated and stop working so hard. No one likes to be reminded that their best just isn't good enough.

That is why I like extra credit and I treat extra credit opportunities like regular assignments. I have to do them. They are related to the curriculum (I've yet to run into EC that isn't) and they help boost your grade. Yet, even when my grade does not need boosting, I still do them. Here's why:

Extra credit allows you to explore outside of the syllabus.

One of my favorite extra credit assignments was going to a Buddhist temple for Philosophy: Intro to Religion. A school buddy and I went to a temple and took a cassette tape tour of a lovely temple and monastery, and got to discover philosophical and religious practices that we were not familiar with. I spoke with a few monks, and actually learned a philosophical lesson that was preached that day. We spent a few hours there, and wrote up a paper for about 10 points.

If we had not done that extra credit, we would have been restricted to the content of the class as far as learning opportunities go. I mean, we could have always went, but I doubt many students would if a professor did not suggest it. In fact, we were some of the few people who did take part in this EC.

Many students, especially those fresh out of high school, don't realize that education does not just occur in a classroom. We are trained to accept that what the teacher tells us is truth, and to follow the syllabus as if it were law. But there's more to the world than just what the teacher presents. EC sometimes can be freeing...after all, there's a whole big world out there waiting to be discovered.

Extra credit allows you to tailor your education to your own interests.

Lets face it: if material isn't relevant to you in some way, it isn't as interesting. This is a big concept that most teachers kind of lose sight of...if they consider it at all. You're going to get more results from a student when they're engaged and can relate the info taught to their personal lives. Its just how it works, but unfortunately we are trained that the students should come to the teacher, not the other way around.

Extra credit may give you, as a student, the opportunity to find a way to make the class subject relevant to you. For example, a professor gave us the opportunity to write a report about children's issues, and I wrote about how schools, for the most part, do not consider the developmental needs of adolescent girls when designing schools and curriculum. I was able to explore things that mattered to me, things that have always bothered me (i.e. there being no pad/tampon dispensers in the high school I went to, bathrooms not being designed for use of menstrual cups, etc.) and my instructor was so impressed he had me talk about it during class discussion.

Extra credit can let you have a bit of fun.

My astronomy teacher offered two extra credit opportunities. One was to take part in a Star Party at an observatory, and the other was to try our hand at photographing the moon through a telescope. Both opportunities were fun, allowed us to get out of the classroom, and exposed us to the wonder of what we were learning. Everyone was happy to talk about their experience, and we compared our moon photos.

I know of professors whose extra credit included trips to see movies, hiking trips, and more. These sorts of opportunities help break up the monotony of school, and help you see school as more than a chore you have to get through.

Extra credit helps you connect with your community.

Oftentimes, extra credit requires you to get involved within the community, meaning, getting involved with a charity or event that helps people. One professor organized a food drive across all his classes, which was then donated to a food bank. I've seen opportunities that require students to explore the inner workings of charities, work face to face with people who need help the most, and come up with ways to make the world a better place.

You can use VolunteerMatch.com to find volunteer opportunities near you.

This is beneficial because many students want to do this sort of thing anyway but don't know where to start. And sometimes they may be intimidated. It helps when someone is leading them into their first tries at helping people, especially if a person has never experienced situations that require them to work to the benefit of others with little reward. Hopefully the experience will be one that will empower students to continue with these sorts of efforts, even when not required for a grade.

Extra credit can seriously save your grade...and can often be a great tool in the learning process.

Before I get into this no-brainer, I want to dispel that extra credit is a freebie given to students who otherwise wouldn't work as hard for regular credit. From what I've seen, students who don't work as hard for regular credit most likely will not take advantage of extra credit anyway. The extra reward of points won't mean much to a student who doesn't value points in the first place. I've seen these students get excited for the prospect of EC...but then always fall through in actually delivering.

For students like me who actually care, extra credit can help us achieve the goal that we are already working towards. I consider myself an A student, and I like to think I give A student effort. But sometimes my A student effort gets me a B, or even a C. Maybe I misunderstood the parameters of an assignment. Maybe I just didn't understand parabolas as much as I thought I did. Maybe something came up...like a kid got sick or I got sick, someone died, or technology failed me. It happens. We are only human after all. Some things are beyond our control.

So when extra credit is offered, it is like a stepping stool to a goal we are so close to reaching, and capable of reaching, but the technicality of points keeps us from reaching. We know we're good enough, and the professor usually does too. Numbers, sometimes, doesn't take our dedication and hard work into account, and we shouldn't necessarily be punished for it. If you're thinking points aren't about punishment or reward, you grossly misunderstand how some students motivate themselves.

Learning from your mistakes is kind of the whole point of learning, and learning is the whole point of school sooo...

I take advantage of all extra credit because I know that despite my best efforts, sometimes I make mistakes. I plan to learn from those mistakes, but the mistakes are what gets recorded in the grade book because they are quantifiable. Extra credit helps me to learn beyond those mistakes and recoup those points, and not be forever punished because of a natural process of learning.

For example, my Statistics for Social Sciences teacher allowed us to come up, in groups, with statistical scenarios to prove that we more or less understood the material when most students made a mistake on a test. He realized that if most students made this mistake, then there was a disconnect between his teaching and his students learning, which does not denote fault on either party. Instead of just going, "Oh well, if you had been better students I wouldn't have to put up with this," he said, "Hey, here's how we can drive home this concept and get back those points, especially since it seems like everyone seems to have missed this important concept that is part of the curriculum."

I also had made that mistake, and was able to recoup 10 points I missed on the test because of it. My grade is no longer suffering because of a simple mistake, and I have also learned this concept in a way that I don't think I will forget in the final.

So the next time you are faced with Extra Credit, think of it as an opportunity beyond the value of points. You are in college for you, and these opportunities can only make your experience better! If you think you do not have time for EC, be sure to check out my posts about making an Assignment List, Planning Assignments, and Project Timelines. Also check out how to plan a semester when you work full time, too! It can be done!

What are some memorable extra credit assignments you took part in? How has extra credit helped you?

The light at the end of tunnel can be seen! I am nearing what is to be the last semester I will spend here at the Junior College level, meaning that I can apply for graduation in March 2018 and participate in commencement with my degree in tow as long as I pass all the remaining classes in Spring 2018.

I am very keen in participating in commencement, mainly because I have worked so hard to get to this point. Having to change majors twice during my time here at Chaffey has only driven me to want to succeed more. I know I am worth more than that degree, and yet, the signpost of my achievement is necessary to show future me that I have come this far despite my struggles, and I can go even further.

That being said, when it came time for registration, I found myself facing two more dilemmas. The first was a lack of registration priority, which I have written about here (as well as how to get around it). The second came from needing to take Psych-80-Research Methods...and every single class offered for Spring 2018 was only offered during the day.

Here's a brief background in case you are new to my blog: I am a 35 year old non-traditional student who works full time from 7 to 4 weekdays, who also goes to school full time, and who now commutes 1 hour to and from home and work/school daily. My options for school are limited to online, evening, and weekend classes. So Psych-80 wasn't going to work for me.

This problem did have a solution, however. Actually, it had more than one. I want to share them with you because what worked for me is probably not the solution that is best for you if you find yourself in this position. But let me break it down for you so you can successfully navigate this sticky situation and not lose hope in graduating on time:

First, contact your counseling department about it.

Chances are, if they are anything like Chaffey, they can't help you much BUT you want to start the line of communication here and have record of it, so email them if you can. They will most likely refer you to someone else (which I will tell you about below), or even say they don't know the answer to your problem. If they refer you to someone else, call/email those people. If they give you a non-answer in the form of an "I don't know," reply to them asking for communication information of the people I will talk about below. This process is going to take a lot of follow-up and you need to decide if the hassle is worth it. No one else is going to make that decision for you or do the work for you.

Ask your employer if you can rearrange your schedule for this class.

My employer knows I also go to school full time, so me asking this sort of question doesn't come as a shock. I keep my work and school life pretty well managed, so they don't "rob time" from each other, which also helps when I make requests like this. And it doesn't hurt! They can say yes or they can say no, and if they say no you're just back where you started, so you haven't lost anything.

I did ask but I could not change my schedule. And that is ok. Like the commitment I made to school, I also made a commitment to work. My employer counts on me to be here, much like how I count on them to pay me. So it is only fair. My solution would have to come from somewhere else, but for you, it may be a different story.

Before you go any further, ask around if any of your fellow classmates are also having this problem.

You will most likely find a few. Ask them to ask their friends too. Get as many people as you can, but you don't need to go full-on political campaign to be successful. Exchange emails and keep each other apprised of the steps you take. Why? Because one person complaining about not having a class available is not going to motivate administration to take care of your needs, important as they are. A group of people complaining about the same issue? Administration will start to listen.

Now, look to other colleges to see if they have a class that is comparable.

This was a suggestion of my counselor. I used this website to see if the colleges around me had comparable courses to Chaffey's Psych-80. If you are not in California, as your counselor for a link to a website like this if they tell you to search for a comparable course (my counselor told me to go find a comparable course but did not give me a link...don't be afraid to reply and ask them to do a little more legwork!).  I was able to find a few courses, and applied to the respective colleges. I then took these courses and emailed my counselor about them...

Only to find they were not comparable. Why? Chaffey requires a lab with Psych-80, and other community colleges do not. That isn't to say that this step won't work for you! It just means that I had to take my search for a solution a step further.

Next, contact the Program Coordinators, Department Heads, Faculty Advisors, or even the Dean of the Departments if you have to.

Yeah. I'm pulling out the big guns with this one. So when your counselor goes, "I don't know" or "you need to come in so we can discuss this" or "those classes won't work (and doesn't give you another step to follow up with) reply with this: "Could you please get me into contact with a person who can assist me with this information? I.e. the Program Coordinator (the person who helps coordinate classes for the semester for your major), Department Head (the person who sort of directs the faculty in some schools), the Faculty Advisor (this may be a special "counselor" type person who also mentors students who have ins with the other people on this list...if your counselor can't or won't give you the email to the Program Coordinator, maybe the Faculty Advisor will), Dean, etc.?"

This is what had happened to me. After I had emailed my counselor and searched for classes, and had talked to a few students who had the exact same problem, I asked my counselor for the email of someone who could assist me. She said she would email the Program Coordinator...and then I heard nothing back.

This is where talking to other students paid off for me. Another student had somehow managed to wrangle the email of the Program Coordinator from her counselor, and shared that email with me and all the other students with the same problem. We all contacted this Program Coordinator...who then said that after the influx of emails that she would talk to the dean to see about getting a new class added.

While you wait for all these people to get back to you, or while you are emailing back and forth, contact the admissions departments of the places you are transferring to.

Why? Because you don't need to graduate with an Associate's to transfer to get a Bachelor's. In California, you just need passing grades with the Magic Four and have 60 transferable credits. These credits usually mean your general education and lower division classes for your major, but if you don't have one or two classes (as long as they are not prerequisites) you can still transfer (if the major is impacted, however, you will want to try to get as many lower division classes done as you can manage before you transfer...with the best grades you can get).

I emailed all four Cal State colleges that I had applied to, and the one UC I had applied to, asking them if my chances at being admitted would be hindered by my not having Psych-80 in the off-chance that I would not be able to find a comparable course or Chaffey would not add another course. I let them know my situation, the steps I had taken (so they wouldn't tell me to contact my counselor at Chaffey, which I had already done), my application date, and I also included a copy of my unofficial transcripts. Every college replied stating that I had the Magic 4 and that I had 60 transferable units, so not having Psych-80 would not be a problem.

To top it off, one of the Cal States replied that if I did transfer in without Psych-80, I could take it later at Chaffey and transfer it in while also attending a Cal State. No one else had told me this info, and this advisor gave me this info without me asking. Now I know, and guess what...now you do too, all because I took the extra steps to solve this issue. Remember, closed mouths don't get fed!

Weigh which solution works for you.

For me, asking my employer for time off for the class that took place during the weekday didn't work, and neither did finding a comparable course. Transferring and forgoing graduation was the next best solution and it was a compromise I was willing to accept. Sometimes that is the best you can do.

However...last week I got an email from the Program Coordinator who replied that she had gone to the Dean with her influx of emails from all the other students...and added a Psych-80 for Monday nights.

Yeah. That's right. The students successfully got the administration to add the class for us, and now I will be able to graduate in Spring. I registered for that class the second it went live and am now sitting pretty with a very full schedule.

What does this all mean?

It means that there are options to getting your education done, and graduating with the classes you need. But it also means that you have the ability to make it happen. I believe that in situations like these, "I don't know" and "You can't" and "No" are not answers. They just mean that whoever you are talking to doesn't want to give anymore effort to the situation, which is sad because that is their job, not yours. But hey...there's always another person higher up to bug. And bug until you get the answer you want. Be pesky. Be annoying! This isn't high school where you kind of have to obey without objection to what someone gives you, and take it for face value. You can make things happen.

That isn't to say that this will always work. This post sums up about three months of effort, off and on. I was ready to accept that I wouldn't graduate, but that I could still transfer, which wasn't my ideal but was good enough. Thankfully our persistence worked because now I can graduate.

I hope you feel a little more empowered by this post. Sometimes it feels like we are navigating the Junior/Community College on our own, and it can be frustrating when barriers like this pop up. But know that there is always a solution, and the path to that solution may not be a straight line! But there's always a way around (or over) every brick wall put in your path. You can do it!

Have you ever faced a situation like this? How did you get around it?