COLLEGE 101

James Brooks

Education Services Officer

P    619.524.8158 / 619.524.1275 / 619.524.6865
E    James.brooks@usmc.mil

L    Building 111 - Located across from the MCRD Gas Station

GEAR

Download the College 101 brief

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A. ADD/DROP – The term add/drop refers to the process of adding an additional class to a current course schedule and drop refers to dropping a course.   B. CATALOG - A book published once a year that governs students’ progress toward degrees and certificates and contains course descriptions, programs, requirements, policies, and procedures.   C. CLASS SCHEDULE – A booklet of class offerings, times, and locations published each term. The class schedule also contains information on how to properly register.   D. DISTANCE LEARNING – Courses that are offered through non-traditional methods such as on-line, over the Television or paper based.   E. ENROLLMENT – Enrollment is the process of submitting an application to a college. An application must be accepted before a student can register for classes.   F. EXTENTION PROGRAMS – Education programs offered in the evenings or weekends and are designed for professional advancement or continuing professional education.   G. FULL TIME – A student who is taking 12 or more units per semester. H. HALF TIME – A student who is taking 6 – 8 units per semester.   I. REGISTRATION – Registration is the process of signing up for specific courses.   J. RESIDENCY - There are two types of residency requirements. The first is the length of time you have lived in the state. The second residency requirement is the number of courses you have taken.   K. TERM – A length of time required to complete a course, normally 16 weeks or 8-week fast track programs.   L. UNITS – A unit or credit hour is a block of instruction time. Semester credit hours are 16 hours of instruction. Quarter hours are 12 hours of instruction. The number and type of unit affects the amount of tuition assistance students will receive.

General Education Development (GED) ACT Assessment Programs (Assesment Programs) SAT I Reasoning Test (Reasoning Test) PRAXIS (Professional Assessments for Beginning Teachers) CLEP (College-Level Examination Program) DSST (DANTES Subject Standardized Test) Excelsior College Examinations

MAKING PLANS

Students who want to learn about going to college are advised to read the College 101 hand out or receive a brief from the education officer.  Call 619.524.1275 to make an appointment.  College 101 is given on a walk in basis, appointments not required Monday thru Friday, 0730-1630, Bldg 111. The MCRD Library provide FREE study guides and reference materials.

THE EDUCATION STAFF

The Lifelong Learning Center staff is here to counsel and advise students on just about anything they could need to complete their education. The mission of the Lifelong Learning Center (LLC), MCRD San Diego, is to help Marines, Sailors, and their dependents successfully achieve their academic goals.  Services available at the LLC include processing of tuition assistance (TA), SMART transcripts, apprenticeship program, academic advisement, and testing.  MCRDSD is not a test center, but do provide Military Testing in building 622. (DLAB, ARC or RCAT, EDPT, AFCT GCT, LPT to Military members).

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ON THE DEPOT

There are two colleges and universities offering classes aboard the Marine Corps Recruit Depot:

• National University - National University offers Masters, Bachelors, Associate degrees.
• San Diego City College - Is a two-year school offering associate-level degrees. 

GETTING STARTED

Students who are interested in a highly specialized degree should consider taking the lower division (freshman & sophomore) general education courses at the local community college. Military experience and CLEP testing will help military students earn extra credits, which will help students finish more quickly. Many schools have a maximum number of credits they will accept through these non-traditional methods.

FUNDING YOUR DEGREE

If you are a military student, chances are you will choose to use either Tuition Assistance or the Montgomery GI Bill to help cover college expenses. Remember that almost all of the financial aid programs available to traditional students are also available to adult learners.

NON-TRADITIONAL ASSISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS

Students who find it difficult to attend traditional classes can take advantage of numerous distance learning programs that offer courses in a variety of flexible formats, such as paper-based, television, video teleconferencing, or online programs. Students who have access to a computer have thousands of programs available, ranging from degree programs delivered entirely online, to programs that combine both traditional and online course work. It is important to remember self-discipline is the key to success with any online program. In order to be successful online students must be:

• Able to communicate well through writing
• Self-motivated and self-disciplined
• Willing to speak up when problems arise
• Have 9 to 15 hours per week to dedicate to coursework
• Are comfortable with computer and Internet technologies

Students who are weak in a specific subject might find this type of program difficult to follow. They would probably benefit from a traditional classroom setting, allowing for easy access to the instructor and assistance with any problems that arise.