UC Davis offers numerous resources in order for students to achieve academic success. Want to be on your A-game this quarter? Here are a few of UC Davis’s programs that will help you out.
Student Academic Success Center
The new Student Academic Success Center formed last year when programs from the old Advising Services department joined with the Learning Skills Center. Located on the first floor of South Hall as well as the first and second floors of Dutton Hall, the new center is comprised of various services such as the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), Guardian Scholars Program, Mentorship for Undergraduate Research in Agriculture, Letters and Science (MURALS) and Services for Transfer Reentry and Veteran Students (TRV).
Similar to the Learning Skills Center services, the Student Academic Success Center continues to provide workshops in study skills, writing, English as a second language, science and mathematics. Geared toward the general student body, the center offers specialists that work with scheduled appointments as well as drop-ins.
Every quarter, over 100 students are hired to tutor writing in individualized, one-on-one settings and in small groups for math and science. The center also administers a two-year program called the Special Transitional Enrichment Program (STEP), which begins with a four-week summer residential component.
“Our purpose is to help students meet their educational goals which can include remaining in good academic standing or being well-prepared for graduate school,” said Ward Stewart, director of the Student Academic Success Center.
Stewart said the staff is especially focused on the success of low-income and first-generation college students.
For more information about the Student Academic Success Center and their services, visit lsc.ucdavis.edu.
Transfer Reentry Veterans Center
Transferring can be many things: novel, adventurous, stressful and frightening. To get the most of your transferring experience, the Transfer Reentry Veterans Center is here to help.
The TRV offers peer advisors to not only answer questions about transfer requirements from prospective students, but also work as the main resource for transfer students currently enrolled at UC Davis.
To help with assimilation both socially and academically, the staff schedules quarterly social events in addition to academic workshops. The center also has many other benefits for transfer students, including a study room with computers and free printing. Special events include Transfer Tuesdays, in which transfer students can mingle in the study room while socializing over a cup of coffee.
Not only the transfer student hub, student veterans can also find their home at the TRV.
The Veteran’s Affairs is also located at the center,” said Angela Abboud, a transfer peer advisor. “Veterans come in to get their fee waivers and certifications. Veteran Thursdays are held in the study room as well. They’re identical to Transfer Tuesdays but with the addition of donuts.”
For more information about the TRV, visit transferstudents.ucdavis.edu.
Internship and Career Center
The ICC provides services to undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students offering internships for wide variety of majors.
Located in South Hall, the ICC places over 6,000 students in international, countrywide internships as well as career positions.
The center is also a member of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), which is a prime source of information for employment of college-educated individuals. Forecasting trends in the job market, the NACE also tracks legal issues in employment while providing professionals with salary scales and benchmarks.
“The ICC is a campus treasure that has served the UC Davis students for over 50 years and continues to explore new opportunities for students specially in light of the global marketplace our students must enter in the coming century,” said Subhash Risbud, director of the ICC.
The ICC also puts on workshops to help students with skills ranging from writing a resume to searching for jobs. Special workshops correspond specifically to certain majors or career niches.
The center puts on many career fairs that provide information necessary for students in search of some career direction. Their upcoming fair is the Study and Intern Abroad Fair on Sept. 30 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the West Quad.
For more information about the ICC, visit iccweb.ucdavis.edu.
Educational Opportunity Program
Founded in 1968, the EOP provides aid for students encumbered with economically, socially or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds. Located in South Hall in the Student Academic Success Center, the program offers services that hope to help students with their educational and personal goals while adapting both academically and socially to the university milieu.
Some of the services offered include pre-enrollment assistance, freshmen and transfer orientation and welcome activities, academic advising, personal and social support, information and skill development workshops, tutoring and supplemental instruction through the Learning Skills Center and Guardian Scholars, a support network for former foster youth.
According to a press release on the EOP web site, students find that the transition from high school or community college to a large research university can be overwhelming. EOP provides a caring and supportive environment for students to meet with peer and professional advisers and network with other students.
For more information about the EOP, visit eop.ucdavis.edu.
ELENI STEPHANIDES can be reached at features@theaggie.org.
