CPD 150: Strategies For College Success

Improved Essays
CPD 150 (Strategies for College Success) is a counseling course that has been a requirement for first year students at numerous Maricopa Community Colleges. The purpose of this course is to focus on improving student success through personal growth and college experiences. Not only that but developing study skills and encouraging career and educational planning are also seen throughout the course (“Counseling Courses”). However, the majority of the material covered in this class is common sense or there are resources on campus that can help out with various college issues. Also, taking this “college success” class is a waste of time and money. Therefore, Phoenix College should not require first year students to take CPD 150 (or any other college …show more content…
One reason that they believe this is because this class will “produce well-rounded students” (Pracz). While taking this class, a well-rounded student will expand his/her horizons and become aware about different courses that he/she might find interesting. Not only that but because this class is titled “Strategies for College Success”, the graduation rate of Phoenix College, ever since it was introduced, has gone from 12% (in 2011) to 18.7% (in 2014) (“Disclosures” and “Phoenix College”). After seeing these rates, educators and faculty members believe that this significant increase is due to CPD 150. In other words, the college success class was an extensive achievement since it pushed and motivated students to graduate. As a result, this course is seen as an accomplishment for not only the college but for the students as …show more content…
It is important to realize that any degree or certificate an individual wishes to pursue already requires courses that are not related to his/her work of study. In other words, degrees and certificates already focus on how to create a well-rounded student.. As a matter of fact, requiring an addition pointless course that is most likely not related to a student’s field of study can possibly end with students dropping out of college due to frustration. In addition, requiring students to take a course that is seen as an “easy A” does not benefit students because, in most cases, it is not taken seriously. Even more, the fact that college instructors believe this class has increased the graduation rate is a broad statement. To elaborate, there are numerous aspects that work toward the success of students. For example, the Hannelly Center was remodeled between 2011 and 2012, around the time the class was introduced (Smokey). The remodeling of the center could have also lead to the increase of student success because of the accessible resources. Also, in the Hannelly Center, without taking the course, students have the opportunity to talk to advisors and counselors who prepare and assist students to graduate. Because of this, there are plenty of aspects that go into the success of a college

Related Documents

  • Great Essays

    A few of the main points addressed are things such as that the course is considered challenging and very different from high school courses, few resources exist for the course, or unengaged students have a higher risk of failing. The first critique given can be considered the most important as a class that is considered to difficult could dissuade students from taking the class if not required, and can also harm the students confidence entering such a course. The second critique can only be mended with time and more experience, as a new class is impossible to have a wealth of information anyways. The last point can be difficult for students who struggle to enjoy reading or writing as not every student is going to enjoy the subject, some students will be more likely to fail at the start of the…

    • 1467 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    GTCC Class Reflection

    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages

    To earn an associates degree from Guilford Technical Community College (GTCC) one must take and pass certain classes in order to transfer to a four year institute. One of these many classes is ACA 122-College Transfer Success. It is a one credit course designed to help students who are new to the world of community college and transferring to succeed in the future. For me personally I was not so lucky. This is my last semester at GTCC so this class has been a bit of an annoyance rather than helpful, because a large section of the class is geared towards planning out one’s course schedule for their remanning semesters at GTCC.…

    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Not everyone who attends college are successful at completing the courses needed to graduate. For many reasons, college students are forced to drop out willingly, are withdrawn by administration, or simply lose interest in furthering their education. However, the college students who complete college successfully and make it to graduation share some habits that make the odds of being successful work in their favor. Many college students succeed because they make it a priority to attend and involve themselves in class sessions regularly, take control of their education, and nurture relationships with the instructors on their school campus. One of the most important causes of being a successful college student is actually attending class sessions regularly.…

    • 541 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The business colloquium today was a presentation made by Jonathan Davidson who is a co-founder of Presetperfect.com, development officer for La Sierra University, and was a ditch boy for J.D. Young Construction. Davidson also created a book titled “The College Success Cheat Sheet: Simple Ideas to Help You Study Less and Learn More” from June 2012 to July 2015. Jonathan Davidson received the president’s award and dean’s challenge award while attending La Sierra University. Davidson’s presentation focus was on selling binary of the knowledge you have and creating that with a business makes very low risk for you of no investment in money to just time. In addition, Davidson talked about that suffering and lots of hard work equals mild success in…

    • 354 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    English 101 Research Paper

    • 1113 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Horrors of English 101 Failing the first year of college seems inevitable. Everything is dependent upon it-a good career, a good future- the entire rest of life. The biggest fear for college freshmen is failing. Failure leads to dropping out, which in turn, leads to an unsuccessful life. For most students, the first year of college seems to be the hardest part of merging into the real world.…

    • 1113 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Music is the universal language, and my duty as a devoted violinist is to convey my message of passion through every bow stroke. Whenever I participate in an ensemble, whether it be the SCHS Chamber Orchestra or YOPW’s Youth Symphony Orchestra, I enter into a haven in which the excess worries of everyday life wither away, and all that stands is the music before me. With the chance to exhibit and further develop my leadership skills as section leader and assistant concert mistress, I set the example for my fellow musicians by expressing true musicianship to fulfill my duty to the ensemble and execute a successful performance. Life is an orchestrated ensemble composed of varying styles and ever-changing tempos, and I believe that my ability…

    • 399 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    College Success Skills #2 At the beginning of this semester, my main goal was to work on my habit of procrastination. I wanted to manage my time better with the use of a planner and make myself sit down and do my homework or study ahead of time so that I wouldn’t be as stressed out and could have time to have fun with friends without worrying about an assignment or test. At first I was doing an okay job, but soon I found myself falling back into my old habits.…

    • 704 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Wwc Quick Review Paper

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages

    What Works Clearinghouse. (2009, April). WWC quick review of the report “college outcomes comparisons by AP and non-AP high school experiences.” The study was meant to prove whether taking Advanced Placement Courses as well as AP exams in high school, would improve college performance. This was tested on students who graduated from a texas public high school during 1998 and 2002 and then attended a Texas public college.…

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    At that moment life completely stopped ! “Mommy, look what I found in your dream book!” one of the many things I would shout out as a child to my mother. She obtained her Bachelors of Arts in psychology from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University. She had several psychology related books and was very knowledgable in psychology related subjects.…

    • 763 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    College Success Is it a big challenge for an immigrant adult to acquire a college degree in the United States? getting a degree in general is hard, but it is harder for an immigrant adult. Many reasons can explain that, the language, the obligation most of the time to work two jobs for taking care of the family. Despite of the situations above, this is something that can be accomplished. In fact, it truly depends on the person.…

    • 578 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Being efficient in how students’ pick classes, and prepare for the next steps is always important; I believe that this program can help me get there. Having an opportunity such as this one would help me ensure that I stay on the right path to finish on…

    • 615 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    To: P. Gregory Gibson, Assistant Professor of English From: Rebecca L Johnston RLJ Subject: Project 5 Self-Evaluation Date: 6 May 2017 The purpose of this memo is a detailed overview, reflection, question/answer response and self-evolution conclusion of things I learned in Technical Writing class. Overview: I feel the purpose of technical writing focuses on the specific details of writing resumes, technical instructions, memos and accurate reports. This includes how to format and layout these documents.…

    • 576 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    “Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts”(Winston Churchill). College has been the learning experience of a lifetime. Each class contains something special for each student. Sometimes a course may stand out to others than most. College can be overwhelming at first because you are adjusting to different expectations and rules.…

    • 1399 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Essay On College Success

    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Success is one of the most prominent paths that we choose to pursue. But what does it mean to be successful? Success is defined as an accomplishment of a goal, even if it takes years of attaining, every individual thrives to procure a level of success. College sparks a gateway to success, surmounting various obstacles and creating numerous opportunities. Graduating from college creates a sense of accomplishment and clarity.…

    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    There are four powerful principles to be followed for college success and if the criteria is met, then one shall see nothing but success in their college career. The first principle is active involvement or engagement. In order to succeed, one needs to be an active member in their…

    • 911 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Decent Essays