Programs of Study
Fall Gateway Advising
What classes should I take?
This is a question that every new student will ask so do not feel like you are the only one who does not know what they are doing! Being able to tell you exactly what YOU should take would require that you know EXACTLY what you will major in and EXACTLY what university you will attend. However, even without this information there are some very helpful criteria that can guide you through this first year and keep you in a safe transfer situation.
FALL/ SPRING GATEWAY STUDENTS: Gateway students who will enter the program in the fall are strongly encouraged to attend one of the Gateway to Success Conferences and Early Registration. Academic advising and planning are a priority during the summer conferences. There will be sessions about the TSI assessments, planning a schedule, choosing semester courses and actually registering. Be sure and make your reservations early for one of the sessions. Classes at South Plains College-Reese Center are reserved for the Gateway students attending the summer conferences and early registration.
STEP ONE:
TSI STATUS: The first consideration when choosing your class schedule would be your TSI status.
If you are EXEMPT or have passed all THREE parts of the TSI assessment you are cleared to choose any course.
If you have not passed all THREE portions of your TSI requirements, then the state law of Texas will require that you enroll in a “developmental” course in that subject area. A “developmental” course is designated by a course number of 0 (zero). For example, Math 0300 Beginning Algebra, the 0 indicates a below college level course. The second number in the course number 3, indicates that this course is a 3 hour credit course. This means that this course is below college level coursework and will not meet graduation requirements, but it is considered in the number of hours for which you are enrolled for the semester.
South Plains College Testing Page
For more information about the TSI or the developmental course requirement contact:
Dr. Deborrah Caddell, (806) 885-3048 ext. 4631, dcaddell@southplainscollege.edu
Barbara Webb, (806) 885-3048 ext. 4907, bwebb@southplainscollege.edu
Melissa Strickland (806) 885-3048 ext 4689, mstrickland@southplainscollege.edu
TWO:
Once you have determined your TSI Status and which “developmental” courses, if any, you MUST enroll in, the next step is deciding on how many classes you wish to take.
For a Fall/Spring student, full time requires enrollment in 12 hours or more of course work. This will include any “developmental” courses. We recommend students begin their college experience taking 12-15 hours of course work. We STRONGLY discourage students from taking more than 15-16 hours of coursework.
THREE:
If you have a career area or academic area of study that you are planning on pursuing, you may wish to go to the Transfer Pages to determine the courses in your area of study that are offered at South Plains College. If you are unsure of your educational plan at this point, you will want to stay with the General Education Courses that are listed General Education Courses. Since you are just starting out in your college career, we would suggest that you stick to “the basics”. These are called General Education Course requirements. The General Education Course requirements give students a menu of classes that will be required in most majors at the university. We have tried to give you hints about those courses that might be needed for a specific major, but mainly these courses are general in nature. As you look at the list provided from either of these sites, you will want to identify two courses that YOU believe would be difficult for YOU. Now, choose two courses that YOU believe would be easier for YOU.
FINALLY:
Plan your schedule by piecing together the courses that you have chosen according to the times they are offered. Watch out for the printed Lab Times. If a course has a lab, you must plan on attending the entire published time frame. Select classes that are offered during YOUR best time of day. Students out of high school often make the mistake of taking early morning classes and fail to realize that they may be having more social activities in the evenings. To determine a student’s best time of day, we often ask, “If you did not have an alarm clock set, when would you routinely awaken?” This will give you some idea of YOUR best time of day.
Good luck and if you need further assistance, contact:
For more information contact: gateway@southplainscollege.edu
Please give us a phone number for a personal call-back.
