As freshmen and transfer students begin their first semester at Cal State Long Beach, it is important for them as new students to understand what it takes to be admitted into their major if it is impacted.
A major becomes impacted when there are more students than the campus can hold, according to the CSULB Web site. Not all impacted major requirements are the same. Some majors use grade point averages, test scores and previous classes taken to admit students. Others use a combination of all three to determine which students will be admitted.
Marilee Samuelson, director of the Academic Advising Center, said that students should meet with an academic adviser first to make sure they are taking all the right classes and are aware of everything they must do to be admitted into their majors.
Junior nursing major Dominique Laqui said that getting into an impacted major all depends on a person’s mentality.
“If you feel like you have to compete, you’re not going to make it,” she said. “When you realize everyone else is in the same boat, you will do alright, even better.” Laqui went on to say that surrounding yourself with friends in that same major definitely makes a difference.
“Everyone knows studying chemistry is difficult, but when you form study groups, it becomes fun and doesn’t feel like studying anymore. It is what you make it.” Laqui also said it’s not something you can do once a week. You have to have discipline and stay focused.
If students aren’t admitted into their majors, Samuelson said there are two things that students should do. Students should meet with an academic adviser to explore other similar majors and also meet with a career development adviser to see what other career paths the student may be interested in. It is also important for students already in attendance at CSULB to know about information regarding impacted majors.
According to the CSULB Web site, students currently enrolled at CSULB must declare a major by the time they have accumulated 60 units. If students choose an impacted major, they must apply to the major by the deadline set by the department and meet all requirements. Students may also need to meet supplemental requirements set by the department the major is under.
Department Chairman Kenneth Green explained that by having requirements, it better prepares students for the major and believes it actually increases the student graduation rates.
By selecting an impacted major, students must recognize that there are more people in the major than it can hold and know that getting the right classes may be difficult. Impacted majors are allowed to use additional requirements for students in comparison with the other non-impacted majors at the school. A solution to make impacted majors become not impacted includes hiring more faculty and staff, as well as increasing budgeting for a specific major.
Junior business major Emin Zartanian said that getting into the major was not that difficult, and “it was nothing I couldn’t handle.” Zartanian also said that getting the right classes he needs was not a problem. Zartanian hopes to graduate and go to work for a corporation and return back to school to get his master’s in business administration.
For information on all impacted majors, students are encouraged to check the CSULB Web site and also contact the specific departments for majors in which they are interested. For a list of all impacted majors at the school, students can view it at: http://www.csulb.edu/depts/enrollment/admissions/impacted_major.html.