Produced by and for the Northern Virginia Community College community, this ‘cast o’ thousands covers happenings at one of the nation’s top-five largest colleges. With six campuses and a vast online community that spans a service area of nearly 5 million residents, what happens at NOVA is a big deal – and you oughta know it. Episodes are bi-weekly, with some wiggle room for holidays or special events. Recording and production courtesy of NOVA Sound and Music Recording Technology program (http://www.loudounsound.com) in studio at the Loudoun Campus in Sterling, VA. Show music copyright Sanjay Mishra and Akar Music. Wanna study recording production? Give us a holler and we’ll set up a tour and an intro to the right people.
Listen below to Episode #1!
Hosts Mike McMillon and Tatyana Schum are in studio to answer the question “What is NOVA?”; welcome guest Zohra Naqibullah, a student pursuing studies in the Dental Hygiene program at the Medical Education Campus; and share hopes and dreams about what You Oughta NOVA (#YoNOVA) will be.
As advising week comes to an end, now is a good time to reflect on the week and the progress you are making towards achieving your academic and career goals. At the beginning of the week you were encouraged to do the following:
Reflect on your academic and career goals.
Review your Advisement Report.
Communicate with an advisor about your academic and career goals.
Put courses you plan to take in your shopping cart in NOVA Connect so you will have the specific information needed when it’s time to register.
Participate in the NOVA Online Advising Week Spring 2020 lunchtime webinar series.
Enter a post in the Advising Week Spring 2020 discussion board in the NOVA Online Virtual Student Union to earn a chance to win a Rocketbook.
How did the week go? Are you ready for your next semester or term? Remember, NOVA offers many services and resources to support you. Take a moment and review past blog posts to learn more.
As you move forward, below are some deadlines to keep in mind.
Registration
In progress for current students.
Opens on November 11 for new students.
Registration ends at 11:59 pm on the day prior to a session start date.
Payment
Spring 2020
If you enroll through April 22 payment is due by 5 pm on April 23 or your classes may be dropped.
If you enroll on April 23 or later payment is due by 5 pm the next business day after you enroll or your classes may be dropped.
Congratulations to all students who will be preparing for their final semester ! You have almost reached the finish line. The following are a few things to do in preparation for graduation:
Apply for graduation. Access NOVA’s graduation website to view the Crossing the Finish Line: NOVA’s Graduation Program video and complete the Graduation Application Form. The deadline to apply for graduation is March 1.
Prepare to conduct a job search if you will be looking for a job or a new opportunity. NOVA’s Career Services website is a great place to start.
Review websites of potential transfer institutions for information about applying, if you are planning to transfer. Don’t forget to look for information about financial aid and scholarships as well. NOVA’s Plan to Transfer website has many helpful tips.
Participate in employment and transfer focused programs. Check out NOVA’s Events calendar to see what is happening around the college.
Don’t forget, in addition to daily blog posts, NOVA Online is offering a lunchtime webinar series this week focusing on topics to help you with preparing for your next semester. All webinars are thirty minutes and begin at 12:15 pm. Learn more about the series and register at https://nvcceli.wufoo.com/forms/q17oo4ni0mszh1v/.
Article written by the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACA)
Every college visit should have at least two dimensions: formal and informal. Use this checklist to begin your planning. And don’t forget to call the college ahead of time to schedule your visit—the admission office can help you hit all the highlights.
Formal
Take a campus tour.
Have an interview with an admission officer.
Participate in a group information session at the admission office.
Sit in on a class (or two).
Talk to a professor in your chosen major.
Talk to a coach in your chosen sport.
Talk to a student or counselor in the career center.
Spend the night in the dorm with a current student.
Informal
Read the student newspaper, even the ads.
Try to find other student publications—department newsletters, alternative newspapers, literary reviews.
Eat in the cafeteria.
Ask a student why he/she chose this college, and what their favorite part about it is.
Wander around the campus by yourself.
Search for your favorite book in the library.
Read the bulletin boards in the student union and in the academic department you’re interested in.
Ask a student what he/she dislikes about the college.
Browse in the college bookstore.
Eavesdrop on students to hear what they’re talking (or complaining) about.
Walk or drive around the community surrounding the campus.
Find out how most students get around: Is there public transportation? Can you have a vehicle on campus?
Ask a student what he/she does on weekends.
Visit career services and ask about upcoming job opportunities.
Look into clubs and organizations on campus that interest you.
Listen to the college’s radio station.
Try to see a dorm that you didn’t see on the tour.
See if you can imagine yourself as a student at the college.
For more information on NACAC visit their website.
Northern Virginia Community College is hosting real conversations and action-oriented approaches to tackling basic student needs. Join us! Students, be part of the conversation and share your story to initiate change!
The Symposium will work to start a collective conversation on the needs of our students (food, housing, transportation, mental, etc.) and address the barriers we can disable for our students. Students can attend the full day or second half of the event. FREE lunch and transportation provided if needed.
Wednesday, November 20th
9:30am-4:00pm
Woodbridge Campus – Workforce Building
Check out the photos from Student Life’s annual Fall Leadership Retreat. Students were able to network with like-minded leaders, dive deeper into their particular leadership style, participate in problem solving sessions, take part in a privilege walk, and push the limits on a ropes course adventure! What a weekend.
To get more involved in Student Life leadership opportunities, join the Virtual Student Union today!
What does that mean? This week we are focusing our energy on the importance of being an ally towards those who experience discrimination. OPSEU describes,
“An ally is someone who whose personal commitment to fighting oppression and
prejudice is reflected in willingness to:
1. Educate oneself about different identities and experiences,
2. Challenge one’s own discomfort and prejudices,
3. Learn and practice the skills of being an ally,
4. Take action to create interpersonal, societal and institutional change.”
Drop the I-Word
In this post we share a think piece about the effects of using the word, “illegal” to describe undocumented immigrants.
Race Forward’s Drop the I-Word campaign is part of a larger body of work dedicated to ending the mass criminalization of communities of color. To learn more visit www.MassFreedom.org.
Immigrant and refugee rights are increasingly under attack by U.S. institutions, while racially derogatory and dehumanizing language used in the media and political discourse has paved the way for a rise in hate crimes against immigrants. We need to strongly reject efforts to criminalize immigrants hold our media accountable for dropping the i-word.
Anti-immigrant harassment accounted for 32% of of the 867 hate incidents collected by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Which Outlets Have Dropped the I-Word?
Race Forward looked at how often the i-word has been used in immigrant-focused coverage by The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, and The Associated Press since 2013. We learned:
Since officially dropping the i-word in 2013, The Associated Press has consistently been the best performer of these four major national outlets.
While The Washington Post has steadily improved its coverage each year, it has also consistently been the worst offender of the four outlets studied.
Although The New York Times never officially pledged to drop the i-word, it has the second best record of the four outlets studies. However, some of the publication’s leading immigration reporters continue to use the term.
And the i-word continues to be used with great frequency on the leading cable TV news networks. According to a Media Matters for America study, in the first half of 2017 the anti-immigrant slur was used on MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News prime-time shows a total of 1,296 times.
MSNBC hosts and contributors used the i-word 87 times.
CNN hosts and contributors used it 102 times.
Fox News hosts and contributors used it 1,107 times, making the network the worst offender of all three networks by far.
and when the slur was used, it was rarely challenged by hosts and contributors.
Did you know that four-year colleges visit the NOVA campuses throughout the fall and spring semesters? You can view scheduled visits at https://calendar.nvcc.edu/; search “Transfer”. The fall semester is also a popular time for transfer fairs in which one can “explore” over 60 colleges in one day. Several are occurring later this month on various NOVA campuses. View upcoming dates at https://www.nvcc.edu/transfer/fairs.html.
Whether or not you can attend a transfer event at NOVA, you should plan a visit to the college(s) you are interested in. Most colleges offer campus tours, appointments with transfer admission representatives, information sessions, and open houses throughout the year. Though, you can obtain a lot of information at a NOVA transfer event, as well as from a college’s website; it is not the same as actually visiting the campus to determine if the college is going to be a good fit for you.
If you are planning to transfer to an online college, taking a web tour is a good idea. Check out the academic department webpage for your major, view the curriculum, read the faculty bios, etc. Many online colleges offer virtual information sessions, program-specific virtual events and information, and online admission support.
For more on transfer planning, visit NOVA’s transfer webpage and/or attend a transfer planning webinar this month:
School of Education Shadow A Student Day: October 4 and October 25
Shadow a VCU Student Day with the School of Education allows prospective students the opportunity to spend time exploring the VCU campus and making connections with SOE faculty, staff and current students.
The day will consist of students attending a class and family and friends having the opportunity to connect with key partners, such as Financial Aid, Housing, Career Services and RTR. The attendees will then have the opportunity to connect with current students and faculty by taking part in a panel discussion during which they can ask questions and ask for suggestions/advice. This is a great way for prospective students and their families and friends to be introduced to the opportunities that VCU and the School of Education have to offer!
Every college visit should have at least two dimensions: formal and informal. Use this checklist to begin your planning. And don’t forget to call the college ahead of time to schedule your visit—the admission office can help you hit all the highlights.
