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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 10, 1999)
A2322 v *105:no.141 The bJ he Battalion Aggielife Page 3 • Thursday, June 10, 1999 Second Chance Summer ^Provisional students receive opportunity to prove themselves BY MIKE MADDUX The Battalion ON 1NT plied it' We or most students, getting into Texas A&M is a dream come true. For many others, however, the harsh reality is they do not meet the ad- jn ssion criteria in one way or another, awever, there is hope for a handful of udents. A few incoming freshmen live the option of enrolling in the sum- er provisional acceptance program in [der to prove they can succeed at a ma- university. Sal I ye Henderson, assistant director the provisional admissions program, : s| d the provisional program has been 1|| Texas A&M since the early 80s. She said tire admissions office makes the fi- ivl decisions to determine which stu- „,dt nts will be allowed to participate in ■ e program. These decisions are made in mid- IpL ril and consider the same factors as ^ie initial application review process. 0 ie of the major requirements for ad- tssion into the program is either sue* ;sful completion or exemption from ? TASP test. Once enrolled in the summer provi- [onal program, the students are re tired to complete a total of 11 hours er the summer in order to meet ad- ission requirements. During the first summer session, stu- ■cmus must take a total of five hours, Kfitl! two of these hours coming from a study skills course, usually CAEN 101, »: a pass/fail basis only. The study ^Skills class is a seminar course designed i, tp introduce the students to the re- I sources, skills and strategies needed to s|:cceed in college. The remaining three hours of the first session and the six hours required Hi the second session are taken from a 1 mi of basic freshman level courses. The Hasses are assigned to the students by at' adviser. In addition to the academic * courses the students are required to take, they can also enroll in a K1NL ) class to help fulfill their physical edu cation requirements. After the students are enrolled in their classes for the summer provision al program, they must maintain an overall GPR of no less than 2.0, with no F's during the summer terms. This summer, there are 120 students participating in the program. The suc cess rate for graduation of the provi sional students is about the same as the graduation rate for traditionally ac cepted students. Elizabeth Shepard, a student from Houston who is currently enrolled in the provisional program, is taking HIST 105 and CAEN 101 during the first ses sion. She said she was offered a place in the provisional program after she re ceived her letter of denial. She said the program is a good idea and she under stands the importance of its goal. “There is pressure to an extent, but you realize that you are just going to have to work harder, she said. The Office of General Academic Pro grams has information regarding the provisional program as well as other academic programs. There are advis ers who work with the provisional stu dents to help them create a schedule that is right for them and also to help them adjust to a college environment. The advisers stress the importance of the “other education,” getting in volved in extracurricular activities, but also warn the students that if they do not make the grades, they will not be able to continue their enrollment at A&M in the fall. Henderson said the provisional stu dents sometimes have an advantage over other freshmen because they are already familiar with the campus and they are already into the flow ol daily attending classes. “The main benefits the students get is that they get adjusted to lexas A&M, they get nine hours under their belt and they know their way around campus, Henderson said. RS S jMjL-. 30-7 30-L EST) |l n 1 len Hatterman, a freshman general studies major, studies in Sterling C. Evans library on Wednesday afternoon. TERRY ROBERSON/Th h Battalion LESSONS' Tlie Te%» s Music Festival O^Uestra Franz Krager, c ° nda ?°' Lucie Robert, violin soloist , .winble at the TICke,S %*omce S45-.ZM Adults $10.00 Sr Citiz ens SS Season S- Student* 95 Season^ THE SUMMER THROWDOWN! CORY MORROW WITH SPECIAL GUEST BLIND LUCK TONIGHT, JUNE 10 Sponsored by • The Arts Council of the Brazos Valiev • Brazos Business Arts All,An -rf Commissjon «n the Arts Texas A&M University Bookstore * Dr. & Mr s Print Pro £ ra ™ '- s blank Albert Cotton * The Eagle
