Winter 2011 Newsletter Extended: Jacobs
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JACOBS HELPS FRESHMEN ON THE PATH TO SUCCESS
By Kevin Mould (RPTA '14), Staff Writer
Upon first arriving at college, getting assimilated and comfortable in your surroundings can often seem a daunting task, especially when classes start up and you find yourself thrown into an entirely new way of life. Thanks to one RPTA faculty member, many freshmen have found the support and answers they were looking for. Dr. Jeff Jacobs helps coordinate “Poly Success,” a program designed to empower freshmen through access to resources and a network of people who can help them find their way at Cal Poly.
The Poly Success program meets for 50 minutes once a week in groups of about 20 students from various majors, and each session brings with it a different focus. The program is an outlet for support, where students can voice any questions or concerns they might have, but in addition it teaches many useful skills. Some sessions may bring in speakers from such resources as career services or study abroad programs, and others may focus on finding strengths, learning time management skills, and performing team-building activities. The integral part of the program, however, is the mentor system, where each freshman is paired with an older student who they can hang out with and who can help them with any questions or problems they might have.
The program has proven to be incredibly successful. Although it only takes place for the first academic quarter of a student’s career here, every student who has taken part in the program is still enrolled at Cal Poly and have in general held a higher average GPA than students who did not participate. When asked how he felt about the program, Dr. Jacobs replied, “The program has been very successful in helping first year students to feel welcomed, valued, and encouraged during their first quarter here at Cal Poly.”
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