As a new student, you have a number of steps that you will need to take. You will
need to fill out an Admission application on-line, request to have official high school
or college transcripts submitted to the Enrollment Services Office as soon as your
graduation/ final grades have been recorded, take an assessment test, apply for Financial
Aid if needed, participate in a new student orientation on-line , attend new student
advising with a counselor, register for classes on-line, pay your fees upon registration.
Modesto Junior College grants advanced admission for students who are still in high
school and want to take college courses. If you are still in high school you will
want to make an appointment with your high school counselor. Advance admission students
must have their parent or legal guardian and their high school counselor or principal
sign their Petition for Advanced Admission form, in addition to completing the regular
admission process.
All new and returning students, including special admits (7th-12th grade students), who have not previously attended a MJC college orientation or completed
an MJC guidance class are required to attend orientation prior to their registration
date and time. Orientation familiarizes each new MJC student with campus policies,
procedures, and student rights and responsibilities. Orientations are done on-line
or in person. Students who are exempt from orientation are welcome to attend an orientation
session.
A new student has never attended MJC before. A continuing student has enrolled in
one or more classes within the past year. A returning student previously attended
MJC but has not taken classes within the past year and has reapplied to MJC.
You must enroll in 12 units to be considered a full-time student. Students must complete
an average of 15 units a semester in order to meet graduation requirements in four
semesters. During the Fall and Spring semesters can register for up to 18 units and
in the Summer for up to 12 units. We would recommend you speak with a counselor to
discuss your course load if you are planning to take the maximum number of units allowed
per semester.
There are courses at MJC that will require completion of prerequisites before you
can enroll in them. On the class search, each course description will list the requirements
or prerequisites if there are any. An example would be English 102. The prerequisite
for English 102 is completion of English 101 with a grade of “C” or better. These
courses must be satisfied in the order specified and the requirements of the first
course must be met before you can enroll in the second course.
The registration system will allow you to register in the next course if you are currently
enrolled in the prerequisite. However, you will be dropped from the next course if
you do not pass the prerequisite with a “C” or better. For example, if you are enrolled
in Math 70 in the fall, you may register for Math 90 for the spring. Grades will be
checked at the end of the fall semester and students with grades below “C” will be
dropped from the spring courses that required that particular prerequisite.
A grading system by which units of credit may be earned but no letter grade (A-F)
is assigned. Such units are not used in computing the grade point average. The transcript
will reflect a “P” for Pass with credit received or a “NP” for No Pass for no credit
received.
You may want to meet with a counselor in order to decide whether or not the course
requires repetition. In most cases, you will want to earn a “C” grade or better. Students
are allowed to repeat a course once, where a D or F grade was earned. Once a course
has been repeated and improved, the original or lower grade will remain on your transcript
but will not count towards your cumulative grade point average. In the case where
you have to repeat a class a second time called a “third enrollment” you will need
to see a counselor to be approved for registration into the class.
A proof of enrollment and verification of units is done at the Admissions and Records
windows in the Student Services Building on the East Campus or in Yosemite Hall Rm.
A133 on the West Campus.
The Schedule of Classes and the College Catalog are two separate resources. MJC’s
Schedule of Classes is available online only; it can be accessed from the homepage.
It will show you the dates, times, and locations for classes within a particular semester.
The College Catalog is a comprehensive book that provides general college information
and lists the requirements for all of MJC’s certificates and degrees. The College
Catalog is available online and can be purchased at the Pirates’ Bookstore (East Campus).
MJC provides a number of services to assist student when they need help. We have
the Integrated Learning Centers on both East and West Campuses. These centers assist
in the areas of math, English, science and the social sciences. These are utilized
by students who want to meet regularly with a tutor. We also have a Math Drop-in Center
for short, quick questions and a Writing Center to improve your writing skills. All
of these services are free to MJC students.
It is the student’s responsibility to drop classes. Instructors are not responsible
for dropping students from classes. If you fail to drop classes, you may receive an“F”
grade. You can drop classes through our online registration system. There are deadlines
to drop classes. These dates are listed on your class schedule. Drop dates vary by
class section. Note that there is an early deadline to drop classes, where the course
will not appear on your transcript. There is also a later deadline, where the course
will appear and you will receive a “W” grade for withdrawal. Once the last deadline
has passed, you will receive a letter grade for the class.
There are various types of holds (owed fees or books, dismissal, invalid address,
etc). Check with the Admissions office on the East or West Campus. Once you know what
type of hold that you have, you will need to complete the hold requirements before
you are able to register for classes.
Counseling
All face-to-face counseling sessions are being conducted remotely. Use the chat box
below during business hours to get answers to all your questions or visit the counseling page for information on how to meet with a counselor online.
A counselor assists with academic advising, career planning, personal counseling,
transfer services, problem solving and decision making. Counselors can offer guidance
throughout the time you are enrolled at MJC and it is recommended that you see a counselor
as needed.
You may choose to meet with any of our counselors. You can choose to work with one
particular counselor or you may choose to see any counselor that is available. We
do not require students to meet with a particular counselor based on last name, major,
grade level, etc.
To make an appointment to meet with a counselor you can go in person to the counseling
office on the East Campus in the Student Services Building Rm. 226 from 8:00-5:00pm
or call the office at 575-6080. Appointments are scheduled for fifty minutes. We have
counseling appointments both on the East/ West campus. Please remember to check-in
for your appointment when you arrive.
Yes, normally Mondays-Thursdays we have times during the day for walk-ins primarily
on the East Campus. On walk-ins, students can see a counselor to get general basic
information or get answers to quick questions. A counselor can only assist you for
a maximum of fifteen minutes on a walk-in. Walk-ins are on a first come, first-served
basis and during peak times of the year you could be waiting over an hour. We suggest
you call in to check on wait times.
You will want to bring a list of questions and any paperwork you want to review with
the counselor. If you have transcripts from a previous college you will want to review
them with the counselor. If your transcripts are unofficial (opened, not in a sealed
envelope), you can bring them to the counseling appointment in order for the counselor
to view your previous work. If you already have an official copy (unopened and in
a sealed envelope), you should submit it to the Records Office on the 1st floor of the Student Services Building Rm. 102 on the East Campus. Upon receipt of
outside transcripts, the student will be notified via the college issued student email
that their transcripts have been received. In order to have a full evaluation of a
transcript, students must submit an Evaluation Request Form. You can pick up the form
from the Evaluations Office Rm. 110 in the Student Services Building. Plan to have
your official transcript evaluated prior to your meeting with a counselor, if possible.
Counselors do not register students for classes. They are there to assist you in course
selection, goal setting and planning. It is recommended that you work with a counselor
as needed. If you need help with the registration process, there is a registration
computer lab in the Student Services Building Rm. 103 on the East Campus where you
can get assistance with registration.
A student educational plan is a map of your time at MJC. We typically refer to it
as an “Ed Plan.” A counselor is able to assist you in making an educational plan for
you to reach your goals. This plan will map out which courses you will need to take
for the following semester(s). Educational plans are done on an appointment basis
or in the guidance courses.
It is recommended that you see a counselor on a regular basis. This will ensure that
you have the most current information and you are on track to reach your goal.
Will it remain confidential? Yes, you can speak with a counselor about personal topics.
All of our counselors are skilled professionals that are able to assist you with personal
counseling and discussions are confidential. However, counselors are required to report
knowledge of the following types of information: a serious plan to harm yourself or
others, child abuse or neglect, and elderly abuse and neglect. Counselors are also
able to refer you to outside assistance if needed. Crisis counseling is also available
to students.
Yes, you can send a general counselor a quick question by using our online advising
format. Go to our general counseling website and click on online advising. A counselor
will usually respond to you within two working days. If you are requesting information
during busy registration periods, the response time may be a bit slower. Plan ahead.
A major is an organized program of courses within a discipline leading to an Associate
Degree, Vocational Certificate, or transfer to a college or university. It is not
mandatory for a student to declare a major upon starting at MJC. If you haven’t declared
a major and you would like to or if you have declared one and would like to change
it you should meet with a counselor for assistance in major selection.
General Education courses are sometimes called “breadth requirements”. These are courses
outside of your major, required of everyone to obtain a degree, regardless of your
major. They are designed to make you a “well rounded” person. It is recommended that
you work with a counselor to ensure that you are following the correct General Education
pattern to reach your specific goal
Certificates of achievement are granted for the completion of a specified program.
They range in units from 12-60 and are offered in many areas such as agriculture,
supervisory management, veterinary technician, and medical assisting. These state-approved
certificates acknowledge workplace competencies and job readiness. Specific course
requirements for each certificate are listed with the program descriptions in the
Catalog. General education patterns are not required to earn a certificate.
An AA/AS Degree is a two year degree (based on four semesters of 15 units each) that
consists of specific groups of classes. You may have from 20.5 to 30 units of General
Education, 18-40 units of Major Requirements and other courses or electives to add
up to a minimum of 60 semester units. You must also complete these courses with a
2.0 cumulative grade point average or higher. Please refer to the MJC catalog and
a counselor for the most up-to-date information and requirements.
Completing and AA/AS does not guarantee that you are ready to transfer to a four year
college. It requires careful planning to transfer. It is strongly recommended that
you see a counselor as soon as you begin thinking about transferring. If you work
closely with a counselor, you may fulfill your AA/AS and transfer requirements at
the same time.
In order to transfer successfully, you will want to meet with a counselor and visit
our Career Development and Transfer Center. A counselor will help you to evaluate
whether you have all of the requirements that you need to transfer. The Transfer Center
is located in the Student Center on the East Campus. Some of the Transfer Center activities
include TAG’s- Transfer Admission Guarantee Contracts, one-on-one appointments with
counselors and university representatives, free campus tours of four-year universities,
assistance with electronic applications and fee waivers, assistance with admission
websites and articulation, the annual Transfer Day/College Night where many four-year
universities are represented. Visit the Transfer Center web site.
