Information for Students - Chabot College

If you are a former student who is looking for a copy of your SEC from LNSK 116, contact the DSPS office directly.

Please note that records are usually not kept longer than 10 years.

Transitioning into a college campus, whether coming from high school or re-entering school from an absence, often invites a steep learning curve with many new experiences. For example, it’s a new campus with new procedures and new expectations. The transition period for all who are new to college will take time, require some research and being able to ask for help. Additionally new students will need to be patient with oneself while acclimating to college life. College requires student initiative.

If your last school was high school, there will be additional information to be aware of. Sometimes the biggest challenges for students come from not understanding how high school Special Education programs differ from a college’s Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSP&S) office. In high school, students in Special Education have a team of people advocating for the student and guiding the student based on the information in their IEP. In college, while there are many support services for students, it’s the student who is the primary advocate for their services, beginning with connecting to the Disability office.

Below is a list of examples of what is expected in college (compared to K-12 education through IDEA ‘04 and the 504 Plan). In college, 504, ADA and FERPA dictate that:

Student records are by default only accessible to the student (not the parents)
All students must follow college code of conduct; there are no special considerations for behavior
Student is responsible for providing documentation of disability and need for accommodation
Success is not guaranteed; the student is responsible for their own success
There are no special education classes in college; the disability support office's role is to accommodate students in college level classes
Evaluation of disability is the student’s responsibility
Student initiates requests for accommodation needs; services are not automatically provided
Student is responsible for their own academic progress
College services are not automatic; each college determines eligibility and services
There are no fundamental modifications allowed to program of study: Accommodations may not alter the fundamental nature of a course or program or impose an undue burden on an institution
Student advocates for self
No personal services (such as transportation or personal attendants) are provided by the college

These practices could be a big change from what a student may be used to. The Chabot DSP&S office provides an Orientation to new students in mid-August in order to review services so that students will be aware of all that is available to them. If you have reached out to the DSPS office to notify them you will be a new student in the Fall, you will receive an email invitation to the Orientation from their office. You may also refer to their website for more information.

The last section shared information about the key differences between high school and college for a student with a learning disability. Those differences can be summarized as "rights and responsibilities" of students with disabilities.

Rights - Upon providing documentation, the college institution will:

not exclude qualified students on the basis of disability
will provide the student with reasonable accommodations for the student’s specific limitations/disability

Responsibilities - Students are expected to:

connect with the college’s DSPS program
provide documentation of disability to DSPS
use their academic accommodations
be responsible for their own progress and success

In college, it’s necessary to be able to do research to find out information. This may include reaching out to ask questions to a teacher about an assignment or finding out how to apply for financial aid. Being proactive is a way of speaking up for yourself and your needs. This is a term called Self-Advocacy.

Steps to Self Advocacy:

Know yourself. Take time to understand ...

your learning disability and how it affects your learning
your strengths

Clear communication. When speaking up for yourself, it’s important to be clear and specific about your needs, whether you are needing help finding the Admissions & Records office or need clarification about the expectations of an assignment.
Resources. Familiarize yourself with the vast resources Chabot offers to students and utilize them! The college created these programs and services in order to support students on their academic journey.

For many students, the rigors of college will be quite different from the experience of high school. This may require lots of new learning about yourself and your college resources. Below are a few tips & reminders that many students find helpful for their learning and their success in college.

Use your accommodations. Their sole purpose is to help you. If you have questions about your accommodations, be sure to talk with your counselor or the person helping you with that accommodation.
Learning styles. Tap into your learning strengths for studying. The main senses we use to learn are auditory, visual and kinesthetic/tactile. Some of us learn best by one of those senses, or two or all three. If you already know which senses you lean into, then explore additional strategies that involve those senses. If you are not sure what your learning styles are, there are several free online surveys you can take.

Growth Mindset. This is a popular term referring to an attitude about mistakes, failure and learning. Someone with a growth mindset is aware that it takes the brain time to build neurons to learn something new and each attempt to practice and learn helps those neurons build that path to understanding. Students with a growth mindset uses mistakes and failure as an opportunity to learn and grow.

Someone without a growth mindset may say or think phrases such as:	Someone with a growth mindset may say or think phrases such as:
I am not good at math	I am not good at math YET
I hate writing essays so I’m not going to take an English class	I’d like to improve my writing. Writing essays may be difficult for me right now, but if I get feedback from my teacher and go to the tutoring center, I’ll begin to understand how to write essays a little more.

For many students, the rigors of college will be quite different from the experience of high school. This may require lots of new learning about yourself and your college resources. Below is a list of a few tips & reminders that many students find helpful for their learning and their success in college.

Time management. Prepare to manage your time outside of school for homework. Give yourself the time you need to do your reading and homework for classes. How do you know how much time homework will take? This will vary from student to student. However, one helpful tip is understanding the Carnegie Unit. In college, all classes have a “weight” called “unit”. That weight figures in the amount of time students will be in class and how much students will spend doing homework outside of class. For every unit you are enrolled, its expected you may spend approximately 3 hours on that class. This is the reason taking 12 units is considered being a full time student. This is explained below.

The Carnegie Unit

Each unit represents the amount of hours you will be that class per week.
That unit # x 2 is the amount of hours that is expected you will spend on homework that week.

For example, you might take a History class that is 3 units. According to the Carnegie Unit, that means you will spend:
- 3 hours in class per week
- 6 hours of homework per week. (3 units x 2 = 6)
- This 3 unit class will require approximately 9 hours per week. (3 hours in class + 6 hours of homework = 9 hours)
Another example, you are enrolled in 12 units. You will spend:
- 12 hours in classes
- 24 hours of homework (12 units x 2 = 24)
- These 12 units of classes will require approximately 36 hours per week. (12 hours in class + 24 hours of homework = 36 hours). That is nearly a full time job!
Depending how your learning disability affects your learning and studying, this may require additional working time for you. This is why your DSPS counselor may recommend taking fewer units, especially when you are new and adjusting to college.

Organization. Especially if you are taking multiple classes, it’s important to find a system of organization that works for you. This means you may have to try new ways to organize your TIME and your WORK SPACE. You will have to plan around assignment due dates, making time for homework, seeing a tutor, appointments with the teacher and your counselor. Your organization tools may include calendars (digital or paper), color-coded folders and notebooks, reminder sticky-notes. And remember to organize your learning tools, too. Keep your materials like back pack, folders, books, binder paper pencils, high-lighter, index cards and stapler in a space you can find them when needed. You will want to be sure to use a folder or notebook to keep all your work for a class, including assignments that are returned to you. You will also need to keep your digital work organized, whether it be in a Google Drive, USB flash drive or on your personal computer. If you find your current organization system is not working for you, you try new strategies to find one that does.
Manage Distractions. The first year of a college student’s life involves learning how to manage distractions. It’s difficult to sit down to do homework or study if your attention is pulled away. Sometimes those distractions may come from you or your environment and it's important to recognize what those distractions may be for you. Distractions could be a noisy household, social media alerts on your phone, friends who want you to go to the mall, that new video game you bought or something exciting to watch on the TV. Once you identify those distractions that affect you, you can ask teachers or your counselor for some recommendations on how to navigate them.
Working in Groups. In college you will find that numerous activities and assignments require working with classmates in pairs or groups. While not everyone enjoys this, it does provide additional learning and gives you a chance to meet new people. Working together requires multiple additional skills such as ....

For many students, the rigors of college will be quite different from the experience of high school. This may require lots of new learning about yourself and your college resources. Below is a list of a few tips & reminders that many students find helpful for their learning and their success in college.

Use your accommodations. Their sole purpose is to help you. If you have questions about your accommodations, be sure to talk with your counselor or the person helping you with that accommodation.
Time management. Prepare to manage your time outside of school for homework. Give yourself the time you need to do your reading and homework for classes. How do you know how much time homework will take? This will vary from student to student. However, one helpful tip is understanding the Carnegie Unit. In college, all classes have a “weight” called “unit”. That weight figures in the amount of time students will be in class and how much students will spend doing homework outside of class. For every unit you are enrolled, its expected you may spend approximately 3 hours on that class. This is the reason taking 12 units is considered being a full time student. This is explained below.

The Carnegie Unit

Each unit represents the amount of hours you will be that class per week.
That unit # x 2 is the amount of hours that is expected you will spend on homework that week.

For example, you might take a History class that is 3 units. According to the Carnegie Unit, that means you will spend:
- 3 hours in class per week
- 6 hours of homework per week. (3 units x 2 = 6)
- This 3 unit class will require approximately 9 hours per week. (3 hours in class + 6 hours of homework = 9 hours)
Another example, you are enrolled in 12 units. You will spend:
- 12 hours in classes
- 24 hours of homework (12 units x 2 = 24)
- These 12 units of classes will require approximately 36 hours per week. (12 hours in class + 24 hours of homework = 36 hours). That is nearly a full time job!
Depending how your learning disability affects your learning and studying, this may require additional working time for you. This is why your DSPS counselor may recommend taking fewer units, especially when you are new and adjusting to college.

Organization. Especially if you are taking multiple classes, it’s important to find a system of organization that works for you. This means you may have to try new ways to organize your TIME and your WORK SPACE. You will have to plan around assignment due dates, making time for homework, seeing a tutor, appointments with the teacher and your counselor. Your organization tools may include calendars (digital or paper), color-coded folders and notebooks, reminder sticky-notes. And remember to organize your learning tools, too. Keep your materials like back pack, folders, books, binder paper pencils, high-lighter, index cards and stapler in a space you can find them when needed. You will want to be sure to use a folder or notebook to keep all your work for a class, including assignments that are returned to you. You will also need to keep your digital work organized, whether it be in a Google Drive, USB flash drive or on your personal computer.
Learning styles. Tap into your learning strengths for studying. The main senses we use to learn are auditory, visual and kinesthetic/tactile. Some of us learn best by one of those senses, or two or all three. If you already know which senses you lean into, then explore additional strategies that involve those senses. If you are not sure what your learning styles are, there are several free online surveys you can take.

Growth Mindset. This is a popular term referring to an attitude about mistakes, failure and learning. Someone with a growth mindset is aware that it takes the brain time to build neurons to learn something new and each attempt to practice and learn helps those neurons build that path to understanding. Students with a growth mindset uses mistakes and failure as an opportunity to learn and grow.

Someone without a growth mindset may say or think phrases such as:	Someone with a growth mindset may say or think phrases such as:
I am not good at math	I am not good at math YET
I hate writing essays so I’m not going to take an English class	I’d like to improve my writing. Writing essays may be difficult for me right now, but if I get feedback from my teacher and go to the tutoring center, I’ll begin to understand how to write essays a little more.

Manage Distractions. The first year of a college student’s life involves learning how to manage distractions. It’s difficult to sit down to do homework or study if your attention is pulled away. Sometimes those distractions may come from you or your environment and it's important to recognize what those distractions may be for you. Distractions could be a noisy household, social media alerts on your phone, friends who want you to go to the mall, that new video game you bought or something exciting to watch on the TV. Once you identify those distractions that affect you, you can ask teachers or your counselor for some recommendations on how to navigate them.
Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). This is a survey based on research about personality profiles and preferences. After taking the survey, the results are presented by a series of four letters (such as ENTJ or ISFP) that will be one of 16-personality profiles. The benefit of this survey is that it gives you a better understanding of you. This may give insight on why you are so drained after a party or why you like to keep to the schedule. From there you can explore additional learning and study strategies that may work well for you, based on your four letters. Understanding the MBTI also gives you insight into others around you - which can help build understanding and lead to smoother collaborations (such as in class for group projects, or at home with your roommate or your significant other).