Snowballs and Transitions to Higher Education

The academic core of the Bayan Community is a pair of linked classes: English Composition and Personal Development. Most of us have a good idea about English classes. We write. We read. We write and read - a lot, practicing the analytical and critical skills students need to succeed in college and beyond. But what about Personal Development? What is "PD"? What do students do in a PD  class? 

This semester’s Personal Development class is PD 114, “Transitions in Higher Education,” a course that provides a step-by-step approach to preparing for the culture and rules of higher education as well as acquiring and practicing the “soft-skills” required to the move from community college setting to a four year institution. This also include in the process of selecting and applying for college and securing funds to pay for it all. 

The very first activity of the semester students did is emblematic of the work students do in PD. Professor Crystal Alberto, Bayan’s coordinator and counselor, canvassed from students the obstacles, barriers, and issues they anticipate facing when they get to the college of their choice. She used one of the students’ favorite routines, the “snowball fight,” to brainstorm different items. Students jot down answers to a series of questions onto a sheet of scratch paper, crumple up those sheets, and toss them in the air to simulate a snowball fight. Students pick up the "snowballs", unwrap them, and share written responses with the entire class. A discussion follows to debrief and unpack ideas. Here's a link to guidelines for the activity. 

Because of the Filipino focus in the Bayan Learning Community, Professor Alberto used questions that compelled students to look for a "Filipino" angle regarding transferring. To be sure, many of the items on the list Bayan Scholars generated apply to all transfer students. And still, noting the particular "flavor" of their obstacles helped students see that their cultural and ethnic identities are constitutive, at least part, of what they may experience. That identity piece is definitely a worthy angle of investigation. 

The list also serves as an index of the topics both professors hope to attend to their classes. The Personal Development and English professors plan to make clear the links between what students do in class with the obstacles they listed. The lessons, ideally, should be filtered through the lens of students' transfer goals. In addition to assigned reading and discussions, both classes require students to reflect in writing on what they learn, as well as put together a written portfolio that showcases what they've learned that may mitigate the obstacles they face.

If you went to college, transferring from a community college to a CSU, UC, or other college, which of the listed items resonate with your experience? How about if you moved away from home to go to college? What advice can you share here in the comments to help this cohort get a sense of what they might expect? What illustrative experiences or stories can you share here? If you are a Bayan alum, what memories does this post bring up? We'd love to hear from you. Share and comment below!