Hello, welcome to another beautiful semester at Ventura College in lovely Sunny Ventura. I had a few moments to speak with Lauren Wintermeyer about the upcoming semester and registration opens April 17th for students to add classes to their schedule. Making an appointment is easy, process I found the most helpful was calling the registration office and making an in person appointment, video call, or a phone call. Nice thing is sometimes an appointment can be over whelming with class recommendations to help students achieve their goal of graduating. But the counselors will email you a summary of you’re conversation with them to make it easy, and a list of classes to help you succeed. Nice thing is the counselors will walk you through you’re myvcccd home page and show you degree works which will show you what classes branch off and count towards you’re degree. And for our extra busy students, the registration office takes drop ins to ask quicker questions of the counselors. Which is nice because sometimes life doesn’t allow you time for an appointment, also Ventura College has an online waitlist for drop ins which is a lovely addition. So, don’t forget and make an appointment today to get those classes! No one wants to be on a waitlist.
Asking for help can be difficult and overwhelming. At Ventura College, we strive to take some of that weight off your shoulders and the financial aid office offers the resources needed to meet your basic and academic goals. But where and how to start?
We got the inside scoop on the best course of action for incoming freshman to get information on financial aid services from Yesika, who works in the financial aid office. She recommends the Ventura College website to get information on where and how to began the process of applying. She also suggests in-person help via the financial aid service center located next to the bookstore on campus. Financial aid offers many different types of resources for students who are eligible and in need of assistance in order to attend college. This includes grant programs like the CAL Grant, that pay for your cost of enrollment. Sate and federally funded programs like the work study program, where students can work a part-time job on campus to earn money. Financial aid can also get you set up for a school loan, either a private or federally funded loan for extended education for those who qualify.
Yesika shared that coming in prepared when applying for financial aid is an important first step. You will need to make an appointment with a counselor to get set up with an education plan via online or in-person through Academic Counseling. After meeting with a counselor, you can come directly to the financial aid window/office to apply for your FAFSA online in the computer lab. It is important to make sure you have a valid ID, social security number and income information ready for this process. Once you’ve applied, Yesika recommends to continuously check your student email and your financial aid tab on your dashboard to make sure you’ve provided all information needed and no forms are left pending in order to qualify. This also includes checking in to make sure you are meeting the minimum requirements to keep satisfactory progress. You can find those requirements online through the financial aid tab.
We asked about other resources outside of financial aid that could also be of help to students. Yesika told us about the Basic Needs Center that provides students with food, housing opportunities and wellness. There is a food pantry on campus that is available at no cost to students. Open from 8:30am to 6:30 Monday and Tuesday, 8:30am to 5pm Wednesday and Thursday and 8:30am-1pm on Friday. She also mentioned that the VC Foundation is another great resource that offers scholarship programs and is worth checking into.
Lastly, Yesika shared what she likes most about working in the financial aid office. She said she loves being able to help students who are in need and those who are feeling lost. Let the financial aid office at Ventura College help take some weight off and set sail for a bright future.
4667 Telegraph Road BCS Building Ventura, CA 93003
Welcome to the VC Social Podcast. In this episode we discuss the value and importance of having good time management in our everyday lives. We all have unique experiences managing our time trying to accomplish different tasks daily, between work, school, and our personal lives how do we possibly complete everything in a timely manner without burning out or feeling overstressed? Maybe it’s time to start trying new methods! It all comes back to limiting our time with distractions, which we personally struggle with since nowadays most work is done online and realize that we need to build our self control to not get sucked into social media. As well as not being afraid to say “no” when being tempted to go out with friends or family, not to mean that you should never go out because of work, however make sure that you are planning ahead accordingly.
View more of our work by clicking on the links below!
In our podcast episode, Sarah, Jerry and Kelyla talk about a few things that high school didn’t teach us. First, we’ll cover the importance of establishing good credit and how it can benefit you for the future. Then, we will dive deep into relationships and how to best handle ourselves when we find our emotions taking over.
Ahoy Mates! Join Amber as she interviews two VC Pirates. We will talk education, goals, being in school during a pandemic, and discover who has a favorite pirate!
Ahoy Mates! Join Amber as she interviews two VC Pirates. We will talk education, goals, being in school during a pandemic, and discover who has a favorite pirate!
On this episode, Carolina talks about the effects of constantly consuming bad news on social media. She also interviews a special guest, someone who doesn’t ever check the news or is on social media and asks her about her take on the matter.
Is Watching the News Daily Bad for Our Mental Health? –
VC Social
For shy people, there is nothing worse than having to talk to someone they’ve never met. Typically, shy people are also faced with the fear of saying the wrong thing and facing embarrassment. For introverted people, there is nothing more troublesome than having to talk to someone at all and getting past the small talk and exhaustion of leaving their home.The problem is, college requires interaction with others, especially when it comes to resolving a technical problem, talking to a counselor, asking the professor for help, and having to schedule peer groups for classes with complete strangers.
Unfortunately, these fears and obstacles can get in the way of our success and close the doors to new opportunities. What can be done to overcome the obstacles and have a successful college experience? Here are my top 5 tips for both introverts and shy students on how to overcome shyness and introversion in college, let’s get started!
Use Technology to Your Advantage
The pandemic has changed the way we communicate with people. Things that used to be done strictly in-person can now be done remotely. You can schedule remote appointments for counseling and join office hours with your professors on Zoom. You can also schedule group meetings for your classes via Zoom and join from the comfort of your home.
Another advantage we have now is sending emails. Staff and faculty on campus are very good about answering quick questions if you send them an email. You can find their emails on the Ventura College website under their respective departments.
Research and Write it Down
Sometimes what holds us back is not knowing what to say once we talk to certain individuals. Something I like to do is get organized, do my research, and write it down. What do I mean by that? For example, if you are talking to a counselor or a professor, you can research more about the topic you are going to talk to them about at home. Next, you write down a list of topics or questions and have them ready with you.
For shy people, this will help get your ideas and questions organized and make it easier to express yourself without getting tongue tied or forgetting what you were going to say. For introverts, this will allow you to get straight to the point of your appointments, which will result in less socializing and ending your meetings faster.
Avoid Imagining Negative Scenarios
Our imaginations can take a very negative route when we visualize having to interact with certain people, especially strangers. Our mind is so powerful it can allow us to think that people are horrible, that people don’t want to help us and that we will make a fool of ourselves.
However, in that same way, the mind can be so powerful that we can flip the scenario around. If we imagine positive outcomes from our interactions, we can enter the situations with confidence and with optimism. For shy people, that means not walking into a room with fear of judgement and fear of embarrassment, rather imagining that everything will go well and be successful. For introverted people, that means walking into a room not envisioning how exhausting and draining the situation will be for them, rather imagining that the experience will help them grow, resolve their problems and that after the interaction is over, it will allow them to focus their energy back on the things that matter.
Step out of Your Comfort Zone
We all love staying in our comfort zone because it’s a place where we feel safe and unbothered. However, many times the comfort zone doesn’t allow us to get the best experience we can have in college. Meeting strangers can be exhausting and daunting, but it can also be rewarding and beneficial to us. As easy as it is to send that email to your professor, you can have even more meaningful conversations in person with them or on zoom. As easy as it is to avoid all counselors, staff, and other students at the college, if you step out of your comfort zone, you can end up making great connections that can help you all throughout your college experience and even after college. Stepping out of your comfort zone even if occasionally, is worth a shot!
Remember We Are All Human
We can sometimes get into the bad habit of thinking that we are the only ones who are shy and introverted. However, we are all human. Every person with more authority you’ve spoken to, has felt lost or confused and has had to ask for help before. There are also people who have jobs that require speaking to people daily and yet they are introverted in nature. If we remember that we are all human, we can overcome many obstacles and face our fears knowing we aren’t the only ones who have felt that way.
If you remember to use technology to your advantage, to make a list of your questions, practice optimism and push aside negative thoughts you can successfully navigate through college with a breeze. I hope these tips can help you all have a more positive outlook when it comes to social interactions in college. If you guys have any more good tips please leave them in the comments, we would love to hear them!
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