Life Skills for College Students (CHS: 179) is a 4-unit, upper division class offered through the Community Health Sciences department.  Each seminar enrolls 60% or more transfer students, so there is an opportunity for transfers to bond socially in a seminar setting.  The course explores college student identity and psychosocial development, providing an opportunity for students to learn about current multi-disciplinary theory and compare it to their own experience. It introduces Public Health, Psychological, Sociological and Higher Education perspectives on identity development, stress management, and communications skills and relationship building. The small class sizes allow students to get direct feedback on their introspection from peers and instructors, which requires that everyone participate. The photos below reflect how the curriculum incorporates Active Learning pedagogy.

 

Meditation Tracks

Meditation helps with stress management and emotional balance. Several forms are demonstrated in Life Skills and practiced by students. Below are 4 downloadable mp3 audio recordings of guided meditations created by Dr. Darlene Mininni, wellness coach. There are additional free meditations, as well as current research discussions, available from the Mindful Awareness Research Center's Diana Winston, Director of Mindfulness Education at UCLA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Life Skills already full? Try another small (25 students or less), seminar-style, transfer-friendly series of courses offered by the BRC, based on the principles of InterGroup Dialogue. Learn how to dialogue about topics such as race, gender, sexuality, class, religion, and more

 

Additional Transfer-focused Coursework:

 

Transfer Talk:

Understanding the UCLA Transfer Student Experience

Education 19 - Fiat Lux

Course Description:

Students who transfer into UCLA make up 40% of the undergraduate population and often have concerns and issues that differ from direct-entry students in areas of intellectual, social, personal, emotional, and career development, among other areas.  This course will explore elements of the transfer experience both nationally and at UCLA, including transition and adjustment; involvement in the campus community; transfer student development; and balancing multiple demands. Students will consider theory and research on transfer students and relate it to their personal experiences. This course aims to provide a space for transfer students to learn about the various issues that impact their curricular and co-curricular experiences, while also building relationships with faculty, staff, and peers in order to enhance their college experience. During this course students will:

  • Examine relevant transfer student issues within higher education and society
  • Situate personal experiences in the broader context of research and theory related to the transfer student experience
  • Identify opportunities available and current challenges to transfer students at UCLA
  • Reflect on the transfer student experience in light of personal and professional goals
  • Develop connections with transfer student peer group.

Seminar Topics: Transition & Adjustment, Community Building & Relationships, Co-Curricular Involvement, Academic Integration, Student-Faculty Interaction on a Transfer Timeframe, Future Plans and Degree Attainment, Not All Transfer Students are the Same: What is the “Transfer Experience?”

Seminar Readings:

Laanan, F. S. (2001).  Transfer student adjustment. New Directions for Community Colleges, 114, 5-13.

Townsend, B. K. & Wilson, K. B. (2006).  A hand hold for a little bit: Factors facilitating the success of community college transfer students to a large research university.  Journal of College Student Development, 47(4), 439-456.

Smith, M. K. (2007) Social capital. The Encyclopedia of Informal Education.

Astin, A. W. (1999).  Student involvement: A developmental theory for higher education.  Journal of College Student Development, 40 (5), 518-529.

Townsend, B. K. & Wilson, K. B. (2009).  The academic and social integration of persisting community college transfer students.  Journal of College Student Retention 10 (4), 405-423.

Volkwein, J. F., King, M. C. & Terenzini, P. T. (1986).  Student-faculty relationships and intellectual growth among transfer students.  The Journal of Higher Education, 57 (4), 413-430.

Wang, X. (2008). Baccalaureate attainment and college persistence of community college transfer students at four-year institutions.  Research in Higher Education, 50, 570-588. 

Wawrzynski, M. R. & Sedlacek, W. E. (2003).  Race and gender differences in the transfer student experience.  Journal of College Student Development, 44(4), 489-501. 

If you are interested in taking this course, it is offered sporadically. Email instructor Vanessa Luke to find out when next offered or to inquire about individual seminars as workshops.