Compton : College Counseling Class Made Mandatory

The Compton Community College Board of Trustees has voted to require all new full-time students to complete “Introduction to College,” a counseling class designed to teach students how to succeed in higher education.

Many students at Compton, said the college’s spokesman, Charles Cropsey, understand that college “is a conduit to a better future but don’t understand . . . what is expected of them.”

For many students, it has been years since they were enrolled in school. Almost 20% of Compton College students are between 30 and 39 years old and nearly 19% are between 22 and 25 years old. The student body, which is 52% black and more than 30% Latino, is drawn largely from Compton, Paramount and Lynwood.

The counseling course has been offered at the college for many years but until now was not mandatory, Cropsey said. According to the college catalogue, the course is supposed to familiarize students with the college as an institution of higher education and with the college’s role in the community. It also is to teach the importance of good study habits and educational and career planning.