Imperial Valley College is a Community College that will provide what is needed to get your associate's degree or even get you to transfer, but is only the bare minimum. They are not a college that will provide you with a numerous amount of classes for you to choose from, meaning if you are looking for them to accommodate to you, this wouldn't be a college you would like to attend.
For majors related to S.T.E.M (science, technology, engineering, math) fields, it is fairly difficult to stay on track and graduate in two years. This is because these classes are not offered every semester and are only taught by a limited number of professors. So you either start with the series of courses needed for your major or you can fall behind relatively easily.
For example, if you're a chemistry major needing to take Inorganic Chemistry and Organic Chemistry you would need to start in the right semester when they offer Inorganic Chemistry in order to to stay on track for the upcoming Inorganic Chemistry II followed by Organic Chemistry. Sometimes that Inorganic Chemistry class you need to take will only be offered in the summer, so if you're not available that specific summer, you will fall behind for the organic series.
Priority registration in this college is essential to getting the classes you want and need. There are a variety of ways you can get priority registration but IVC never makes this known to a student wanting to attend. Some of the actions you can take to receive priority registration are by applying to be a part of ASG (Associated Student Government), a Trio Program, or participating in a sport for the college. If you don't receive priority registration it makes you more likely to be waitlisted or have to crash a course. Both of these procedures do not guarantee you a spot in the class, and results in you having to go to every class session just to see if there is a possibility of you getting the class.
Something I enjoyed about this community college is the available labs and workshops that are provided for students in almost any subject. They have a Math lab, a Reading/ Writing Lab, Stem Center and tutoring services in the library. Unfortunately the school doesn't explicitly tell you that they offer these services and usually you learn about them on your own. But they do prove to be useful.
The process in which counselors help you at this college is not personalized to you. They provide to you the classes needed to graduate from the college, but do not necessarily focus on your major. However, there are certain programs that have their own counselors who focus on the student's overall goal, whether that be obtaining an associate's degree or transferring to a four-year university. The programs in which these counselors are a part of are the SSS and the EOPS program. The downside to that is there are specific requirements to qualify for these programs making it unavailable for some students.
Overall, the reason for giving Imperial Valley College three stars is because of their poor ability to promote this information to students before they begin their first semester. The reason I knew this information was by talking to alumni's but I would have appreciated receiving this information from the school. read more
