15744 Golden West Street  *  Huntington Beach,  CA  *  92647-2748
714/895-8367   *   714/895-8269 fax   *   http://www.gwc.cccd.edu
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                                           Copy by Marc S. Posner
                                         714/892-7711, ext. 55057
                                                 mposner@cccd.edu
                                                  August 23, 1999
                                                   Release: 99-56

GWC SEMESTER BEGINS ON AUG. 30
WITH FIRST 16-WEEK SCHEDULE IN OC

Golden West College is the first of the county’s nine community
colleges to switch to an innovative 16-week semester, making the
Huntington Beach college the only area two-year institution to
operate with the same academic schedule as nearby California
State University campuses.

Classes for nearly all of the college’s students begin on August
30. Open enrollment is currently under way. For registration and
application information, please call (714) 895-8306.

The college already boasts an impressive transfer rate, and the
change will make Golden West College’s students even better
prepared for transfer to four-year institutions.

In addition, students at nearby Cal State Long Beach and Cal
State Fullerton now have the option of taking lower-division
courses — which are significantly cheaper and generally much
easier to get into than at the university — at GWC. Golden West
College coursework is fully transferable to those universities,
and most others.

Golden West College president, Dr. Kenneth Yglesias, keyed on
those themes as the college prepares for its 34th academic year.

“Our new 16-week schedule is full of tremendous conveniences,”
Dr. Yglesias said. “Because the 16-week format is shared with Cal
State campuses, it eases the transition for our students who will
transfer to one of those institutions. In addition, students from
Cal State Long Beach and Fullerton now have a convenient place to
pick up lower-division courses that they can’t get into on their
own campuses.”

Other benefits of the change include a longer vacation, which has
allowed students more time to spend at the nearby beach or work
summer jobs. For those with children of their own, it has eased
the task of getting the youngsters ready for school.

Students will also have to make fewer trips to the campus to
complete a course. To adjust for the switch to 16-week courses,
the average class is about 20 minutes longer.

Golden West College also offers accelerated instruction with a
wide variety of classes offered in an 8-week format as well as
the popular 6-week “Weekend Express” series. These courses start
at various times during the semester.

Some specialized areas of instruction — cosmetology, criminal
justice, nursing, Weekend Express and athletic teams — began in
mid August.

“Our academic programs are first rate and are transferable to all
major private and public universities,” Dr. Yglesias said. “In
fact, GWC is one of California’s best transfer institutions. Even
more impressive than the percentage of students moving on to
universities from GWC is the fact that our students who transfer
to CSU and UC are well prepared. Traditionally, GWC transfer
students outperform those students who began their freshman year
at four-year institutions.”

California residents now pay just $11 per unit, the lowest
enrollment fee of any college system in California.

The “Oceans of Opportunity” at Golden West College include
approximately 60 career programs and 50 university-transfer
options for students starting work on their bachelor’s degrees.

Golden West College is located at 15744 Golden West Street in
Huntington Beach, nestled between Edinger and McFadden avenues
and Golden West and Gothard streets — just off the San Diego
(405) Freeway and minutes from Huntington Beach’s picturesque
shoreline.

Information about Golden West College is available by calling
(714) 892-7711, visiting http://www.gwc.cccd.edu, or sending
e-mail to info@gwc.cccd.edu.

All GWC news releases are available on the Web site. Releases are
also available via an e-mail subscription list. For more
information, please contact Marc Posner at (714) 892-7711, ext.
55057 or by e-mail at mposner@cccd.edu.

                             —GWC—

_________________________________________________________________
 One of the Coast Community Colleges serving Costa Mesa, Fountain
   Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Midway City, Newport
                Beach, Seal Beach and Westminster
Kenneth D. Yglesias, Ed.D, President * Board of Trustees: Paul G.
   Berger; George E. Brown; Walter G. Howald; Jerry Patterson;
Armando Ruiz; Student Trustee * William M. Vega, Ed.D, Chancellor
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