Organize
Discussion Questions/Activity: The Road Trip to Success
Instructors: This is a longer, more engaged assignment that can help students outline
their paths to academic success. It’s a good starting point for drafting ideas that can lead
to a reflective and/or research-based essay.
You came here to go places, right? Take the Success Road Trip to be sure you’re
headed in the right direction!
When we take road trips, we often know what our goals are but not necessarily how to
get there. If you want to visit Berkeley to see what the UC campus is like and to talk with
admissions counselors, you probably won’t just point your car north. Instead, you’ll
either use a paper map, or you’ll print out a route from a website like Google or Yahoo
Maps. This plan can help you arrive at your destination on time, and even to know where
you might want to stop along the way.
We need a road map to plan our academic success, too. You may have an idea of where
you’re going, but how to get there successfully can be tricky. Equally important, you’ll
want to understand more about yourself, and what drives you, so you don’t arrive at your
destination only to discover that you’d rather be somewhere else. With this information,
you can begin to identify the best route to your destination.
First, consider the basics: where are you starting from? And where do you want to end
up?
What happens if road blocks appear in your path? Are there detours you can take?
Will you need to make any “pit stops” to refuel? Building in time to assess and reflect on
your progress will help ensure you are on track.
The Road Trip to Success:
Answer the following questions to begin to build your map to success.
Step 1: Where are you going?
Ever travel somewhere, excited to arrive, only to discover you are disappointed once you
get there? Nothing can be worse than finding your high expectations don’t match up to
the reality of what you find. Before sinking lots of time, money, and energy into a road
trip, you want to find out where you are going and whether that’s really the place you
want to end up. To help you do that in your academic road trip, respond to the following
questions:
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What are your educational goals?
Why did you decide to come to college?
Why are you taking this class?
How does your goal match your values and talents?
Where do you hope to go after Cerritos College?
Here are some sources you can use to help you respond to the questions above:
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Visit the sources available below to collect information about a career you are
interested in: http://www.cerritos.edu/career-services/career-center/careersources.html
Take these self-assessments to get a better understanding of your values and
temperament: http://www.kisa.ca/personality
Check the list of programs available at Cerritos College:
http://cms.cerritos.edu/school-relations/new-students/programs_of_study
Visit a counselor for help in choosing a major: Counseling appointments may be
made in person at the Counseling Division located in the Administration Building.
If you are calling by telephone, please call (562) 860-2451 Ext. 2231.
Step 2. Where are you starting from?
When you use Google or Yahoo Maps—or a paper map, for that matter—you have to
know your starting point before you can map out the route to your destination. That’s the
only way you can assess how long the trip will take and what you’ll have to go through to
get there.
Respond to these questions as you think about your academic road trip:
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Have you taken the assessment/placement tests for reading, writing, and math
courses to begin your study at Cerritos College?
Which Reading courses do you need to set you on the right path?
Which Writing (English) courses do you need?
Which Math courses do you need?
You can check for prerequisite clearances in MyCerritos at www.cerritos.edu.
Step 3. What courses will you need to reach your destination?
Each leg of a road trip takes you to landmarks: cities, connections to new freeways,
geographical landmarks like a mountain range or lake. These landmarks will help you
mark out each part of the trip, ensuring that you’re taking the right route and that you
haven’t missed anything along the way.
Taking the right courses become the landmarks on your academic road trip. List the
courses you plan to take each semester to accomplish your goal.
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What courses in your major will you have to take?
What courses in a secondary area of interest are needed?
What courses in a program like Scholars’ Honors, Teacher TRAC, Puente, or
Project HOPE should you take?
What general education courses will you need?
Here are some sources you can use to help you develop your list:
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Check here to find the courses your will need for your major:
http://cms.cerritos.edu/school-relations/new-students/programs_of_study
Check here or General Education requirements: http://cms.cerritos.edu/transfercenter/general-education-requirements
See a counselor in admissions to develop an Educational Plan
Step 4. Where are the “pit stops” on your road trip?
On a long road trip, stopping occasionally to stretch your legs, gas up, grab a soda, pee
(what did you expect after all that soda?), or have lunch is a good idea. Those pit stops
also help you to assess your progress, review the route, and make sure you are on the
right path. These pit stops are necessary on your academic road trip, too, to ensure you
are moving forward successfully.
Respond to the following questions:
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Where can you find your grades for courses completed? How will you determine
whether you are on track to your goals, and what can you do if you have slipped
off track?
Who are your instructors? How can you get in touch with them for questions or
assistance?
o List instructors’ e-mail addresses, office hours and office locations.
What if I discover I’m off-track?
o See your instructor during his or her office hours to see where you went
off track and how you can get back on.
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o See a counselor in admissions to learn what your options are for getting
back on track.
What other resources will help me check my progress?
o Find information on the following resources on campus:
 Academic Support Center’s writing and math tutoring
 English department Writing Center
 ESL Center support
 Language Center
 Reading Center
 Project HOPE science tutoring
 Tutoring resources available for your courses (ask your instructor!)
Step 5. Start your journey and stay on track!
Now that you have mapped out the essentials for your academic road trip, you are much
more likely to arrive at your destination successfully. Review these steps regularly during
the semester to check your progress.
Want to check your progress? Talk with an instructor or mentor in your major or
professional degree program to review your progress and next steps. Visit an academic
counselor in the Admissions building, or make an appointment with a transfer
counselor in the Transfer Center to discuss your transfer plans.
Visit the Academic Support Center in the bottom floor of the Library building; they
also offer workshops in study skills and academic success.
Good luck!