Step 7: Directed Self-Placement
What is Directed Self-Placement
The writing and math courses you take as first-year college students are the foundation of your success in college. Every class you take will require critical reading skills, writing skills, and the ability to reason with quantitative information. For that reason, it is important that you take the right first-year classes.
The decision about your first-year math and writing course should be made through careful reflection on your own experiences, not just your previous grades, so at CSUMB, we ask you to choose for yourself which first-year reading/writing and first-year quantitative reasoning course you take (that’s the self-placement part). But it’s also important you don’t make a quick or uninformed decision. So we’ve created online experiences to help (that’s the directed part).
Students who do not complete the online experiences will be placed into first-year mathematics and composition courses according to the CSU’s multiple measures, which are based on past performance.
Who does NOT need to do Write to Register?
Students who have passed a college-level composition course (GE area A2) with a C- or above or have earned a score of 3 or above on either the Language and Composition examination or the Composition and Literature examination are not required to complete Write to Register.
Who does NOT need to do Choosing your First-Year Mathematics Course?
Students who have passed a college-level mathematics course with a C- or above (GE area B4) are not required to complete Choosing your First-Year Mathematics Course. Likewise, students who have earned the following scores on the appropriate exams are not required to complete Choosing Your First-Year Mathematics Course.
How long do the Math and Write to Register experiences take?
Each experience should take you about 1 hour each.
What if I need help figuring out what to do or how to get started?
Call the Center for Advising, Career, and Student Success at (831)582-3937, for guidance Monday - Friday from 8a - 5p.
Or, check out the videos they have created for you on their helpful webpage.