Frequently Asked Questions

Locating BC Student ID number:
Sign in to registration the first time using your social security number for the User ID and your pin number. The computer will generate your new permanent college assigned ID. If you cannot remember your new college assigned ID, please use the following steps:

1. Log in to Banweb
2. Click on personal information.
3. Click on "View your Student/Employee ID"
4. Your Student ID will be listed in the following format @12345678
5. Forgot your PIN? The user Account Manager on the BC login webpage can be used to look up your Student/Employee User ID, change your password or change your security question.

• By Appointment
  To make an appointment with a counselor at Bakersfield College call (661) 395-4421. You can choose a date, time, and specific counselor for your visit. Available may vary depending on the time of year. Only drop in times are available during peak registration periods or during the summer months.
• Drop In
  Drop in counseling is available throughout the day on a first come, first served basis. Sign up at the front counter and a counselor will be with you as soon as possible.  Please note that students may have to wait before being seen, especially during peak registration periods during and at the beginning of each semester.
  To find out when drop in counseling is available, a student must come in person to the counter.
• Online Counseling
  
  Online counseling is intended for quick answers and quick solutions. Generally, responses are returned M-TH, except during peak registration periods. Online counseling/advising is not used for probation or disqualified students, student educational plans, graduation checks or new students.  Please go to the FAQ site first to see if your question can be answered there. Students on probation should visit the online Academic Success Probation Workshop. New students should visit the New Student online Counseling Workshop.
  
  Online counseling is not available at this time. Please check back in later for possible availability of online counseling.
  
  For students in the following programs contact:
  
  Delano Community Center and Counseling Department Chair- Sandra Sierra
  Disabled Student Programs & Services link

• Enroll in an Educational Planning course and complete an SEP.
• Complete all matriculation components including orientation, assessment and counseling.
• Students on disqualification must see a counselor.
• Continued students who were registered on Monday of the 3rd week of classes are assigned early registration appointments for the following semester in the following order:
  1. Students who belong to specific groups or special programs and who have completed matriculation.
  2. Students who have completed orientation, assessment, counseling, and have a student educational plan on file in descending order of the number of units completed, except that students who have completed 45 to 68 units will be first.
  3. High School seniors who have completed the early registration process.

For a GPA calculator and information on how to calculate your grade point average, click here.

Your GPA, or grade point average, is the main indicator of your academic performance in college. GPAs are based on the following system:

Grade Points
A = 4
B = 3
C = 2
D = 1
F = 0

To calculate your grade point average, multiply the letter grade points by the number of units in the class. For example, if you received an "A" in English 1, a "C" in Math 52, and an "F" in Human Development 12, you would have:

"How to calculate your GPA" PowerPoint demonstration. If this link does not open, click here.

• Talk to your instructor (remember, instructors have time set aside to meet with students outside of the classroom during their office hours).
• Utilize the learning labs and the Tutoring Center in the Learning Resource Center.
• Click here for other success tips on getting organized for college http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Organized-for-College-or-Grad-School
• See a counselor to discuss other options available to you (setting up a study group, developing an educational plan, etc.)

"As you think about a field of study, consider these points;

• Your choice of major should be based on personal interest. What subject (s) are you curious about? What fascinates you?
• Your choice of major should be challenging, not frustrating.
• Your choice of major is not a lifetime commitment.  If you start taking classes in your major and realize that you do not enjoy the coursework, change your major.
• Your choice of major should be YOUR choice NOT your parents' or your high school counselor's.  You, no one else, will be reading, thinking, and writing about your major.  You are investing in yourself, not someone else.
• Your choice of major should fulfill a need that is meaningful to you.  Do not base this need on the latest "hot" career or the "highest" paying salary.  The former may disappear, and the latter, you may end up disliking.

In addition the following resources could be used to gather more information about your major:  Interest Inventories, seminars and workshops, career exploration courses, faculty members, organizations and clubs, internships, and volunteer experience." (On-Campus - An Interactive Guide To College.  Diane S. Fitton, 2009)

For a list of your specific major course requirements click here "Programs of Study" or visit the current BC catalog.

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• Visit the BC Virtual Career Center for information on careers.
• Visit the Missing Majors website http://www.missingmajor.com/  for information on majors, careers and vocations.  For access to the EUREKA website, a personal career assessment tool, students may obtain a password from an Educational Advisor in the BC Counseling Center. This assessment provides students with much needed guidance and insight about careers.
• There is no limit as to how many courses a student can take in their major in their first semester.

• New students
  All new students must attend a New Student online Counseling 2 hour Workshop. Or, call 395-4421 to make an appointment for the mandatory Workshop in person. New Student Counseling Group Workshops fill quickly, particularly during registration periods.
• Continuing students Continuing or returning students may visit a drop-in counselor or advisor. Drop-ins are available every day on a first come, first served basis. In order to maximize your chances of being seen during peak registration periods, it is recommended that you come to the Counseling Center early in the morning and be prepared for a possible wait to be seen.
• Enroll in a Student Development course, preferably within the first 15 units, to develop an Educational Plan. Some students will take longer than two years to complete a degree depending upon individual situations.

What is a full-time and part-time student?

Number of Units	Enrollment Status
12-19	Full time
9-11	3/4 time
6-8*	Half-time
5 or less	Part-time

* Generally, to be eligible for financial aid, a student must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 units.

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The CSU System stands for the California State University System. It includes twenty-three campuses. Three examples are Cal State Bakersfield, SDSU and CSU Cal Poly. When you have completed approximately 45  transferable units at BC, you may apply online to a CSU at CSU Mentor. Please consult with a counselor and Transfer Services.

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• Log onto the registration site off the BC home page
• Put in your ID # (SS#) and your Pin #
• Click on Student & Financial Aid
• Click on Student Records
• Click on the What-If-Degree Evaluation & follow the directions

• For Counseling or Educational Advisor appointments and drop-in hours for the BC Counseling Center, go to services.
• Students should bring a printed copy of their what-if evaluation for the semester, in which they applying to graduate, to a counselor or advisor.
• For students on EOPS, call 395-4351, or contact the EOPS Office in the Student Services building. 

• Students must file for graduation before the following deadline dates:
  Fall Graduation- Nov 1; Spring Graduation- April 1, Summer Graduation- July 1
  

Can students retake classes as many times as they would like?

REPEAT POLICY for Bakersfield College