“Got an ed plan?” was a question seen on campus at the beginning of this semester in the form of pins, pens, pamphlets, on the school website and on banners.

It was a campaign designed to make San Diego City College students aware that education plans exist and are now required.

Education plans fit into the plan for increased success rates because they establish a clear path of classes a student needs for their general education units and their specific classes towards certificate programs and transfer or associate degrees.

The purpose of an education plan is to help students plan how to accomplish their educational goals at San Diego City College. Ed plans are part of State Bill 1456, the Seymour-Campbell Student Success Act of 2012, passed by the California legislature in September of that year, that focuses on increasing the numbers of students that graduate or transfer to four year universities.

According to California’s official legislative information website, SB-1456 defined matriculation as an agreement between student services provided by a community college and students that complete their fulfillment of those services. The act specified services community colleges must include for matriculation: process applications for admission, give orientation/pre-orientation services, offer assessment and counseling upon enrollment and measure a student’s success post-enrollment.

Locardia Muzota is in the nursing program at City College and plans to transfer to UCLA or Pennsylvania State University this year. She completed an educational plan in order to fulfill the requirements of Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS).

“I only had to do it once. I had help from the counselor — they do provide us with a counselor so she was the one helping me through everything,” Muzota explained. “I really didn’t have to do any paperwork at all. They did give me an estimated time — it was about three years.”

Rafael Alvarez is the director of the MESA program, a transfer track program at City College, which also requires educational plans be completed by students.

“Goal focus is one of the 10 important factors for college readiness and success. They need to have a goal. They need to focus on it. They need to have a plan for achieving that goal, so the education plan is critical,” Alvarez said.

Kelli Turpin is a counselor in the Student Counseling Center on campus who helps students create educational plans, and answers questions about classes to take and whether transferring, seeking a certificate or an associate’s is appropriate for a student.

“We’re not gonna tell you what to do, but we’re gonna give you the tools that you need to figure out how you want to live your life,” Turpin said.

Getting an educational plan is also important to preserve registration priority. Inside the 2014-2015 City College Catalog is a list of registration priority groups in order and a description of each population. Without a completed educational plan, a student’s priority of registration drops.

The Student Counseling Center recommends making an appointment for an educational plan one week in advance and students should allow for one hour.

To schedule an appointment to get an educational plan, call (619)-388-3540.

For more information about the counseling center and what it offers, visit www.sdcity.edu/Counseling.