Welcome from the Associate Dean

Dear Science and Mathematics Freshman,

Congratulations on your admission to CSULB and welcome to the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics!

You were offered admission to our College because we believe you have the intellect and passion to make important contributions to our classrooms and our community. Our faculty and student support staff are very excited to meet you! Our goal is to help you grow intellectually, personally, and socially - to expose you to new ideas, people, and experiences.

The virtual fall classes just started. Use the first week of school to prepare for your first semester at The Beach:

• Explore CSULB resources on how to learn online.
• Read the course description in your syllabus carefully.
• In the first week's lectures, listen for goals and objectives, main themes, and topics to learn how the course is structured.
• Review the textbook and/or course packet. Get a sense of what is to come and how the course is put together - look at the last topic to see where the course is going.
• Identify spaces in your schedule when you can do assignments and homework, and spaces for exam preparation and studying. Treat it like a job or any other appointment you have to keep.
• Plan ahead for your study time. No matter how effective you are at studying, science and math courses require about 3 hours of studying outside of class for every 1 hour of in-class lecture time.
• Make sure you go to every class! Spend a little time (even 5-10 minutes) on an assignment (even a big one) the day it is given.

The science and math classes are challenging, and our academic requirements and milestones are quite strict. You will be required to apply your knowledge to solve new problems, to come up with original ideas, and to master basic principles so you can apply them to more complex situations. Sometimes you might struggle with the material. This "struggle" is normal – your brain forms new connections and gets stronger precisely because you are exposed to a new and challenging learning environment. You can get smarter in any subject by studying effectively just like you can get stronger by exercising regularly. Tutoring for science and math courses in the Jensen SAS Center starts in the beginning of September; make sure to stop in anytime.

I encourage you to explore the many student academic support services offered on campus and I wish you a great learning experience at The Beach!

Kris Slowinski, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Professor of Chemistry
College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics