As soon as your admission application has been processed, the college will provide you with registration, orientation, assessment, and advisement information.

Every community college has some form of orientation, and every college has procedures to determine who should be oriented prior to registration. Orientation is usually a workshop or a short class where college staff provides you with information about the college and with information about registration. You should attend orientation before you register.

Every community college has some form of assessment, and every college has procedures to determine who should be assessed prior to registration. Community colleges do not require tests as an admission requirement. However, nearly every community college administers assessment in reading, English, and math. College counselors use your assessment scores and related information about you to recommend which levels of English, reading, and math are appropriate for you. They want you to enroll in classes for which you have a reasonable chance of success.

Many courses, such as English and math, have prerequisites. You must satisfy prerequisites before you can enroll in these classes. One way to satisfy the prerequisites for English and math is to have a recommendation from the college's assessment process.

Every community college offers advisement, and every community college has procedures to determine who should be advised prior to registration. Every student who enters a California community college has a slightly different goal. Some students enroll to improve job skills, some to earn an associate degree, some to earn a technical certificate, and some to prepare to transfer. Because California community colleges have so many different programs, it is important for students to be advised by a counselor or an adviser. In an advising session, counselors/advisers review your previous academic history (high school and/or college transcripts), assessment scores, your educational goal and major, and then they discuss your plans. Together, you and your counselor/adviser will come up with a recommended first semester. Later, you can make an appointment to develop an educational plan so that you will know exactly which courses to take.

After your admission application has been processed, you will receive information from the college about advising. In an advising session, counselors/advisers review your previous academic history (high school and/or college transcripts), assessment scores, your educational goal and major, and then they discuss your plans. Together, you and your counselor/adviser will come up with a recommended first semester. Later, you can make an appointment to develop an educational plan so that you will know exactly which courses to take.

As a general rule of thumb, you should plan to study a minimum of two hours for each unit of class per week.