Transitioning to the Newark Campus

The Associate in Arts Program provides students with both the opportunity to earn an associate degree and a gateway the baccalaureate programs at the main campus in Newark. Faculty, academic advisors, and Student Life engagement coordinators all collaborate to support students’ academic goals and social development. Preparation for the transition to the Newark campus is provided every semester through coursework, advising and programming. By taking an active role in academic advising and in Student Life activities offered at each AAP campus, every student can prepare to make an informed, smooth transition to Newark upon completion of their associate degree.​

All new students are required to meet with a faculty member or academic advisor to create their first-semester schedule. During that initial meeting, the student is asked about their academic and career goals. As much as possible, the student will be scheduled for courses in their fields of interest.​

All new students are required to complete a First Year Seminar. ARSC 116: Strategies for Academic Success provides first-semester students in the AAP with the social and academic skills for university success; topics include resources, study skills and major exploration. In addition, informational and community-building seminars are offered so students can learn more about their curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular resources, both through the AAP and in Newark. Students will use this information to create a two-year academic plan and may use these four-year plans for reference.

During their first year, students will collaborate with faculty advisors to continue discussing their professional and academic goals and will create second-semester schedules that support those plans.​

Information sessions about baccalaureate majors are offered at all AAP campuses in the spring and the fall. These sessions are provided during the lunch break (AAP Common Hour) to facilitate participation. The academic advising team will invite guests from Newark to give information about popular baccalaureate majors and academic resources. In an AAP student’s third semester, they will transition from their faculty advisor to a full-time professional advisor. Students will work with their new academic advisor to ensure that they are on track to complete the AA in two years and will plan their fourth-semester coursework accordingly.​

In the fourth semester in the AAP, students solidify their plans for their transition to Newark. Topics such as baccalaureate programs, campus housing, financial aid, extracurricular and co-curricular opportunities are discussed in a one-credit elective, ARSC 104: Sophomore Seminar, and through individual meetings with academic advisors. Students will declare their major, create or revise their four-year plan, and register for the first semester of their baccalaureate studies in Newark.​

While the academic advising program provides support for the student’s progress through the program, professional Student Life engagement coordinators at each campus offer the same opportunities year-round to all AAP students and plan events, seminars, and activities in the spring and fall semesters. In addition, the coordinators are available year-round to address students’ needs.

Engagement coordinators provide opportunities for community building, information regarding resources at the Newark campus, and preparation for the transition to Newark. In some of the more popular activities and informational sessions, students have traveled from AAP campuses to the UD Student Career Fair in Newark, heard about campus housing and how to become a resident assistant, learned about self-care, budgeting, and coping skills, and enjoyed regular “Puppy De-Stress” events with therapy dogs during midterm and final exams.

AAP alumni are invited to attend AAP Transition Day in August before the start of the fall semester. This event is part of Welcome Days and is designed to support AAP alumni as they begin their baccalaureate studies at the Newark campus. AAP alumni are encouraged to take ARSC 121: AA Program Transition Seminar for a more detailed and supportive experience in their first semester in Newark.​