Invest in Your First Year with Key Communities (Fall Webinar Series)

All right, welcome everyone. Thank you so much for being here with me today. This afternoon. I'm so excited to tell you a little bit more about the key communities. And so I hope that during this process you have some great questions, so please feel free to use the Q&A feature or the chat feature if you'd like to put in your questions in there. I'm happy to answer them live, and so I know it's kinda weird. I'm talking to you and you can't really. You know, I can't see you, but I hope that this will be a really engaging opportunity for you to have some thoughts about what to consider in your college process.

And what you want your first year to be like and what you want to accomplish. So thank you so much for being here with me again. My name is Anna Maria Montana, recruitment outreach coordinator for the key communities. And so I'll go ahead and get started. One thing I will say is I know the key communities name sometimes lends itself to being similar to key club, but we are not the same thing. We're a residential learning community which is a little bit different, and I know that key club kind of focus is a little bit more on the service learning piece. Although we do have one of those components within key.

I just wanted to make sure to put it out there 'cause I get that question a lot so.

Wanted to put that. Put that out there but OK, first year experience right? What to think about and I think this is a really loaded question because you know, I think a lot of the times you can see different movies and videos and things about like what is the college experience really going to be like an it's never the same for everyone person. Every everyone's experience is so much different and it really takes a lot into account of like what are you putting into it? What exactly is it that you are looking for water?

What are the values the pieces that are going to like make or break your first year experience? And so that's one of the things that I want to kind of stress in being able to think about. How are you investing in your first year experience is by asking these questions of what is important to you. Why is my first year experience important to me? And so I always think about it in a way where you want to make sure that you feel like you belong, that regardless of what you're involved in what you're getting into, you know what your areas of interests are or who you're getting to meet.

Do you have those opportunities to really be able to build community around those people who might have same interest as yourself or that you are maybe you know, like I want to go to college and branch out and I want to just kind of learn about what is out there for me and really kind of test those boundaries. So this is a really great opportunity for you to also have that be in so he is able to provide that. But I also want you to think about, like you know, can I adapt to a new environment in my OK being on my own? Like what are all of these things coming into play?

And so these these are questions that as I'm going through my presentation, I want you to go ahead and think about, because sometimes it doesn't hit students that you're truly on your own. You're an independent person want until you actually hit college. And that's like when moving day happens, right when you see your parents moving, you know they're leaving in that license plate is getting smaller and smaller, and you're like, Oh my gosh, what am I going to do? And so we just want to make sure that as you're you're thinking about this college experience, especially now in covid times, it could very well look different for a lot of different people.

You know communities, universities, colleges, all everywhere. They're really adapting to try and accommodate or think about what is to come and so in preparation of all of that, these are things that we're also going to be touching on because of the new planning phases that are coming into play that could change for fall 21, and so we just want to make sure that we will let you know and I'll talk to you a little bit more about what we're doing currently and then also how we are hoping to adjust for next year should discontinue, but.

Questions that I just want to make sure that you keep in mind as we go. So with the key communities you're like OK, this is great and you just told us that it's not like he club, but what are the key communities? What is key? And so the key communities are residential. First year learning communities and what we focus on is helping students really transition to college two and through we give you the skills necessary to make sure that you're going to be successful in your first year. But we also want to make sure that our students are in the process of being able to build.

That solid support network around who they're going to class with, how to build relationships with faculty, how to find mentors, but then also create a welcoming and nurturing environment for all students. So we really want to make sure that all of our students are bringing their values, their traditions, their backgrounds, their cultures are experiences, and that everyone feels like they have a place at CSU and that not only are you opening yourself up to learn from other people and their experiences in their perspectives, but that you're also willing to open up.

So that they can learn from yours. So all of this is a piece of why we're so successful, but the communities is because we still we build those smaller communities that our students can really thrive and can really learn and adjust. And think about what is really important in this learning process. That is not only an academic learning, it's really a social part. It's also a part for you to learn about yourself and really create that personal growth. So we really help in that process of being able to hit all of those pieces and give you a well rounded first year experience.

So that's why key is really, really important. I mean, we've been around for over 20 years. We have had success in being able to make sure that students have an amazing first year experience so that as they transition to 2nd to 3rd to 4th even a fifth year. If that's where you're going that you have those support networks in place that you know how to reach out to people that you know how to make those connections, that is going to be really crucial, and being able to get where you want to go and also take advantage of all the opportunities at CSU has to offer. So we really create those environments in those connections. I mean, we're all over campus. All of our students.

They connect on a way that you know if you're working on campus and you say you're part of the communities they know exactly what kind of student you are, and if you want to go for an internship or anything you have that on your application. It really looks really amazing because it's truly an honorary program that helps you navigate what it is to be a first year college student, and you learn so many of those skill sets that you can take with you in any way. Like you know if it's going to help you in your academics in your time at CSU, or if it's going to help you in your professional career.

And so we want to make sure that all of these pieces are white. Students are coming to the key communities, and so we offer a wide variety of interests pieces for our students were not tide to majors, were not tide to specific areas of interest. We really tried to create a wide range where all of our students have a little bit of something that they will relate to and really thrive in. And so this is what we do within the key communities. So I want to focus specifically on being able to talk a little bit more about three key pieces, because besides, you know, learning about.

How to be a strong academically. How to build community. How to learn about. You know diversity in appreciate, diversity, awareness. But we also want you to be able to develop leadership skills. We want you to get involved with service learning opportunities. All of these pieces are going to help you in this process of college, because at some point you're going to want to do a little bit of something. There's something there you want to give up with this club or this organization, and so all of this is going to really come into play to not only make you a competitive student, but to also help you really find your niche.

Really find what it is that you're interested in and follow it right? We want to make sure that your passions are going to be what you're here for, and so that's where we're going to help you accomplish. And we can do a really, really good job in offering that enrich opportunity for involvement and academic support. So the three pieces that I'm going to cover today is academics, people who care, and the social atmosphere. Because all of these really do kind of create what we do as key, the key communities and so 4 one we have a piece of the academic piece, right? We have the academic component. That is why you're in college.

You're here to get a degree. You're here to you. Know, do amazing things and then take that knowledge and experience and contribute to the world, right? That is what we want to make sure that we do the key communities as a whole. We understand that the first year experience can be a little bit tougher. Students you will be navigating knew requirements, knew expectations that we want to make sure that we're creating a place where you can actually thrive, and so if you think about like what your classes were in high school, there are lot smaller. So you're able to get to know your peers.

You're able to have that one on one connection with your faculty. All of that is really important, and so in our key seminars we do the same thing. They are smaller courses that actually allow for students to have that one on one interaction. So there anywhere from 18 to 40 students. That is a really small class in comparison, system of the classes that you would normally hear about, or if you've already had a chance to visit CSU, be prior to the pandemic. There are some classes that can go up to 200 students.

And that can be a little intimidating, because when you're in the class, you're actually distracted by how many folks are around you, and you're not very engaged in the class, and so for us, being able to build these smaller cohorts, which I'll tell you a little bit more about when we call clusters, you're able to thrive a little bit more, because you can actually learn, and you're not distracted because there's so many people in the classroom, or there's so many questions coming around because you have that one on one attention, so you can create a group study. You can create a peer to peer to peer project.

All of that is a really great and encompassing the key seminar course. So what we do is we take specific themes or subjects and we want to make sure that we are interconnecting them with a lot of other subject areas. So in the key seminar you're going to be talking about specific area, but then you will have one to two additional courses which are all part of the All University core curriculum courses at CSU which are required for graduation and they're going to help you in that seminar. Think outside the box.

So you continuously thinking critically thinking about how are these things connect.

And you take those skill sets and you take what you're learning in the seminar and be able to apply it to the rest of your classes. Because all of those clusters, the classes, the seminar that went to two classes in the seminar. They're all going to be interconnected at some point, and so we're helping you kind of to figure out what that looks like, which is an amazing opportunity because it's only going to make you a better student. And so with that we really are engaging our students in that way, so that if you take other courses which you're going to need a full load of courses which is anywhere from 12 to 15 credits.

You might take one, you know, two, maybe two to three with key, and then you might take two to three that are based off of your major or another area of interest and that will create your full schedule. So the great thing about our courses is that not only are we helping you develop these skills, but we are also not taking any time away from your graduation, so our classes, if they don't apply directly to your major, they will apply towards elective courses that you will need for graduation. So you're not doing anything extra for being apart of the communities that you wouldn't do if you were taking.

Any other courses on campus? You're just having the opportunity and giving yourself that space of a smaller class size to develop these skills and nurture these skills to make you successful. As you continue wanting your four year five year path, whatever that may be right? So that is what we're focusing on with our student. And not only that, but you actually get the benefit of being able to like.

Participate in other areas of interest as well, 'cause we also connect them with service learning projects. We also create opportunities for you to advance a little bit further within your college experience, especially if you're attached to a college. But the specific major. If not, then you have the area and just kind of like the free for all of like I have so many courses that I can choose from and I'm going to test the waters with a few of these before I decide on a major. So you are really not restricted in any way and that makes a really great opportunity for our students.

On top of that, being able to understand how you're progressing, how you're doing is a really great benefit to our students. So every myth, Semester, Spring, and fall, we create an opportunity for students to get feedback from their faculty about how you are doing so. If you're not doing well in the class, then we will know early on. So if you need to get connected to other resources, or if you need a tutor that you have that opportunity.

But you also have to keep in mind with any college course. You may not always be able to see how you were doing or progressing at the click of a button like you would happen in high school. That is something that will change because some classes may require a first exam midterm exam and then a final exam, and that's all you have and so we want to make sure that you have that support in place to know how you're going through the the. You know the entire semester an if you need anything else that we can have the opportunity to have those conversations. If we need to take a different path. So all of this is really important for you to think about, and that's.

One of the things that makes our students very successful because some students may not get that opportunity if not in the learning community.

The other thing too is the people who care. This is a really, really big piece and I think that this is not only for the students, but I also think about further families as well. So we pair you up with a student mentor, a peer mentor. They've already navigated the first year process so they understand what it means to be a first year student and how to navigate those first year rose. So that's really key to our students, especially knowing that there are a little bit closer in age to you that you can actually connect in a lot of different ways that you might not be able to connect with some of us, and so that's a really big benefit to our students.

But they also serve as a teaching assistant in your key seminar. So not only do you have access to your mentor outside of the classroom, but you can ask them questions. You have them there in the classroom, and they're able to help you navigate anything, whether it's a random question about like, where do I print for free on campus? Or you know, really, having those heart to hearts of like I'm really missing home and I just need to talk to somebody about it. So all of this is really important to be able to know what your mentor is there to do, and they are amazing people, but your faculty is another great opportunity for you to really make those connections.

And I'm going to say this because it's going to be so important for you to start thinking about building social capital. OK, it is never too early to start. I think about you know you've been an environment for the last four years, where you can probably just walk through the halls if you could. At this time, if you might, you might beat that. You literally could do it in the dark. You could do it with your eyes. Close your like. I got this. I have my people that if I need a letter recommendation or someone's going to call for reference, I know who to go to in college you have so many more people that you'll get to know.

But you really want to establish and build those relationships so that you have that benefit as well, and so it's never too early in if you start with your faculty later when you need a letter recommendation for a scholarship, offer an internship, or even as you're getting to graduation and you're like, hey, I'm going to graduate and I have this job lined up. I need you to help me out.

These are people that you want to come back to, so start thinking about how you're building those relationships and knowing that you have that smaller class size within the key communities to be able to do that. That is a really big benefit to you, and not only that, but you're also able to think about like if I want to do an internship or you know what I really heard about this amazing research opportunity and if they know you on a personal level and know, that might be an interest of you, they might recommend you to go ahead and get involved in that research project, or they might ask you to get involved or who knows they might even ask you to be.

Teaching assistant in the next year. So all of these things are really a great opportunity for you. Start building your resume and so we want to make sure that we provide you with those. So like I said in anything that you do, never too early to start building it. Keep that in mind, but then you also have these amazing key coordinators that are there to help you navigate any kind of issue that you might have. Whether you know you might be having difficulty with your faculty member, you know you might not be connecting with them, what's going on, or you might have a grade that you're like. You know, I don't think I deserve this. How do I go ahead and, like, you know, try to dispute it?

Or you know what I just I'm having trouble with my roommate. How do I have a conversation around that? Or can you be a mediator or anything like that? So these are conversations that you can pass. You can have and you know as situations arise, the key coordinator is going to be there going to be your support network right now you can get to go home in your family. Is your number one support right? You can probably talk to them to help you solve your problems. Any issues that might come up, the key coordinators they want to serve as your family away from home because they want to be able to do the same thing and not help you advocate for yourself. But also be there to support you.

Ensure you want be your number one fan, so that's going to be really, really important. And if you're living on on campus then we also want you to get connected to University because they will also be a really great benefit in being able to help you feel at home if we you need different kind of support networks or you just have questions about the residence halls or you know I don't know, the machine is not working and you can't get your laundry out. You know that's a really good thing to to know. So any and everything you want to just make sure that you have all of these people in your court because they're really going to make things so much better and for families.

I gotta tell ya, I see families come, they drop off their students.

And it still makes my eyes water to see how the parents like her, because they're leaving you and I just like think about this is not only your transition is a family transition, and so I want to make sure that they know that if you're coming to the University here at CSU that you're going to be part of the communities that you will be taken care of. And that's important to me because I don't have any kids. But I am someone's kid, and so I would appreciate that when my mom and Dad would be like, yes, they have that support network, so I feel good about it. So just think about like you know, this is a really, really big transition for everyone. So we just want to make sure that everyone is supported in that.

So keep that in mind.

The last thing is social atmosphere. That is one of the biggest things about college, right? Everybody talks about it. There's so much to do, and so we have big scale programming that we do for our students that you can take part in now. Obviously because of the pandemic, we've had to kind of go virtual with some of these programmings. But we do, we do have the capability to have smaller groups or even just maybe you know like a handful of groups in one place to be able to do things and so we want to make sure that not only are we providing that for all of our students in all of our communities.

But you have, even if you just feel comfortable in that small cluster, which is the cohort of students will be taking classes with that if that's what you want to do. You guys want to go bowling? You want to maybe just explore Old Town or go for a hike or anything like that that you have these opportunities to really get out there and get to know people. Feel comfortable that you're not always just cooped up in class that you're not always just cooped up in your residence Hall. And so we provide all these opportunities for you to really have the opportunity to really feel a part of the campus. Feel a part of the bigger community that it's going to be absolutely 100% important in.

In the social building of like what it is that your first year experience is apart of. On top of that, making connections throughout campus, we encourage you to get involved in organizations, clubs if you want to work on campus. Anything like that, we just want to make sure that you're getting involved in that. You're taking advantage of anything and everything that is available to you, but you know you also can get involved in your residence Hall as well, with residence Hall Council, you can make changes. You can do so much so we just want to make sure that you're not limiting yourself, and so we provide all of these opportunities and give you all of this.

Insight as you're kind of going through the motions of like, Oh, I didn't know that that was happening. Oh, there's a resource fair for this or that. You know all of these different things in your mentor is really good about being able to give you that information too, so that you can get involved so good times. So a lot of a lot of things to come in mind alot of things to think about and be like is this what I really want to do? What can I not live within my first year experience? So keep thinking about that. So one thing that I want to make sure that I focus on a little bit more is the key communities.

As a whole, it's an overarching umbrella and we have four communities that are very specific to what our students are going to be able to do. Each one is a little bit different because we want to diversify. How are students are learning and what they're getting to learn about, so this is a really big piece of it. So our key academic community is by far our largest community, and it branches off into two different paths, so we have our key academic interdisciplinary, and we have our key academic college partnerships. So basically what a key academic does is it provides you the structure to learn.

And really encompass you know community building.

Social Justice Service learning leadership opportunities academics how do we really focus on all of these pieces and it gives you those senses through the different topics that you can talk about. And so it might have a lot of liberal arts you know you have, like you have some sociology, you have some ethnic Studies, International Studies. You might even have some psychology with a biology combination. We do a really great job of making sure that these are really good interest for students to kind of continue to think outside the box repeatedly.

Until that, with the key academic community will do specifically within the interdisciplinary piece, because they're bringing together those different themes now with college partnerships, you have to be admitted to one of these college partners in order to be in these specific clusters because they're very focused. So we partner with the College of engineering. We partner with the College of College of Engineering, College record cultural Sciences and College of business. So you would have to be declared in one of those three, and then you'd be able to take those classes and then not only are you benefiting from this.

Everything that he has to offer in that smaller class setting, but you're also getting to take advantage of everything else that the colleges are providing for you as well, so you're really diving deep into your major and connecting with other students with those variety of majors as well. So that's a really great benefit to our students. So even if you say we're talking bout the College of engineering, if you're coming in a civil engineering will guess what you're going to electrical engineering. You're going to have Mechanical Engineers in there. You have biomedical engineers in there, so you're really going to be able to branch out in a lot of different ways, so that's a really great.

Opportunity for our key academic student. Does that mean that that's the only one that you can pick? Absolutely not. You can totally take advantage of being able to take part in any of the other communities. If you feel like one of the other ones fits more of your needs or interests. The College of Engineering is the only one that you cannot actually go anywhere else. If you're an engineering student, you must be in that specific cluster, because otherwise your first year curriculum being the way that it is built. Everything kind of build upon each one, and you need to take those foundational courses to be able to continue on. So that's the only one that is.

But a little bit more restricted.

Within our key civic service community, this is more about you know, students who want to get involved in Civic Engagement who want to do a lot more and you know, community service projects. It's an amazing opportunity for our students to learn about what is needed around campus, what is needed in our community? I always think about it in a way of like think globally, but act locally. And so you're learning about how to make change in your area. And then as you learn, and you develop these different programs or different initiatives that thing you can take back to your community in.

And may change there as well, so right, so all of these little pieces are taking place little by little. So it's an amazing opportunity. Our students are required to do 25 hours of community service per semester, but it is very doable. We encourage you to start at the beginning and find something that you might really be passionate about. And then if you want to continue with the service project that you continue. If not, we will provide you with a lot of other opportunities or will help you create an opportunity that you can take on as well. If that's not if you have feel like none of this relates to what I want to do.

We will make sure that we can get it for you, so that's always a really good opportunity. Our key export community, this one is unique in that it specifically for students who are undeclared an. I know that sometimes you can probably feel the pressures of having to come into college with a specific major already declared. That's not necessarily true. You do not have to. You have that first year and a half to really experience branch out. Test the waters with so many different areas and key. Explore does a great job of being able to help you navigate. You might have.

But not only that, they help you do a lot of personal exploration and then on top of that they do career exploration. So then you're able to pair up the both and be like OK. Here's my strength here, my passions. And then here's how it translate into a major at CSU. So you're really, really honing in on what it is that you want to do. If you're not 100% sure. So if you for any reason are feeling pressure to declare, know that that's not necessarily the case. You do not have to. You can come in undeclared if you want to come in declared and then change your major. Trust me, it's going to happen.

Most students will change their major maybe once or twice before their second year, so that's absolutely common. So give yourself some time to figure out what it is that you really want to do, but also the benefit of being in the keyboard community is are undeclared advisors for CSU are actually faculty members for our key seminars, so you would get to see them maybe once or twice a week, and most students on campus will only get to see them maybe once or twice a semester, so that's a really great relationship building opportunity. There are key health professions as your last community, and this is for anyone interested in the animal or human Sciences.

I'm so any and all students who want to go into vet school they want to go to Med School. Pharmacy Tech wanted to research anything like that. This is a great community for you because it's going to be heavily science focused, but it's also going to give you that opportunity to take those classes with folks who are very much dedicated to knowing that at the end of my four year mark, I still have additional requirements. I have to do so I have to stay on track so each of our students really hold each other accountable. Our faculty member is amazing, knowing that.

Life 102, which is a biology course at CSU, an chemistry 111, are the most difficult courses on campus that he really takes that step above and beyond to ensure that your academic success. He's really bested in making sure that you're going to do well. So this is a really great opportunity for you to really connect with someone who's like, OK, I will go above and beyond for you, and he's just incredibly amazing to our students. He really gives him a new perspectives, but also a lot of support and being able to get them to where they want to be. So it's a really, really great piece. If you are interested in any of these areas.

The health professions community is going to do so much good for you.

So that's basically like what we do in key who we are and what we do. So there's a lot to think about. But I kind of want to open it up for questions and see if there's anything that may be remained unclear or that I can elaborate on. Or maybe something that you're like. OK, well, you know what are my next steps because I will get to that in a little bit, but I just want to see what what other questions you may have.

OK, I don't see any questions coming through, so I'll go ahead and just talk about next steps. So basically our next steps are to apply to the key communities. Now you would have to be admitted to CSU in order to be able to apply to key. So that would mean that you would have to set up your name, your E password, and then you would have access to our application. Normally our application will open around December January.

And then it's usually full around April because we are kind of, you know, restricted. We have about 500 or so spots for our students, and so we're very much limited in how many students we can accept the communities. I mean, granted we usually get an incoming freshman class above 5000 students, so we're a very small population, and our communities, in order to be able to insure and give you that one on one attention, we they have to be kept small. So for example, our key civic service community is about 150 students.

Our health professions communities. About 76 students, so it's usually about one of the first ones that gets full because we have so many students who are applying for the early decision deadline of December 1st at CSU to get in. So they are also applying for key early on to make sure that they can share their spot. So once we have everybody full, then unfortunately there's nothing that we can do. So if you're interested in being a part of the communities, definitely apply early. Apply to CSU early applied the communities early and ensure your spot so that way we can make sure we've got you taken care of.

And then what will happen is during the summer semester during the summer time is when we have ram orientation during ram orientation. That's when you'll actually get to register for your courses, so you'll get to see all of the variety of the different clusters that we have available, and then you'll get an opportunity to choose what it is that you want to be a part of. The great thing with their application is you have choice, so you have the opportunity to choose which community would be better fit for you, and then also you will go along with those courses and choose which classes you want to take part in. So all of this is really great.

Our application does not require any academic performance information whatsoever. No AC, Tina, Latino grades. Basically, it's a holistic process that we want to make sure that we're understanding what it is that you want out of your first year experience, and then how are you going to contribute to the overall community. All of these pieces is what we're going to be focusing on as we're reading your application. So we just want to make sure that we're able to get to know you in that process. So keep in mind that this is what we're hoping to be able to gather, and I know another application you're like, ah.

You know how many applications I'm going to be filling out because I've got scholarships in applications to other colleges and I know when I get it, but trust me, our application will probably be one of the shortest ones that you do it and it's so easy to do. I guarantee it. And if you don't you can call me and I will help you through it, I promise, but it's usually two questions and just basic demographic information, so very easy to do. Very easy to complete. So let me know if you have any questions on that. Let's see I have a question here coming through. Let's see what in equine science major be apart of the key health professions or key academics under the agricultural science.

You can do either one. Actually you have choice in that, so if you want to get a little bit more involved and know that you're going to be taking advantage of everything that the college has to offer with agricultural Sciences, definitely take advantage. But then, if you feel like you're going to be able to have a little bit more support, and knowing that you have, you know you're taking the health professions route because there's so much more to learn within that, and it could diversify your learning in that piece. Then you could definitely take part in that, because not only would you have like equal science majors within health professions community.

You might have neuroscience majors. You might have microbiology majors. You might have food and nutrition science majors, so it's a It's a wide variety of different students. Knowing that they had that focus for the Sciences in that, and that they need to continue to move on and building those courses. So it's really entirely up to you what you prefer, but either one you can't go wrong. They both serve you up.

Good question.

Any other questions that are coming up?

Anything specific with majors?

Housing.

That's usually a big question for us.

I'll go ahead and mention the housing piece since I brought it up because we do have questions. In the past we have been specifically a residential community that has been located in Brayden home.

However, with the pandemic, we've actually been able to kind of branch out a little bit more because we had to get creative with how to. How are we going to support our students and where they go?

And so we do have some of our students located in Braden this year, but we also have students across campus due to the pandemic. We just want to make sure that they are, you know, supported, but they're still on campus. However, we have also created an we're in the process of continuing to create an opportunity for students who do not live on campus to take part, so we have a non residential component so you can still take everything that key has to offer. It's still going to be the same benefits you're still going to mentor everything as if you were on campus, but it's going to be for students who are not able to live on campus or.

Decide to live at home, or maybe might be out of state or out of the country, and so we want to make sure that we're able to provide those same resources to our students. So that's something that we're going to continue to offer. So definitely you know if that's something that you're worried about, let us know. Will definitely talk you through it and will have that for you as well.

We have a question coming through at C. Do we need to write an essay for the application so it's not an essay? Actually it's just two questions that you have to answer and we ask for short answer responses. So as long as you've given your answer some thought and it's not like 2 sentences, you should be fine. But if it's anything where we're like, you know we just didn't get you know what you were trying to say will ask you to resubmit questions, but other than that it's fine. You don't have to have any pre written essays, you'll just answer the questions when you.

Submit the application and the great thing too is when you log in you can actually look each of the communities and you can see the questions beforehand and so you can actually see if that's something that you want to do then, or if you decide you know. I think this is not for me and that's OK because it's not for everyone and we just want to make sure that you have all of the options that you have available to you and then make the decision that works best for you. So I hope that helps.

Any other questions that are coming up or anything that you're like?

You know, I'm not sure about this.

I want to make sure that you're able to contact me if you have any questions at all, so this is my Direct Line 4912366. If you have questions that is our email as well, go ahead and email me. You'll be working with me and I'll be answering any and all questions via email or phone if you would like to request a zoom one on one. I'm happy to do that as well, so just let me know and I can make sure that we can set that up so we can go through everything and make sure that all of our eyes are dotted and all of our teaser cross. So I just want to make sure that.

You have your point person. Now you have someone at CSU that you know and you can say hey Anna Marie referred me to someone so or hey Anna Marie I spoke to you at our webinar series for admissions and I just have some questions, so let me know. I definitely want to be one of your best friends and being able to help you in this journey. So do not hesitate to contact me.

Anything else that comes up? Any other questions concerns something that you're like. This was still unclear to me.

Awesome, thank you so much, I appreciate it. Anyway I can talk about key all day. Also, I won't do that because I know you have your busy busy people. So I definitely want to make sure that I give you the opportunity to branch out into that. You need to do. I have one question that's coming up is how does this differ from owners. That is a great question. So the owners community is another.

Learning community on campus. So there's a variety in you'll see these throughout if you visit the webpage for learning communities at CSU, or if you just Google CSU learning communities, you will find it, and so we are all different. Learning communities with different themes or different attachments, so the honors honors learning community focuses on being able to make sure that students are jumping right into research projects. So it's going to be a little bit more of a structured component. With that research base.

And so that is what they're going to focus on. Now, what the research is, I'm not 100% sure. I'm not really sure if its tide to your major or if they have specific research options that you can choose from. So that is something that I would recommend, you know, talking to owners about because it's very different. It's similar to a lot of the other learning communities that I'm not 100% sure about the details, so 'cause we have a College of Natural Sciences learning community, we have art in creative expressions, learning community. We have an engineering learning community, so we have a lot of different ones.

And so you would definitely want to have that conversation with honors about what it is that they do specifically, but I do know that they are very much research focus, and that's what's going to be what you're going to be doing versus what the key communities will be. What we focus on what makes us a little bit different from all of the residential learning communities is that we want to make sure that we're not only attacking like the academic piece and giving you support in helping you navigate that, but you're still getting that social in that personal growth component, so we're making sure that you're learning all of these different skill sets, so we want to take, you know, the whole well rounded first year experience and make it like.

A really big thing, so we're not just focused on one specific piece, so that's kind of what we tend to focus on. So kind of keep that in mind, but this you know, those are good questions that you want to ask every different learning community of. Like what does this do now? In the past, we haven't been able to do multiple learning communities at the same time, so know that you might have to choose.

One or the other with honors, you are able to do both. Key an honors. It might be a really tough and very time consuming first semester for you, but you are definitely able to do both. We usually work with honors to be able to have students so that they don't have to choose one or the other. So if that's something that you're interested in, you are absolutely able to do both.

Absolutely no problem.

Any other questions or anything else that comes up?

If you need any information on how to contact anyone else or any other learning communities, email me. I will get you the link directly so that you can get in contact with their coordinators so that you can ask those specific questions as well. So let me know how I can be of assistance not only in the process of you considering key but also any other questions about CSU. I'm happy to connect you. I just want to say thank you so much everyone for joining me today. It was a pleasure. I'm sorry I can't see you all but I appreciate you being here with you here with me today and if you have any questions let me know.

I'm going to go ahead and turn off my microphone and my video, but I'll stay on for a couple of minutes in case you have additional questions. If not, like I said, feel free to call or email me and I'm happy to chat with you. Thanks again. Have a great rest of your day via.