Academic Assistance

Academic advising is available to help students make academic decisions. This service is provided by faculty, counselors, and educational advisors. Upon declaring a major area of study, each student is assigned a faculty advisor. This person is responsible for providing academic advice about the declared major. Students are encouraged to schedule an appointment with their advisor at the earliest opportunity.

For students who have not chosen a major, experienced college counselors and educational advisors are available to help make that choice. Counselors are located in the Student Services, "C-1" Building on the Niceville campus and Building T (2) on the Fort Walton Beach campus. Educational advisors are also located at each center. An appointment is advisable, but walk-ins will be served if possible. These services are intended to insure that each student has the opportunity and the information to decide what is best for them.

The Learning Skills and Writing Laboratory provides help to students who want to improve their abilities in writing, reading, study, and subject matter areas. Participation in this program is arranged by the student, a faculty advisor or a counselor. Use is voluntary; however, a counselor or faculty member's recommendation should be seriously considered by the student. This lab is located on the North Mezzanine in the Academic Success Center on the Niceville campus.

The Academic Success Center is located in the North Mezzanine of the Learning Resources Center, Room E-149 on the Niceville campus. The center provides learning support programs consisting of tutoring in most subjects, writing assistance, CLAST (College Level Academic Skills Test) review, tutoring for learning disabled students and students with English as a Second Language, (ESL), computer tutorials, and collaborative learning sessions for several students needing assistance in the same area. Tutors and computer tutorials are also available for students needing help in learning foreign languages. Tutoring is on a one-to-one basis at no cost to the student. Assistance is available on a walk-in basis; however, students are encouraged to make an appointment. For more information call the Academic Success Center at 729-5389.

Math Laboratories, which are located in the Math-Public Safety Building, ("L"), Room L-131, on the Niceville campus and in Building ("V") on the Fort Walton Beach campus are open to all students who need additional help in mathematics. The hours are posted on the lab doors.

Career Planning Assistance

Students who are undecided about their future career plans are encouraged to make an appointment with their faculty advisor, educational advisor or a counselor to begin the selection process. Research indicates that students who have made career decisions are more likely to be academically successful than those who have not. The next step should be a visit to the Assessment, Career and Tutorial Center (ACT) in Building ("P") on the Niceville campus or classroom building ("V") on the Fort Walton Beach campus, the Robert L.F. Sikes Education Center in Crestview and the Chautauqua Center in DeFuniak Springs to explore the following available resources:

Career Assessment Services are provided for students and others needing additional counseling and assessment of interests, aptitudes and transferable skills. Other resources include career resource materials and computerized career exploration programs (CHOICES) to help students explore careers.

The ACT Center also provides students with a variety of resource materials to help them succeed in college. The ACT offers an open-entry, open-exit program, which means that students may enroll anytime during the semester. Computer-based research, wordprocessing, academic refreshment, and tutorials are available. The ACT Center supports certificate and A.S. programs. Students will find professional staff interested in helping them achieve their goals.

The Women's Resource Center, on the Niceville campus, provides additional career planning assistance for students, primarily women, who are returning to school because of divorce, separation, or the death of a spouse. The program assists students with education and training so they can enter the workforce with marketable skills. The program provides skills assessment, a support system, textbook loans, career information, tuition assistance and other services. Call (850) 729-5291.

Employment Placement Services

Students looking for full time employment after graduation from technical programs can be helped by the faculty. All students may link with jobs in the Assessment, Career and Tutorial Centers. (See above.) Workshops are available on resume writing, interview techniques, job lead development, and information on how to tap the hidden job market. Located in the ACT Centers are Florida Jobs and Benefits Offices that provide students information on local, state and federal job listings, title searches and employer searches. Job counselors are available for veterans on an appointment basis. The ACT centers are open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call 729-5292.

Part-time off-campus job openings are kept on file in the Financial Aid Office in the Student Services Center (Bldg. "C-1"). The Financial Aid Office operates a student job line that records community employment opportunities for OWCC students. Students can access the student job line that records community employment opportunities at 729-5264.