Academic and vocational plans, goals, and opportunities may be discussed and explored with a counselor. Careful consideration is given to motivation, abilities, aptitudes and past achievements, when assisting a student to select a program.  Appropriate tests and inventories, including Virginia View, and computerized career guidance programs are also available to help in decision making.

Career Development Services

The Counseling Center provides a variety of resources, free of charge, for students who have career development concerns. Career services are available to employers, community members, alumni, and currently enrolled students.  Students are encouraged to make an appointment to use these services to ensure that personnel are available to provide assistance and direction. Contact the Counseling Center to schedule an appointment. Additional information on career development may be found on the Counseling Center’s page on RCC’s website.

Career Development Services include:

• A job vacancy bulletin board listing full- and part-time positions.
• Annual career fairs held each Spring at both campuses, providing students the opportunity to discuss potential careers and possible job opportunities with local and regional employers.
• The VCCS Wizard and several computer career assessment tools available for self-assessment and career research.
• A list of Internet resources, including the Virginia Employment Commission job listing.
• A career resources library housing videos, books and written materials covering the spectrum of career search concerns.
• Individual and group counseling sessions on topics such as choosing a career, career planning, writing a resume, job hunting tips, cover letters and thank you notes, and the hidden job market.

Personal Counseling: Sometimes college students may be confronted with new and perplexing situations which create pressures and anxieties that require professional assistance.  The counselors are trained to give individual help on a strictly confidential basis. RCC counselors do not provide mental health counseling, but will make appropriate referrals when necessary.

College Success Skills: All curricular students, except those in career studies certificate programs, shall participate in an SDV 100 course designed primarily to foster student success.  The course assists students in developing and practicing skills and strategies which promote a successful college experience. This course should be completed within the first 15 credit hours of enrollment at RCC, unless the student is not required to complete an SDV course because it is waived.  The requirement may be waived through course substitution for students who hold an Associate Degree or Bachelor’s Degree from a regionally accredited institution. Other requests for a waiver by course substitution may be considered on a case-by-case basis.  Students must still successfully complete the required number of credits for their degree. Students seeking substitute credit for the SDV requirement should contact the dean of student development.

New Student Workshops: These information sessions are available on campus and online each term. New students should attend a workshop or complete an online workshop after taking the placement tests. Students who have taken the SAT should submit their scores or college transcripts before attending the workshop. General information about the College and the registration process is provided. Counselors and academic advisors assist new students in selecting classes for their first semester and completing their registration forms.

Testing: A variety of tests, inventories, and assessment tools are available in the Counseling Center. By recommendation of a counselor, tests are used as a resource tool in the counseling process. Tests for determining career interests, and for measuring study habits and attitudes as well as educational achievement levels are available. These tools can help students better understand themselves, their interests, motivations, abilities, and occupational and life goals. Frequently, tests are recommended by the counselor during conference, but they are also available upon request.

Academic Advising: The counseling staff provides assistance in program selection for new students and in course selection for undecided and non-degree students.

Transfer Planning: Counselors are available to help students plan for transferring to another college. Catalogs and web resources are available to help the student carefully plan a transfer program. The counselors have current information about transfer agreements and can assist students with the transfer process. The counselors can help weigh factors to be considered in making transfer choices (for example, admissions standards, school size, application deadlines, number of hours and courses accepted for transferring, etc.). A “transfer week” is scheduled annually in the Fall semester. Representatives from most Virginia four-year colleges, and some from other states, will visit RCC to discuss their colleges with interested students.

This page was last modified on October 21, 2010. If you are looking for previous catalog information, please reference the 2006-2007 Catalog, 2008-2010 Catalog, 2010-2012 Catalog.