Freshman Green Light Program
What is it?
Cal Poly's Orfalea College of Business offers a special opportunity for incoming first-year students in the Business Administration major. The Green Light program enables students to enroll in business courses that are traditionally taken in the sophomore and junior level years. These courses are specially chosen for freshmen who want to begin exploring the curriculum and career options in Business Administration right away. Due to the high demand of being a part of this thriving program, students are required to have exceptional math scores.
According to Dean Dave Christy, the Green Light Business Program is designed to respond to the needs of first year students who want to start taking business courses and get involved in the Orfalea College of Business community. "Many of our incoming students have very strong academic records, including the study of calculus in high school. They know that they want to study business, but need the opportunity to explore business disciplines earlier and make a more informed choice about their careers. Green Light Business Program students will achieve their academic goals and successfully graduate in four years." Green Light is one of several ways that Cal Poly's Orfalea College of Business faculty have sought to keep our programs responsive to the changing needs of students and of industry.
What are its benefits?
Students who participate in this unique freshmen experience will:
- Build camaraderie with other Business students, and become part of a learning community or "cohort" where mutual sharing of educational opportunities enriches their first year experience.
- Begin immediately to develop their business vocabulary and understanding.
- Learn about the different concentrations in the Orfalea College (e.g. Information Systems and Accounting) and the career options for Business majors.
- Get to know the professors in the Orfalea College.
- Create early internship opportunities by taking important Business courses sooner.
- Prepare to make better, more informed internship and career choices during their college careers.
- Have the opportunity to postpone some of their general education courses to later years when they could be taken more thoughtfully, and perhaps as part of a study abroad program.
What do I do to qualify for the program?
Qualifying students must present proof* of one of the following:
- A score of 600 or above on the mathematics section of the COLLEGE Board SAT I Reasoning Test Level I, IC (Calculator), II, or IIC (CALCULATOR)
- A score of 30 or above on the American COLLEGE Testing Mathematics Test
- A score of 3 or above on the College Board Advanced Placement Mathematics examination (AB or BC) or Statistics examination.
*Cal Poly's automated registration system verifies course prerequisites. Students will not be able to sign-up for Green Light courses unless one of the qualifying test scores listed above is on file in the Office of Academic Records prior to registration (late July).
How do I enroll in the program?
Students who qualify will automatically be emailed the class numbers necessary for enrollment in the Green Light business courses. Students should enroll in the appropriate Statistics classes as well, with the understanding that space in these classes is not guaranteed. General Education courses are included in the track to achieve a balanced workload. Students should review GE course descriptions and make an individual determination of enrollment depending on individual interest and aptitude.
In the first year students will take courses in information systems, business law, and accounting. Taking these courses in the freshmen year will position students to take introductory 300-level coursework in the various disciplines within the College (e.g., marketing, accounting) in the sophomore year.
| Fall Quarter 2008 | Winter Quarter 2009 | Spring Quarter 2009 |
|---|---|---|
| Green Light - BUS 207 (Legal Responsibilities of Business) |
Green Light - BUS 391 (Information Systems) |
Green Light - BUS 214 (Financial Accounting) |
| GE Area A - A1 or A2 | GE Area A - A1 or A2 | GE Area - A3 |
| GE Area - D4 | GE Area - D3 or D1 | GE Area - B2&4 |
| Statistics 251 | Statistics 252 | Math 221 |
Watch your email account for this time sensitive information - which will come to your email account on or near first-year student registration.
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