Proposed changes to major-specific admissions criteria at CSULB for the 2013-2014 academic year will affect EC students, Sue Oda-Omori, Transfer Center coordinator and counselor, said.

According to an article in the Press Telegram, one of the biggest proposed changes for transfer students would be that they are required to take more prerequisite courses under their major before they can transfer from a community college.

David Dowell, CSULB vice provost for planning and budgets, said there are going to be changes that would help cut the time it takes for students to receive a degree.

“Most important is the major-specific admissions criteria,” Dowell said.

Dowell said the university will be standing behind its position as far as prerequisites for acceptance are concerned.

According to the California Postsecondary Education Commission, in 2009-2010 14.4 percent of EC students transferred to CSULB.

Omori said these changes will definitely affect El Camino College students.

“It means that students will need to be even more prepared and take all the recommended prerequisites,” Oda-Omori said. “That’s what students should be doing, getting into higher division classes.”

“It’ll mean that all transfer students will meet the same minimum transfer requirements,” Dowell added. “It’ll mean that they have to take major course requirements.”

Students like Bradley DuVall, 20, photography major, said he is already feeling early transitional pains.

“It’s already hard enough with everybody wanting to go there,” DuVall said.

DuVall added how it was already hard to get into CSULB because it was such a good college, and now it will make it even more difficult for students.

He said most majors at CSULB are already impacted, including his own major, and now it will be even harder for him to be accepted.

Oda Omari, like Dowell, focused on the subject of prerequisites and how well the student follows through on being prepared.

“They’re going to look at how well-prepared students are in their major for the purpose of emphasizing prerequisites.” Oda-Omori said.

Omori said she was optimistic about these changes to admissions criteria at CSULB for some students.

“I think it’s going to provide a little bit more access to students outside of the local admissions area,” she added.