A Shaky Start to Spring Quarter

How did students fare with SCC’s new enrollment program?

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Illustration: SCC

ctcLink Logo

Astrid Alexander, Staff Writer

It’s a technophobic student’s worst nightmare. SCC has converted to a new and modern enrollment system.

Community and Technical Colleges Link (CTCLink) is the new platform through which students can view their academic information, see upcoming enrollment deadlines and, most importantly, sign up for classes.

This system was already used by many Washington State community colleges so the transition was not surprising, especially considering the old enrollment system was beginning to look painfully outdated. CTCLink was definitely an aesthetic upgrade- but does SCC’s claim that the platform would be a “modern, efficient way of doing (…) college business” really hold up?

For some students, the learning curve was minimal and class sign-ups went smoothly. For others, not so much.

“It was confusing because the classes showed up differently in CTC. I figured it out eventually.” SCC student Nielsen Anario said. He credited his positive experience with being on campus as the college provided aid using CTCLink. They had sessions Monday through Friday prior to Spring Quarter.

The process was more difficult for fully online students who weren’t able to take advantage of these services.

“Signing up for classes was a little bit confusing this quarter. I would never have figured it out without my advisor.” SCC student Gem Arbogast said.

Overall, CTCLink has gotten mixed reviews from current students, so how did it affect new students? According to Enrollment Services, enrollment is down 15-20% this quarter, partially attributed to the change of platform. It was a rough start to the spring, but signing up for classes next quarter will likely go more smoothly now that many students and staff were able to have some practice.