ISF FAQs

1. Can anyone participate in the ISF program?

No, the ISF program is not compatible with all academic majors. There are several reasons why not all programs work well with the ISF program but the primary difficulty is with majors that have a prescribed sequence of courses for their majors that begin in their first semester. The ISF program is a 16-unit block of courses. This leaves only 1 unit for other courses before arriving at the 17-unit maximum.

There are also certain sports that are not compatible with the ISF program due to practice schedules. You should check with your coach to determine if there is a conflict.

2. Is the ISF program a "Remedial" or "Honors" program?

No. The ISF program is neither of these. Students are placed into this program in such a way as to match the profile of the incoming freshmen class in terms of both its gender balance and its range of academic qualifications.

Students who have documented learning disabilities may struggle in this program due to the heavier content of courses in the program and the pace of college courses compared to high school courses.

The ISF program is more of an "Enrichment" program. Initially begun to aid in student retention, opportunities for connecting with their professors and fellow students is at the heart of the program. Extra activities not available to the general student body are some of the vehicles used to meet this goal. Activities usually include a retreat, musical performances such as Les Miserables, tours of San Diego etc.

3. What is the ISF program?

The ISF program is more of an "Enrichment" program. Initially begun to aid in student retention by helping freshmen make connections with the university by building relationships with their professors and fellow students. Enrichment activities not available to the general student body are some of the vehicles used to meet this goal. Activities usually include a retreat, musical performances such as Les Miserables, tours of San Diego etc.

4. Is the ISF program more difficult than what other freshmen would experience?

Not if the other freshmen are taking the same course load. Most of the courses that comprise the ISF program are content-rich courses. Many freshmen would not necessarily have all of these same courses in their first semester. They may have some of these courses but also have other General Education courses that are more participation oriented. If this were the case, their load would be perceived as being easier than the ISF program. If one compared the load of an ISF student with a non-ISF student who was taking the same class schedule except as separate courses, the ISF student's load would be perceived as being easier. There are several reasons for this.

• The professors for each of the ISF courses work closely together to coordinate the timing of tests and major assignments. There are also assignments that are integrated to count for more than one class.
• The biology labs are shorter in the ISF program in order to allow for an integrated discussion period. This means that rather than having 14 distinct labs, the ISF program only has 7 labs, each spread over two weeks.
• Each of the ISF courses has its own student assistant built in to the program. The students have much greater access to these assistants for review sessions and individual help than a typical class offers.
• The social aspect of the ISF program allows the student/student and student/faculty relationships to develop in a much deeper way than occur in a typical General Education course. This fosters the development of student study groups more easily. The faculty team also meets together on a weekly basis and takes a closer-than-normal look at how various students are doing in the program, which allows for earlier intervention if necessary.

5. How do the former ISF students rate the program after participating in it?

The student evaluations of the ISF program have been overwhelmingly positive, more so than in some of the same General Educations courses taught by the same instructors in a non-integrated way. When asked about their ISF experience compared to subsequent semesters, the students typically express that the ISF program prepared them to handle anything that came their way in other semesters. They also express that they miss the program and they have a strong interest in how the "current" ISF semester is going. In other words, the positive impression of the ISF program lasts over time with our former students.

6. What is the purpose of the $275 fee associated with the ISF program?

The ISF fee is used to cover the costs of the "unique" aspects of the ISF program. The main activities that are covered by this fee are the Sunday-Tuesday retreat that we take in September, a cultural event that we will attend together, and the ISF reunion event in the spring. In addition, this fee covers the costs associated with refreshments, memorabilia, program recruitment and the student assistants. Note that you do not need to send this fee in prior to your arrival in the fall. If you get selected for the ISF program, this fee will automatically be included in your school bill.

7. What if I qualify for Honors English or have taken the AP exam for English Language & Composition or Biology?

Those Students who scored 660 or higher on your English SAT or 24 on ACT may be eligible to participate in Honors English which is a 3 unit writing class that assumes you have advanced writing skills. If you decide you would like to do this, you would forgo your involvement in the ISF program and be assigned a different class schedule for the fall. The invitation to participate in Honors English will not be extended until after students arrive on campus in the fall, but we mention it here because if students wait until the fall to go this route, it will be very difficult to build a class schedule at that time. Students should be aware of this option so they can make their decision between ISF and this other route prior to their schedules being built. Some students could have a similar decision when it comes to applying AP credit for English Language & Composition or AP Biology versus participating in the ISF program (English Literature & Composition does not conflict). While we don't think that either of these options could replace the experience of being involved in the ISF program, we want to be up front about them because these alternate routes may be the right choice for some students, depending on their goals and circumstances. If students have any questions about this, they should contact either the program director, Ted Anderson (isf@pointloma.edu or 619-849-2244), or Charlene Pate, who is both a member of the ISF faculty and the director of the Honors English program (cpate@pointloma.edu or 619-849-2461).