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Living Learning Communities

Frequently Asked Questions

Why LLCs at USD?

Anybody who has read the Harry Potter books and knows about the four houses at Hogwarts understands the importance of forming communities with students of similar interests and personalities (but no Slytherins at USD!). Many of our peer institutions have very successful LLCs and others are adopting them in the next few years. By linking USD’s core curriculum to specific themes, such as social justice, sustainability, and spirituality, students can examine issues from multiple perspectives. National studies have shown that students in living learning communities demonstrate stronger academic achievement, and are more invested in and connected to the campus community. By taking part in activities, using campus resources and interacting with faculty, students in living learning communities overall experience a more seamless transition to college.

General Questions

Advising Questions

Housing Questions

 

General QUESTIONS

What are the benefits of participating in an LLC?

Students living in LLCs make connections from the day they arrive on campus with peers, faculty, resident assistants (RAs), preceptorial assistants (PAs) and others. They participate in curricular and co-curricular activities related to the theme. They share interests, knowledge and experiences with others, and enrich their experience at USD. All this — learning in a small group, getting to know your professors, making connections with classmates and sharing ideas and experiences — helps build your engagement in our community

How many students will participate in the LLCs?

The program began implementation in 2011, when three themes were introduced to accomodate 30% of the incoming first year class. In 2012, two additional themes were added and these five themes welcomed 50% of the first year class for the 2012-13 academic year.

In Fall 2013, the LLC program will reach 100% implementation and all first-year students will be expected to participate.

Where can I learn more about the LLCs at USD?

Visit http://www.sandiego.edu/llc, contact us at 619.260.7613, visit the MySanDiego portal, or contact Residential Life at 619.260.4777

How can I participate if I don’t live on campus?

First year students not living on campus are welcome to participate in living learning communities. You will be given access to the residence hall (and parking) where the other students participating in your theme are living to facilitate participation in co-curricular events and interaction with classmates. You’ll also be connected to an RA in your theme to make sure you stay linked to informal interactions as well.

How do I sign up for an LLC?

Review the Checklist on the MySanDiego portal under the New Student tab

  • Review the Checklist on the MySanDiego portal under the Required Steps tab. Complete your Freshman Advising Questionnaire on the MySanDiego portal under the Required Steps tab/MyRegistration.
  • To be considered for one of these courses, be sure to submit your Freshman Advising Questionnaire by Saturday, June 1, 2013.
    • After you rank your preceptorial selections, an academic advisor will read your questionnaire and select three or four other courses for your first semester given your answers to the questions asked. Only your preceptorial course is directly linked to the LLC
  • Complete your Housing Application on the MySanDiego portal under the Required Steps tab/MyHousing.
    • Select "Living Learning Community" from the drop down menu on the housing application.

What will be required of me when I'm assigned an LLC?

In addition to completing the requirements of the preceptorial course, students participating in living learning communities will be able to engage in the co-curricular events offered to explore their theme and make connections between life in and out of the classroom. Some of the events that past participants enjoyed include:

Natural World Community

  • Hosted archelogist and author of "The Statues that Walked" Carl Lipo. Dr. Lipo led students on a guided hike through Tecolote Canyon and provided the community a fascinating lecture on his discoveries on Easter Island
  • Kayaked under the Harvest Moon in Mission Bay
  • Walked to the historic Old Town for appetizers and mocktails at the Barra Barra Saloon and then sat under the stars in Heritage Park to watch "Dolphin Tale" one of the many featured films of San Diego's wildly popular Summer Movies in the Park

Social Justice Community

  • Attended a social justice play, “Kita y Fernanda,” with a reception at 10th Avenue Theater in the historic Gaslamp District of Downtown San Diego
  • Took a canoe and concert trip with an emphasis on environmental justice
  • Shared a meal with Father John O’Brien, an Irish priest and social justice worker in Pakistan
  • Participated in immersion trips to Tijuana with USD's Center for Community Service Learning

Space Place Sound Community

  • Attended multiple theatre events, including "Inherit the Wind" and "Measure for Measure" at the Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park, and "Glengarry Glen Ross" at the La Jolla Playhouse
  • Participated in the San Diego Asian Film Festival with a private screening with the director of the eerie film 'I Am a Ghost"
  • Decorated their residence hall with a Halloween Haunted Hall Party, in which a prize was offered for the spookiest space
  • Celebrated Christmas San Diego Style at December Nights in Balboa Park

Sustainability Community

  • Visited Mission Gorge (one of the largest urban parks in the United States) to talk with a faculty member and a park ranger about Kumeyaay water use and the early Spanish dam
  • Took part in a multi-faceted food event where different groups dined at The Linkery in North Park; visited a Hare Krishna temple, the Ocean Beach People’s Co-op and the U.S.-Mexican border; screened the film Food Inc.; and enjoyed dinner at USD’s Student Life Pavilion rooftop garden featuring USD-grown produce
  • Traveled to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the J. Paul Getty Museum to see Pacific Standard Time exhibits on the birth of the LA art scene and to reflect on craft and the craft economy
  • Faculty-led camping trip in the Laguna Mountains where students slept under the stars and took in panoramic views of the Salton Sea and Anza Borrego Desert from atop Garnet Peak.

Honors Community

  • Picked apples and visited the California Wolf Center, a conservation and research institute in Julian, Calif.
  • Swam with the sharks at La Jolla Shores
  • Attended William Shakespeare’s The Tempest at the Old Globe and Richard Strauss’ Salome at the San Diego Opera
  • Honors faculty hosted movie nights, screening their favorite films in the residence halls with the Honors community

Dining Sessions

Whether it is a formal Christmas dinner or a casual spring barbecue, a locally sourced meal or an exotic foreign feast, you will relish being part of a close academic community where you can nourish both body and mind. Dining Sessions are a 500-year tradition in Great Britain where students and faculty gathered to dine, sharpen their rhetorical skills and enjoy each other’s company. Imagine the dining sessions in Hogwarts and you get the picture. Our own USD Dining Sessions are a real and much newer tradition, but they have quickly become an important part of LLC life.

Advising QUESTIONS

What is the deadline for applying to an LLC?

All Freshman Advising Questionnaires are due by Saturday, June 1, 2013.

How do I select an LLC on my Freshman Advising Questionnaire?

You have the opportunity to provide several preferences for your preceptorial course on your Freshman Advising Questionnaire. By preferencing one (or more) of the LLC preceptorials on your Questionnaire, you will be eligible to participate in a living learning community. The first preceptorials on the Questionnaire are connected to the LLCs and indicate the theme in parenthesis next to the course title. You can choose one of the Natural World; Space, Place and Sound; Sustainability or Social Justice preceptorials if you want to be part on an LLC. To access the Freshman Advising Questionnaire, go to the MySanDiego portal, click the New Student tab and you’ll find the Questionnaire under the MyRegistration channel. For course descriptions, please read the Preceptorial Brochure on the MySanDiego portal.

How do I coordinate the preferencing of my top 3 LLC theme and my top 10 preceptorial courses?

You will be able to preference your top 3 LLC themes on the Freshman Advising Questionnaire, as well as preferencing your top 10 preceptorial courses. The top 10 preceptorials you list should ALWAYS be in the same 3 LLCs you preferenced.

For example, if you are set on being in the Intersections LLC then Intersections should be your first choice of LLC theme and a handful of the linked courses for Intersections should also be your top 3-5 preceptorial courses. Alternatively, if you are most interested in having a Biology preceptorial course, you should look at the LLC themes that have Biology preceptorial courses, and list those themes as your top 3, then indicate Biology courses in those 3 themes are ranked as your top preceptorial courses.

Housing Questions

Can I choose my roommate?

Part of the housing application includes providing information about your personal, academic and social preferences in your living environment. Residential Life uses that information to create compatible roommate matches for all first year students. So whether or not you choose to live in an LLC, you do not choose your roommate yourself. Residential Life invests a significant amount of time to create compatible roommate matches based on the information you provide. One advantage to living in an LLC is that your roommate and your floormates will be interested in the theme (Social Justice, Sustainability, etc.) and so you’ll begin your relationship with something in common. When you live on campus your second year and beyond, you get to choose your roommate.

When should I complete my housing application?

You indicate your interest in which LLC them you want to participate in through your Freshman Advising Questionnaire so it’s important to fill this out and submit it before your housing application. Your housing assignment will be determined by your LLC theme. To access the online housing application, go to the MySanDiego portal. Under the New Student tab, you’ll find the housing application in the MyHousing channel. The online application will be available on May 6, 2013 and must be submitted no later than Monday, June 3, 2013.

What do current LLC students say about their experience?

View our testimonials page to see the feedback we've received!

Can I be in the Maher Scholars program and an LLC?

The residential component of both the Maher Scholars program and living learning communities is integral to the experience. Residential Life will do their best to assign students interested in both Maher Scholars and LLCs to Maher hall but this is not guaranteed.

Where can I find more information about housing?

Please visit Residential Life's webpage for additional information regarding on-campus housing.