FAQs

Support:

1) How will EXITO support people of culture and all students in general?

  • EXITO is committed to creating an inclusive environment where students from diverse backgrounds and experiences can grow as students, researchers, and humans. We do this by actively engaging in conversations about diversity, inclusion, equity, and systemic injustice as well as looking for opportunities to support students from a variety of backgrounds with exposure to diverse faculty and research interests.

Summer Research Academy:

  1. Are the elevator pitches going to be individual or in groups?

  • Please click here to see how the Elevator Pitches presentations will go. To answer the question, there will be 6 groups of 20 Scholars. However, you are presenting individually.


  1. How are research topics decided for the elevator pitch? I'd like to know a little bit more about that?

  • You get to pick! It is based on your current research interests. Please watch the Elevator Pitch Q&A for more information. Link to video: https://youtu.be/J1t1KQ5W01Y

Phase 2:

  1. When is this Phase 2?

  • Phase 2 begins after your first complete year in the EXITO program. Applications will open during late winter and students will be notified in late spring if they are accepted. Students accepted into phase 2 will begin their research placements towards the end of summer.


  1. When is the phase 2 application going to be available for us to apply?

  • The application for Phase 2 will open late winter.


  1. For phase two would the recommendations have to come from our professors during freshmen year or the mentors that we get to work with during this year?

  • Recommendations can be from either faculty or EXITO mentors depending on who you feel would best be able to provide information about your potential. However, particular EXITO staff will be excluded from serving as recommenders as they will providing feedback on each EXITO student.


Transferring:

1) Coming from clark college (summer will be my 3rd term at clark) do I have to transfer to PSU this winter or next winter?

  • Scholars starting the program at a community college (ASCC, NMC, Clark, Clackamas, PCC) complete the first year of the program at their home institution, and will transfer to PSU for the Fall 2021 term.


Studying Abroad:

1) Because this program is 3 years long and a student wanted to study abroad, would that not be okay if one has committed to Build EXITO?

  • We've had a few scholars study abroad for a term during their first year of the program, but abroad programs aren't an option during program years 2 and 3.


Gateway Class: (for more information on the Gateway Class read the document below)

  1. Do we have to take that class in a specific term during the year?

  • EXITO Scholars take a Gateway to Research course during their first year in the program. This is the only course you take for college credit as a required part of the EXITO program. Each institution has its own Gateway course(s). Take the Gateway course at the college or university where you will register for classes in 2020-21.The Gateway course name, number, department, instructor, and dates/times are different at each institution. At all EXITO institutions except Portland State University, get information about your Gateway course from your EXITO coordinator (they may also be your EXITO career mentor). If you have any questions about PSU Gateway courses, contact Aaron Raz Link (alink@pdx.edu) and cc your EXITO advisor, Carlos Quatela (cquatela@pdx.edu).


  1. Will there be other classes required for us to take due to the program? classes besides our own classes for our major?

  • The Gateway course is the only course you take for college credit as a required part of the EXITO program.


  1. For students who are transferring from PCC to PSU where should we take this gateway class? Is it depending to which school we registered with?

  • If you are doing your whole EXITO year at a community college and plan to transfer to PSU afterward, you will take your Gateway course at the community college. No worries. If you are starting EXITO at a community college and plan to transfer to PSU mid-year with 90+ transfer credits, take your Gateway course at the community college before you transfer.


4 and 5. For PSU students, we have to enroll for a specific SINQ class for our BUILD EXITO course either fall or winter. Since we already scheduled our classes for next term, and chose our SINQ class, do we have to drop out of our chosen class and into the one that is required?

Can we stay in the SINQ we selected for fall term and switch into the one we need for the BUILD EXITO program? I am unsure if we are able to switch SINQs when looking at the university guidelines.

For PSU University Studies students:

Your Gateway course is a Sophomore Inquiry (SINQ). University Studies gives a single name and course number to clusters of different Sophomore Inquiry courses. These are not sections of one course. Every instructor teaches a different course. You must register for the course with the correct instructor.Your Gateway course is the UNST 286 Natural Science Inquiry taught by Patrick Edwards. This is an online course. Take it in Fall if you can. It will probably also be offered in Winter, but this is not yet confirmed. You need to take it before Spring. Do not take a UNST 286 Natural Science Inquiry with a different instructor. PSU will not give you SINQ credit for two courses in the same cluster. Patrick Edwards’ course is the one you need for EXITO. If you're registered for a different Natural Science Inquiry SINQ, switch to Patrick Edwards’ course.

If you have already taken a different Natural Science Inquiry SINQ, you can't get SINQ credit for Patrick Edwards’ course. Take the alternate Gateway course instead: the UNST 234 Healthy People Healthy Places taught by Bradley Wipfli. (In this case, do not take any other instructor’s UNST 234 Healthy People Healthy Places.) Tell Dr. Wipfli you're an EXITO Scholar. This course is only offered in Spring term. Take Patrick Edwards’ course if you can; it is better to finish your Gateway course before it’s time to apply to a next step.

For PSU Honors College students:

Your Gateway course is Honors 203, Urban Ecology. Take it in Fall or Winter term. Sign up for any section taught by Olyssa Starry (she’s the main instructor). If you have any problem getting into one of those sections, sign up for any section and tell your instructor on the first day of class that you're an EXITO Scholar. If you have already passed any section of Honors 203, you've taken your Gateway course.


Gateway course FAQ.docx