DSP@UCSC

A cartoon drawing of a welcome mat. It's a half circle and is yellow.Most first-year UC Santa Cruz students will do Directed Self-Placement (DSP) in the summer as a part of the UC Santa Cruz Online Slug Orientation. Undergraduates who begin in Winter or Spring quarters will complete DSP in orientations before they enroll.

The DSP process has four main parts:

1. Introduction: Students will learn what DSP is, why we are using it, the steps of the process, and basic Writing Program course information.

  1. 2. Survey: Students will be asked to review authentic Writing Program course materials (sample assignments, sample student writing, and sample course readings) and answer questions about their readiness for and needs around that material. Completing the survey should take about two hours. 

3. Recommendation: Within a few weeks of completing the survey, each student will receive a course recommendation, based on their responses, from the Writing Program. Students will also receive detailed information about the day-to-day expectations and support structures of each course. 

4. Select: Students will consider their recommendation this information and respond with their course selection. Your options will depend on whether you have met the Entry-Level Writing Requirement (ELWR).

NEXT: Read about the ELWR.