First-year Learning Communities—FLEX for short—are your introduction to The La Verne Experience. Over 20 FLEX Learning Communities place incoming freshmen with similar interests into the same set of two classes designed to lay the foundation for success in and outside the classroom. FLEX’s unique educational opportunities help students engage with faculty and classmates in linked classes—two distinct disciplines and a smaller writing class. As students study each subject in depth, they also touch on common themes in a coherent educational experience.
Foundational to The La Verne Experience, each FLEX Learning Community links two classes which include select coordinated activities that encourage you to interact closely with classmates and faculty in active learning outside the classroom. A series of co-curricular activities are designed to supplement what you are learning in your classes.
Part of each FLEX Learning Community’s goal is to introduce students to the core values that have guided La Verne’s mission since 1891: A Values Orientation, Community and Diversity, Life-Long Learning, and Community Service. The One Book, One University shared freshman reading program contributes to this goal.
and maximize your educational value!
Most individual FLEX courses grant subject credit in General Education breadth requirements, and in some cases you can even earn major credit. FLEX Learning Community courses must be taken together for a total of 8-10 semester hours (in some cases a bit fewer). Although you may select any FLEX for registration, we expect you to select one that corresponds with the major you are considering.
Review the FLEX choices in advance of your chosen SOAR date and come prepared with a list of FLEXs you might want to take (let’s call these your top choices). Make sure you check off all the pre-SOAR items in the application portal, and take note of your top choice FLEXs ahead of SOAR. At SOAR, you can reference your top-choice FLEXs at registration with the help of an academic advisor. During your meeting, you will complete your registration by selecting a third and fourth course (usually writing and math, based on placement). If math is not available then an adequate replacement course in the major or elective credit can be chosen.
If you have already submitted your tuition deposit, log in to your application portal to get started on this process now.
It’s easy to review your top choice FLEX Learning Communities
- Review the Master FLEX List by Major for times, dates, and instructors (these lists are subject to change without notice).
- Review the Recommended Third or Fourth Class by Major. (2022 version carries over to Fall 2023).
- Take note of your top choice FLEXs and bring your notes to SOAR where you will register for fall courses.
- After you complete the steps in your application portal, your checklist will be updated and you will be able sign up for a SOAR date.
- At SOAR you will meet with an academic advisor to register for a FLEX and your 3rd and 4th courses.