During the last two weeks, students have begun receiving letters congratulating them of making the Dean’s List – an academic honor and collegiate tradition in both colleges and universities that creates a category of students based on academic excellence in a given term.

Most students, even those on it, know little about the Dean’s List, it’s details or the benefits it offers to students.

“I had always heard of the Dean’s List in passing, but never really knew what it was until I made it myself, or even that anyone could make it on the list just by GPA,” Michelle Castro, 19, biology major, said. “I always assumed it to be something exclusive, determined by more factors and requirements than I could ever fulfill myself.”

According to the 2012-2013 El Camino College Catalog, for a student to qualify for the Dean’s List, they must complete 12 or more units in any one semester with a GPA of 3.5 or higher. While the Dean’s List is classified as a program defined by an exemplary academic merit, it does not offer any concrete or direct awards to students as others, like the Honors Transfer Program, do.

“Making the list, or receiving any other kinds of scholastic recognition, isn’t about an award. When I got my letter, I never even thought of what I might get out of it as an award. It was a source of pride for me – to hold that letter in my hand and be congratulated without having to first seek it,” Daniel Clark, 18, undecided major said.

Araceli Palacios, clerical assistant in the office of Dr. Francisco Arse, EC’s Vice President of Academic Affairs, said despite the lack of any award to it’s regarded students, inclusion on the list offers numerous other benefits. Of the rewards for EC students that accompany making the list, the most valuable for those with the intention to transfer is a permanent notation of their making the Dean’s List on their official transcript, says Palacios.

Acknowledgement of making the Dean’s List on an official transcript can be a definitive factor for some students in the admission process as not all transfer applications allot for the addition of such information, but still require transcripts for final admittance. The transfer application for the California State University system for example, is much simpler than others and offers no such option on the initial application.

Other transfer applications like that for the University of California system and many private institutions do offer students the opportunity to list academic and extra curricular achievements, such as the Dean’s List, to increase a student’s eligibility for admission.

Students are alerted of their appointment to the Dean’s List via a letter sent to their home by the VP of Academic Affairs granting receipients an official record of recognition, which can prove advantageous as a credible reference. The possibilities for students to utilize their award letters are numerous says Palacios who suggests that, “the letter can be used as a reference for things like insurance or credit – just to show you are responsible.”

Possessing an official letter of academic recognition by an accredited educational institution can serve as an invaluable reference for students. Specific instances of the letters possible utility as a reference include improving the cost of car insurance or aiding in the building and establishment of credit, both as a representation of your responsibility. An official record of making a collegiate Dean’s List can also serve as a favorable addition to any future resume or job application.

Palacios also added that the Dean’s List is released twice a year, every Fall and Spring semester, and varies in length from semester to semester but usually averages around 1,300 students. However, she says, the list has grown in length recently due to EC now including the Compton Center’s students for recognition raising the total of students currently on the list to more than 1,500 – a new high for EC.