Encourage Your Student to Apply to a VLC

Due to the anticipated regulations and with the safety of the university community in mind, the decision was made earlier this summer to offer Virtual Learning Communities (VLCs) in place of LLCs. VLCs will still provide an opportunity for students to engage around a topic of interest with like-minded peers while building a sense of community and gaining valuable academic skills. In a year where more students are engaging virtually, our VLCs will provide important support and resources!

Virtual Learning Communities are open to students living both on and off campus who share similar interests and come together in an online format in order to explore those passion areas more deeply. Each VLC is a partnership between at least two campus offices to create a collaborative and holistic environment for the students to engage in that community. VLCs also have a connected course around the topic area which allows students to not only interact outside of the classroom but in the classroom as well.

The VLC experience is open to all class years; however, preference will be given to new first-year students and upper-level students who were already accepted into an LLC for the 2020-2021 academic year. There are a few exceptions to this, namely where an individual VLC is specifically targeting upper-level or transfer students as either their main population or as a significant mentoring population.

The VLC application process is open until August 1, but we encourage students to apply as soon as possible to have the best chance at being place in their top choice. The Learning Community team is processing applications on at least a weekly basis and want the turnaround to be as quick as we can for students. We are also available to talk to students if they are having trouble with the application or want to talk through which VLC would be the best fit for them.

More information about the 21 different communities, the application process, and frequently asked questions can be found on the VLC website: ofps.gmu.edu/vlc. The best place to look for specific information for individual communities is the “List of VLCs” tab which includes the course requirements and eligibility for each community. Please email llc@gmu.edu with any questions and for additional details.

The Learning Communities Team
ofps.gmu.edu/vlc

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