College can be a lot to handle. With all the coursework and jobs happening alongside financial pressure, it’s common for students to feel like we’re on our own. The answer for many of these students may be on campus through Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS).
EOPS provides essential support with academic counseling, mentoring, book vouchers, and priority registration. With priority registration it ensures students can enroll in required courses without delay, while mentoring connects students with advisors who guide them through both academic and personal challenges.
It’s mission is simple but powerful: to help students who face educational and financial barriers—students who might otherwise fall behind.
As Solano Community College sets out, EOPS delivers services that go above and beyond to help students reach their goals. Programs like EOPS do more than provide immediate help—they give students tools to stay on track long term. With just a few of these listed benefits, it contributes to greater confidence and persistence, designed for lasting impact.
Too many students still do not know about EOPS, and the blame lies with visibility, not the program. Instead of highlighting the program, many schools allow the EOPS program to get lost in a sea of campus emails and flyers.
If schools care about student success, they shouldn’t have EOPS be tucked away in a corner. Shining more of a spotlight on EOPS during orientation, emphasizing it during every resource fair, and promoting it where students actually go—social media would bridge the gap between students and resources available.
As a student, there have been times where I’ve felt lost and had no idea how to find my way on course. In hindsight, the advising support I have received stood out in the other services I have accessed. Because I was being advised, I did not feel alone in my educational journey, with someone taking the time to explore my options with me and follow up on my progress. I felt like it gave me guidance and confidence in a vulnerable time.
EOPS has not been just a program for me, but also a support system, and a reminder that I’m supposed to be here. I know that I am not the only student who has had these experiences. There are countless other students who wrestle with those same doubts and challenges I once did, but those who have no interaction with EOPS will continue to miss out on this support without knowing about the program.
Every student deserves the opportunity to succeed, and EOPS demonstrated that the support is available now. The only thing lacking is awareness. Students should take advantage of it, and colleges should make it impossible to miss.
Because at the end of the day opportunity isn’t locked away, it’s waiting right in front of you.
The difference between falling behind and moving forward can be as simple as knowing where to knock.
