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Your guide to a trouble-free transfer

Unlike in the early years of community colleges, when the transfer process was undefined and credits transferred inconsistently, today’s student benefits from articulation agreements and guaranteed-transfer programs for an optimal transfer process.

Hopefully, you started the transfer process when you began your first semester, not when you started your last. This gives you ample time to research your future major and four-year school. Here are 17 vital steps to take to make sure your transfer is successful.

1.Make an appointment with a transfer counselor. Discuss your transfer plans with your advisor, who can help you discover your options.

2. Go to transfer fairs. If your college offers them, take full advantage of college-transfer days, which are excellent chances to get information from four-year colleges. Some colleges may schedule visits to your campus throughout the year. Find and become familiar with the fair schedule.

3. Get some mail. College course catalogs and viewbooks are excellent resources. Pay particular attention to the sections on general-education requirements, transferring credits and your intended major.

4. Go to the library. One useful reference book to use is Peterson’s Guide to Four-Year Colleges.

5. Use your technology. Virtual tours, Web sites and promotional videos can tell you a lot about the programs a school offers, the type of students on campus and the surrounding area. Check out the college’s Web site for an online application.

6. Get some money. Check out transfer-student scholarship opportunities. Your transfer office will have information regarding the important component of money.

7. Write the old folks. Write to admissions offices and department chairpersons at four-year colleges for information about degree requirements and application deadlines. Discuss your transfer plans with faculty members, department leaders and deans at your two-year college, too.

8. Identify the college characteristics most important to you. Do you want your school to be public or private? Rural, urban or suburban? Also consider:
geographic location and distance from home
number of students
student profiles
male-to-female ratio
graduate and undergraduate programs
full-time or part-time status requirements
costs
financial-aid programs
transfer-student scholarship opportunities
housing availability
degree requirements
faculty-to-student ratio within a major
clubs on campus
recreation and intercollegiate activities
internship and co-op opportunities

9. Apply for admission. Follow all admission application procedures. Start by requesting all the appropriate materials. Be aware of all application deadline dates. This is particularly important for high-demand programs.
Although several colleges consider transfer applications on a rolling-admissions basis throughout the year, it is recommended that you apply as early as possible.
Students interested in transferring for the spring semester should apply no later than September or early October. Students planning on transferring in the fall should apply by mid-November of the year before. High-demand programs at four-year colleges may have earlier application deadlines than the college’s general-education deadline dates.

10. Go the extra mile. You are creating an application portfolio that tells a college of your capabilities and how you will be an asset to the campus. Submit your resume. Ask former instructors to write you recommendations. Submit an essay or writing sample that demonstrates your abilities. Have an admissions interview, so you can articulate your interest in that particular school. These are all ways to give admissions officers a better sense of who you are beyond your transcript.

11. Compile your records. Ask your transfer office for help completing applications and gathering all the information the application requires.
Official copies of your transcript must be forwarded to the admissions office of the four-year colleges to which you are applying.
Usually, your current school’s records office will mail your transcript records directly. You’ll have to fill out a transcript-request form and pay a fee for each transcript you send. If you have attended other colleges, you must contact those schools and request that official transcripts are forwarded from them, too. You won’t usually be asked to send your high school transcripts if you’re transferring from a two-year college.

If you are applying for financial aid, federal regulations require that you submit a financial-aid transcript from each school you’ve previously attended. Request that your financial-aid office transfer your transcript to the colleges of your choice.

12. Visit the four-year colleges you are considering. To make your visit successful, you should:
Schedule an appointment with an admissions officer.
Call three to four weeks in advance to arrange your trip.
Schedule an appointment with the department chairperson and/or another faculty member.
Schedule a tour of the campus.
Ask to stay in a dorm overnight and sit in on classes.
Request literature about your intended program’s requirements.
If possible, have your application and transcript on file with the college prior to your visit.
Take an unofficial copy of your transcript with you.
Take advantage of admission and visitation programs set up specifically for transfer students.

13. Read the college’s materials before you visit. Become acquainted with the catalog of the college you are visiting. Consult a reference book for the basics.

14. Review your acceptance letter to make sure you understand the content. If you applied to a special program or major, make sure the letter indicates that you are accepted into the program and not just to the general college or university. Also check the dates to make sure you are accepted for the appropriate semester!

15. Send your deposits in by deadline, and review the credit evaluation. If you have not received an evaluation, contact the admissions office and request one. The evaluation should state what courses they are accepting, how they fit into your program at you new college and how many credits you have left until your bachelor’s degree. Ask for clarification if needed.

16. Review your financial-aid package. Learn what each item in your package means, and if the package will be repeated each year, provided your FAFSA data doesn’t drastically change. Sometimes students are promised great financial-aid packages only to have their funding pulled the next year. Understand what is involved in borrowing and paying back your loans.

17. Read all materials your transfer school sends you, and take advantage of your program’s offerings. Many colleges have special orientation and advisement programs. Some have specific course registration times set aside for transfer students. Participation in these programs will help you understand your environment.

Christopher Belle-Isle is director of transfer and placement at Monroe Community College. Jennifer Mailey is transfer coordinator/career counselor at Corning Community College. Both are past presidents of NYSTAA, the New York State Transfer and Articulation Association.

Transfer Q & A
Here are some questions transfer students should ask when visiting a four-year school:
How many of my college credits will transfer toward my bachelor’s degree?
How many more credits will I need to take to complete my degree?
Can I complete my requirements within two years of normal full-time study?
Can I transfer directly into the specific school or major? (This is especially important if you are transferring before earning your associate’s degree.)
What are the college’s high-demand programs?
How would you describe the
academic and social environment?
Is there a minimum grade point average required for acceptance into the program? Will C and D grades transfer?
How are transfer students assigned housing?
How extensive is your academic-advisement program, particularly for transfer students?
What student services are available, such as tutoring and testing?
Is the academic program accredited?
Do any of my course credits require test validation at your college?
When do I have to select my major? Is it possible to change majors?
What is the student-facility ratio in upper-division classes?
Are internships or co-op opportunities available?
What are the job placement and graduate school placement statistics of prior graduates in my program?

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