Planning ahead for a smooth transfer to your desired college
STEP-BY-STEP (Photo by reality-check/ Flickr 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) )
The need-to-know tips for a smooth transition as a Saddleback College student to a four-year student is not to be kept a secret.
Nevermind the first semester, the whole first year of college can be confusing if proper direction and advice have not been given.
First Tip:
Speak to a counselor about transferring goals as soon as possible to avoid getting lost in the chaos.
“This is my first year here and I’ve met with counselors a couple of times to make sure I’m using my time the best way I can,” said Tess Buchanan, 19, nursing. “I think the best tip I can give to students, no matter what their goal is, is to just stay on top of their grades.”
Second Tip:
One place on campus with a sign that reads “Transfer Center” should be sought after as a haven for all the advice needed about transferring.
Elliott Lucas, 19, sociology said, “One tip I recommend for all students is to visit the Transfer Center as often as possible with your questions.”
Lucas, who is anticipating to hear back from his top transfer schools, University of California, Los Angeles and New York University, also said, “What helped me get on track to transferring was my visits with the counselors because they helped me pick classes and organize myself.”
Students can visit the Transfer Center whenever they need to. Picking up useful fliers such as the “I’m at Saddleback College one more year because I didn’t…”, or the “THINK TRANSFER!” fliers can really help students out.
These forms would be the second tip for all students to take advantage of, pick one up from the center and see how many of the required steps you’ve taken.
Third Tip:
Some of the advice given on the Transfer Center publications is to follow an academic plan, take English and math classes early on.
Students should investigate the Transfer Admission Guarantee program if planning to transfer to one of seven applicable UC campuses.
The TAG program gives students who meet specific requirements a guarantee of acceptance. These include specific academic requirements and GPA and completion of all major preparatory courses.
Fourth Tip:
For all transfer students who know they have followed the necessary steps and have now approached the time to actually apply to schools, this tip is to meet all deadlines.
Constantly check the university websites and find the dates to submit transcripts, recommendations and personal essays, certification requirements, and fees.
If these deadlines are not met, students must be aware that there are tons of other applicants applying who did meet the deadlines on time.
Allow plenty of time to order transcripts from Saddleback College and Irvine Valley College that must be forwarded to the four-year college. A list with mailing addresses in available in the Transfer Center. Grab this handy sheet before going to the Admissions and Records office because they may not have this information.
First, schools will ask for a student’s unofficial transcripts, serving as an example to see how the student has succeeded academically while in community college.
Typically, unofficial transcripts are mailing two semesters before possible admission, so raise the bar high, aim for as many straight As and take some honors classes before this time .
To complete the process, send out official transcripts along with the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) or General Education certification.
Fifth Tip:
Since transferring can be tough and stressful, remember as the the fifth and final tip to stay positive and focused.