Step 1: Starting Early to Plan Ahead
Although you may intend to spend two years at your transfer school,
you should begin making your transfer plans the very first semester
you enroll. At your transfer institution, you should have several
resources available to assist you with your transfer plans. If
not, contact the Office of Academic Transfer and Articulation—the
coordinator of Academic Transfer is ready to help you define your
long and short-term goals, evaluate where you are academically
and assist you with your course selection. When you contact the
office, you may also have access to college bulletins, transfer
course equivalency tables and some articulation agreements. Another
valuable resource is to connect with the Office of Admissions.
It’s never too early to begin making contacts!
Step 2: Choosing the Right Institution
There are many things to consider when choosing the university
to which you intend to transfer. First, decide on some basic criteria.
Location: Do you intend to stay where you are or are you open to
relocating anywhere? Do you prefer a rural setting, the city or
the suburbs?
Size: You can break colleges down into three basic sizes: small
(less than 5,000), medium (5,000 – 10,000) and large (10,000+).
Public or Private: Public institutions are supported by state tax
dollars. Private institutions are independent and self-supported.
Some private schools have ties to religious organizations and others
are “non-sectarian,” meaning they have no relationship
to a particular group.
Cost: Tuition costs can range from around $1,500 to over $20,000.
Though there can be substantial differences in the price of tuition
between public and private institutions, don’t make cost
your first reason for excluding or including a college. If you
are interested in a particular school, take the time to find out
if scholarships, grants or financial assistance are available.
Majors: Do they have your field of study? Do not forget to ask
this important question. While many colleges offer majors in subjects
such as English, history and business, other majors (architecture,
marine biology or nursing) are only offered at selected schools.
Step 3: Investigating Your Choices
The more you know about your school choices and the sooner you
know it, the smoother your transition will be. To decide if a college
is the “right fit” for you, begin asking some important
questions.
Admission Requirements: What is the minimum GPA to be considered
for admission? Do grades of “D” transfer, or is “C” the
lowest grade accepted? Are there additional admission requirements
for your intended degree, such as a portfolio, completion of certain
courses or a higher GPA minimum?
Minimum and Maximum Credits: Most institutions have a minimum number
of hours that students can transfer with to be eligible for “transfer
admissions status.” There are also a maximum number of credits
that are transferable from a community college. You should also
find out if Advanced Placement (AP) credits earned while in high
school or other types of test-based credits, such as CLEP, count
in the total number of credits you can transfer.
Campus Visits: One of the best ways to get an idea of an institution’s “qualities” is
by a visit to the campus. You’ll want to include in your
visit an interview with an admissions counselor, academic advisor
and financial aid/scholarship officer; a visit to at least one
class if possible; a meal in the student center; and an overnight
stay in a residence hall if you think you may be interested in
living on campus.
Step 4: Getting Organized
There are many deadlines to adhere to in the transfer process,
and the more organized you are, the less likely you will be to
run into difficulties. A couple of areas you need to pay particular
attention to include:
Application Deadline: For example, schools within the Tennessee
Board of Regents operate on a semester system, which means they
have two academic terms per year (fall and spring). Summer terms
are optional and may have a separate deadline or one coinciding
with fall applications. Application deadlines vary greatly, though
typically the larger the school, the earlier the deadline.
Financial Aid: Financial aid is awarded on an academic year basis.
You need to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid
(FAFSA) between January 1 and March 1 for the next academic year.
You must reapply for financial aid every year. Some colleges may
also have an additional form for you to fill out, but all require
the FAFSA.
Scholarships: Some schools have a different deadline for scholarships
than that for financial aid, while others use the same deadlines
for both. Always contact the financial aid or scholarship office
if it’s in a separate area. Make contact EARLY to know your
timeline.
Keep Records: When you are completing university, financial aid
or scholarship applications, you are filling out official documents.
Keep copies of everything you submit. Also when you speak with
someone from a university, note whom it was you spoke with, the
date, time and the subject matter. Universities get hundreds of
phone calls, and the more information you have, the better they
can serve you.
Step 5: Developing a Strategy
If you have done your homework on schools, are keeping good records
and are working with your transfer advisor or counselor, you are
well on your way to a successful transfer. It’s time to develop
your strategy.
Course Selection: Unless you are entering a field that has many
lower division major requirements (engineering or music), you may
want to concentrate on your general education or core courses.
You should follow the General Education Program Core Curriculum
set by the school of your choice in order to meet the general degree
requirements. Other resources available to assist you with course
selection include transfer guides. These plans list the first two
years of coursework that you can take to transfer to a specific
school for a specific degree.
Alternative Plan: As a transfer student, you will probably apply
to fewer schools than if you were a new freshman, but you should
still consider using the same method of determining your choice.
If you have done your homework, then you should be fairly certain
of your chances to be admitted at any given school. But you should
still have “alternatives” in case you aren’t
admitted, the financial aid doesn’t work out or you simply
change your mind. Locking yourself into one transfer choice sets
you up for lots of potential difficulty if something doesn’t
happened exactly as planned.
Your Future: You know it’s never too early to start planning
your transfer process. The same could be said of your career process
after you transfer and obtain your bachelor’s degree. Working
with potential employers now will help guide you toward the courses
you’ll want to take, the kind of internship possibilities
there are and the outlook for employment in that field when you
graduate.
The transfer process is an important one, but it does not have
to be a chore. If you stay on top of things, you can have a good
time in your search for the best transfer school for you. The sooner
you begin your process, the more time you will have to enjoy the
payoff when you make that smooth transition!
This information is collected from the Office of Academic Transfer
and Articulation at the University of Memphis. Their transfer department
can be reached at www.enrollment.memphis.edu/admissions/transfer_guide/.
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