WHY TRANSFER STUDENTS SHOULD PLAN A CAMPUS VISIT

By Howard Freedman

It is never too early to visit a campus that offers a four-year degree program, even if you are attending a two-year college. The reason is simple. You need to know your options and how to qualify for admission to a four-year college. Though you are better prepared for college than when you began your two-year program, a well-planned campus visit will better prepare you for a smoother transition towards earning your bachelor’s degree.

Additional Challenges and Concerns of Transfer Students

A student should not assume he or she can automatically transfer to a four-year college without a campus visit and an effective evaluation plan. Unlike an incoming freshman, a transfer student is generally older and has post-secondary education to transition before pursuing their bachelor’s degree. Even with the accomplishments from your first two years, transferring from a two-year college will start you off with a clean slate towards your GPA, require you to select a major right away instead of waiting, allow you to consider off-campus housing, and give you a better understanding of how merit-based financial aid is awarded.

The value of transferring your credits is like having money in the bank. The courses at a two-year school might be less expensive and can shorten the time it will take to earn your degree. You should check with the administration at your current school to find out which four-year universities will accept transferred credits. The same goes for electives that can also save you money if transferred. If courses credits are not recognized, students should consider summer courses that might be less expensive, but can improve the chances of acceptance. Also decide if you are interested in another major that requires you to take a step back to fulfill your longer-term interests.

Taking the Right Steps

Start targeting colleges by making a list of the things that affect your choice: areas of interest, type of college (public or private), majors, the size (large or small), and distance from home. Many Web sites as well as college publications available at most public libraries and bookstores provide a wealth of valuable information. Recording statistics such as acceptance rates for transfer students (from two-year and four-year colleges), test scores requirements, student teacher ratios, class sizes, majors, demographics, costs of attendance and financial aid awarded, is an easy way to compare each college before planning your visits. Also consider taking a virtual campus tour online as a backup, but not a replacement for a campus visit.

Networking with those who have gone through this process will be time well spent. Contact your high school’s guidance department to better understand how other graduates fared with a particular college, collect the names of college contacts, and learn the dates of high school college fairs and financial aid nights. There are also college coaching professionals to help with college and scholarship searches and test preparation.  Along the way, you may also want to consider financialaidconsulting.net to resolve your financial needs before and after acceptance.

Your next step is to narrow your list of planned visits. Develop a spreadsheet (scoreboard) to rate each visit. A simple scoreboard and your own rating system, such as  one (lowest) to 10 (highest), should work just fine. Consider such things as size, transfer requirements, reputation, facilities, support services, specialized programs, location, academic programs, friendliness, types of students, graduation rate, scholarships, placement and careers after college.

Both parents and students should also write questions to ask and leave space for the answers. The questions can be both general for all colleges as well as specific for colleges that offer unique programs and opportunities. Then during and immediately after each visit, rate the colleges while they are fresh in your minds. If not, everything will be a big blur and impede your decision making process.

When Should You Visit?

Seize every opportunity to visit a college when you can. This can be when you visit a high school friend who is attending a college, while on vacation or at a sporting event. That allows you to see and feel the dynamics of the college, types of students and your ability to fit in at the school.

I can relate to these feelings. I was accepted to a prestigious college but did not feel I had anything in common with the wealthy students that attended. Although my parents were willing to help me financially, I decided to attended Northeastern University, where I could better afford to pay my own way while taking advantage of their hands-on cooperative education program. The result was a great education and real-world experience, and I applied my education as a working adult.

Making the most of Your Visit

Plan your visit by scheduling campus tours, which will introduce you to the campus and an opportunity to ask questions of the tour guide as you go. You and your parents or guardians should also schedule appointments with the admission office and financial aid departments, college deans or administrators, coaches (if applicable) and other departments as needed. It helps if you have your transcripts, course descriptions and a resume or portfolio of accomplishments to share and distinguish yourself from other candidates.

Since both parents and students have different interests, you should be given ample time to roam the campus on your own. Both the parents and student should ask for the names, addresses (e-mail and actual), and phone numbers to write thank you notes, for future contacts and gain their support if needed. You should also have a follow-up list to track what you need to provide or receive from each college.

• Parents should schedule appointments with admissions and financial aid along with the alumni relations and placement offices to find out how the alumni put their educations to work. They should explore housing options (for freshmen and upper classmen), campus safety and costs, which are likely to be more.
• Students should mingle with regular and transfer students, eat at the student union, visit the library and bookstore and attend classes (large and small). Network with students and arrange a follow-up trip to stay in the dorms and attend other classes. They should also check into distance learning, part-time studies and working opportunities to earn extra money.
• Both students and parents should drive around campus and surrounding communities to discover the area, public safety, transportation to home for a feel for the area.

During and immediately after each visit is when to enter your scores, while things are fresh in your mind. It will also prevent you from confusing one college with the other.

Wrapping It Up

After you tally your scores for all of your visits, rank each college and sort your spreadsheet into different sequences. Also identify the colleges that you’d like to revisit. Remain focused and follow-up so that there will be no surprises or roadblocks after your acceptance. Also, don’t forget to write thank you notes to those who you have visited on campus.

Howard Freedman, MBA, is a financial aid consultant serving clients across America. He is also the founder of Financial Aid Consulting. He can be reached at finaidman@comcast.net or at his website financialaidconsulting.net.