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4-Year Schools Find New Ways to Welcome Community College Transfers
By Catherine Groux
Posted September 11, 2012 11:00 AM
Four-year schools are finding unique ways to assist community college transfer students.Today, anywhere from 50 to 80% of community college students hope to transfer to a four-year school and earn a bachelor's degree, the College Board reports. In order to give these students the education they crave, many institutions are striving to improve the pathway between community colleges and four-year universities.
Scholarships
One of the most popular ways four-year schools assist community college transfer students is by offering them financial aid, such as scholarships. Recently, 13 students from Massachusetts' Bunker Hill Community College learned this firsthand when they were offered $5,000 scholarships to transfer to the College of Professional Studies at Northeastern University, according to a press release. These students were then honored at a scholarship reception at Northeastern, where they were greeted by the dean of the College of Professional Studies and the vice president for professional education.
In California, the Bernard Osher Foundation recently announced that it will give a total of $10.5 million to four University of California and 17 California State campuses to support transfer scholarships, the Los Angeles Times reports. With this money, the schools will distribute about 200 grants each year, valuing as much as $2,500 to $5,000 per student.
Orientation Sessions
When transferring from a community college to a four-year university, students often face culture shock, as they are forced to adjust to a new campus and a more rigorous workload. To ease this transition, many four-year schools are offering transfer students orientation programs, which can help them get used to their new setting.
At the start of the fall semester, California State University, Los Angeles, welcomed 200 new transfer students at its day-long orientation program, the Times reports. Here, they had a chance to speak with academic advisers, register for classes and gain valuable information on financial aid, housing, extracurricular activities and health clinics.
The University of Florida offers a similar orientation for community college students, as it encourages these individuals to visit the campus before they move to Gainesville, the school's website states. Here, they will embark on a tour of the campus, register for classes and learn about the dos and don'ts of college.
Required Classes
Given the challenges transfer students often face during their transition to a four-year school, some universities now require these individuals to take courses where they will learn how to thrive in their new environment. At California State University, Los Angeles, for example, transfer students must take a two-credit transition course that teaches them about career options, research methods and study habits, the Times reports.
At the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), students can take a class called "Life Skills for College Students," where they have the chance to bond with other transfer students and learn about stress management, communication skills and relationships, the school's website states.
"When they take that course, they're able to connect with the institution faster because they are in a room with people like themselves," Janina Montero, UCLA's vice chancellor of student affairs, told the College Board.
