From little things like the color of our hair or what we eat for breakfast every day,
to big things like where we live or who our friends are,
it's cliché but true that change is a fact of life.
And that can be both scary and exciting.
Sometimes, we know our destination from the start, but we may find a better route to get
there.
Other times, we realize that we need to go to a different destination,
but with a little clever planning, we can transfer to another train
without backtracking or losing our progress.
When a student changes colleges, that’s called “transferring,”
and while it might sound like something complicated and out of the ordinary,
it’s actually very common.
Think of transferring, or changing, colleges like changing subways
or connecting to another flight.
Sometimes, transferring is the recommended route, part of the plan from the start.
And just like the subway, it helps when we study the map a bit,
so we feel confident and prepared when we make a change.
Hi, I’m Erica Brozovsky, and this is Crash Course: How to College
a Study Hall series presented in partnership with Arizona State University.
Let’s talk about transferring schools.
[INTRO MUSIC PLAYS]
According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center,
38% of students transfer at least once within the first six years of college-level education.
There are plenty of reasons a student might choose to transfer.
They might experience a major life event that prompts them to switch schools...
or they might develop a new academic interest that their current school doesn’t offer.
Or transferring might’ve always been the plan -- many students start out
at community colleges and transfer once they’ve gotten the basics out of the way.
When a student decides to switch colleges for any reason,
we say that they’re transferring or that they’re a transfer student…
Like we said at the start, change can be scary and it’s easy for indecision to set in.
But if we know it’s time for change, it’s much better for us to make a choice
and revise it later than to not make a choice at all.
Just like with train lines, there are a million different combinations
that will work to get us from school A to school B.
Let’s go to the Thought Bubble.
One common transfer route is from community college to a 4-year institution.
Take my friend Dan.
Dan studies at community college and is working on an associate's degree in health sciences.
Dan has always known he wants to pursue a healthcare career that requires a bachelor’s
degree,
but Dan didn't have the best grades in high school, and he never took his SATs.
So instead of worrying about that now, he decided he would take the time
to get excellent grades at his community college, with the idea that he would then
take advantage of transferring from that community college to a 4-year university.
In some states, there are actually agreements between two- and four-year institutions
that guarantee automatic admission to anyone who gets a certain
minimum GPA at the community college level.
And that's the way Dan's going–he'll graduate from his community college
with an associate's in health sciences and he'll use the transfer agreement program
to continue on to a local 4-year university.
Let's look at another case.
Suppose Liz started as a history major, then realized she has a passion for brain science.
Unfortunately, her current school doesn’t have the major that she has in mind,
but another school has a neuroscience major.
And that new school would also give her the opportunity to do neuroscience research,
even as an undergraduate!
So Liz transfers from her 4-year school to a different 4-year school
after learning more about herself and what she wants to do.
And some people transfer from a 4-year college to a community college.
Take Marta, who’s studying at a 4-year college in the US in the Midwest,
but because of her family situation, she needs to be closer to home in the Northeast.
It might make sense for Marta to transfer to a local community college.
When she transfers, she’ll have a smaller financial obligation, she can live close to
family,
and she can finish her degree more quickly to prepare to land a job.
Remember, transferring is always about aligning your education with your goals
and priorities and what works best for you.
There may even be situations where a student might be
attending two institutions at the same time, like if you’re going to summer school
closer to home while completing a degree in another state during the fall and spring.
Thanks, Thought Bubble.
For a lot of transfer students, the first thing to consider is the financial impact.
Now, if you've always planned to transfer from a community college
to a four-year college, you're probably aware that tuition is going to cost more–
but this might be a pretty big surprise if you weren't already aware of it!
AND tuition costs vary between four-year colleges;
you might live in an area that has a state university and private colleges,
and while both will accept a transfer student from the local community college,
chances are, their tuition will be very different.
And if you're moving to a trade or technical school for a really specialized education,
you may be surprised at the cost–these degrees average about $33,000 USD.
Transferring can also affect how you pay for school.
You'll need to check with the student financial aid offices at both your current school
and the school you're considering to find out how any federal financial aid
or scholarships you have will be affected–and don't be surprised if it gets recalculated.
On the plus side, some universities are starting to offer scholarships
explicitly for transfer students from community colleges,
so if that's you, it's definitely worth looking into–or even asking
the school's transfer resource coordinator if they know of any specialized funds for
you.
And if you took out student loans to pay for college, you’ll want to understand
how they’ll be affected by transferring.
Usually, if a student borrowed money to go to school A,
they’re likely able to defer, or postpone, their federal loan payments
without interest until they graduate from school B.
But it’s best to check all the fine print.
The second thing to think through are the requirements you’ll need to fulfill
to get into your new school.
Transferring is kind of like a light version of applying to college all over again.
You’ll want to research places you might want to attend based on your new goals,
as well as ensure they’re accredited (we talk more about this in episode two!).
There will also be some sort of admissions process.
Community colleges tend to have open admissions, which means
they need to see a GED or high school diploma,
but have fewer requirements to meet overall.
But if you’re transferring to a 4-year institution, there are usually more requirements
and you’ll want to keep track of the admissions timeline
because there are typically strict deadlines for submitting application documents.
Additionally, and we talk more about this in our next episode,
different institutions have different expectations of how much work
will be required outside of class.
Make sure you can balance your work and family obligations
with the expected academic load at any potential institutions.
It sounds like a lot, but there are people who can help.
Admissions counselors and advisors at your transfer school can explain
whether your current school has any agreements with them.
You may be eligible for guaranteed admission into your transfer institution
if the two schools have an agreement.
It may be possible to talk to a transfer specialist,
who’s someone in the admissions office dedicated to transfer students,
to help you figure out the requirements for your new school
and how much of the progress you’ve already made will transfer for credit.
An intro-level English course might have a slightly different name,
course code, and description at each school, but may satisfy the same requirements.
By comparing the syllabi between two courses and comparing
the skills that you have attained to your new school’s requirements,
you can make sure you are ready to hit the ground running.
But…
there may be strings attached, like a minimum GPA requirement
or a maximum number of credits that they allow to transfer.
These are called articulation agreements and are very common;
ask an Admissions or Transfer counselor about articulation agreements
with schools in and out of state.
Now the last thing to research isn’t about numbers and documents, but about you.
It’s best to take the time to make sure you will be comfortable at your new institution.
For instance, take the opportunity to visit your transfer school if possible
to get a sense of the campus culture.
We talk more about how to find the right school for you in Episode 2.
Or check out what services your new transfer school offers before enrolling,
like the library, athletic center, or deals available to students on food and merchandise.
Then once you’ve decided on a route, you’ll want to start working out the details,
like coursework and credits.
Students who transfer will likely have to go through the process
of declaring a major again, which we discussed in episode 6.
Unfortunately, there are sometimes roadblocks that rule out
the possibility of transferring certain credits.
Schools often require a grade of at least a C for a course to transfer.
It’s also possible that a course won’t transfer
because it doesn’t cover the same learning targets as another.
Sometimes, credits may not transfer because you’ve taken two or more
courses covering similar content.
And lastly, a course might have been taken at a for-profit school
whose credits won’t count at other institutions.
But finding out that certain credits won’t transfer doesn’t have to derail your plans.
As soon as you know which credits are a problem, you can make a plan
to get back on track and acquire the necessary credits at your transfer institution.
Basically, there are a lot of questions to ask that help you get where you need to be.
In the end, it's a lot like preparing to travel.
You know what your goal is and you know how you need to get there,
but sometimes planes are grounded and you need to take a train instead.
It's a different route but the same goal, and being prepared and flexible
means you'll get there in the end.
If you make this choice, you're doing it because you've realized
that the route to getting to your destination has changed–and that's okay!
Big changes like transferring schools can come with new and unexpected challenges,
but as long as you know that the change is for the best,
transferring is worth the work.
With a little preparation and counseling from advisors and professors,
transferring doesn’t have to be as complicated as it might sound at first.
When you have the right plan, transferring schools might even
be the best way to end up at the destination you’re dreaming of.
Thanks for watching this episode of Crash Course How to College.
This series is part of an expanded program called Study Hall.
Crash Course has partnered with Arizona State University to launch Study Hall on its own
channel.
Check out youtube.com/studyhall where you’ll find more tips about navigating college,
choosing a major, plus foundational courses connected to college credit courses
that students struggle most with in their first 2 years.
We hope to see you over there!