Students transfer colleges for several reasons, from financial challenges to changes in majors to job changes. While there are excellent opportunities as a transfer student, the process is not without its challenges in financial aid, maximizing transfer credits, and staying on track to graduate.
With National Transfer Student Week upon us, let’s take a look at how transfer students can create a smooth transfer process and hit the ground running at a new school.
What Is National Transfer Student Week?
The National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students (NISTS) has declared the third week of October as National Transfer Student Week. This week celebrates transfer students and their advocates who helped them navigate the transition from one institution to another and highlights the common struggles and successes.
This year, National Transfer Student Week falls from October 16 to 20 with the theme of Full Steam Ahead. The transfer process is lengthy and includes some barriers along the way, but the goal of Full Steam Ahead is to clear the path and provide tools and support to empower students in their transfer journey.
How Hard Is It to Transfer Colleges?
While transferring colleges offers new opportunities, it can come with barriers and obstacles for the student, including:
New Responsibilities
Transfer students may struggle to balance their academic workload with personal responsibilities, such as work or family obligations. It’s important to prioritize tasks, create a schedule to balance responsibilities, and build a strong support system of academic advisors, family, and friends.
Financial Aid and Scholarships
Navigating financial aid and scholarships can be stressful and frustrating. Students can connect with the financial aid office to explore what options are available, apply for financial aid, understand important deadlines, and research scholarship opportunities.
New Environments
Transferring to a new school may mean a new living environment, whether that’s a dorm, off-campus housing, or at home, as well as new academic rigor, courses, and disciplinary policies. Schools offer resources to enable student success, including the housing office, orientation, academic advisors, and peer support.
Transfer Credits
A transfer student may have challenges transferring credits and fulfilling degree requirements at a new school. In some cases, it’s caused by a delay in the decision to transfer or errors in the process. When this happens, it could negatively impact the available courses. It’s important to meet with academic advisors, review transfer credit policies, and understand degree requirements to ensure you’re on track to graduate.
Things to Consider When Transferring
Though transferring schools comes with some unique challenges, the process isn’t too different from applying to college as a first-year student. Here’s what to consider as a transfer student:
Meeting with Your Academic Advisor
Your academic advisor is your greatest asset in facilitating a smooth transition from your current school to your new school. They’re invested in your success, so be sure to ask questions about the transfer process and get more insight into whether that move is right for you.
Another benefit of speaking to your advisor is to learn how to transfer college credits. Your advisor can help you fill out the correct forms, request transcripts, and provide information about transfer agreements the school has with other institutions.
Evaluating Learning Environments
Transferring schools is a big change. In addition to adjusting to the new course structure and school culture, you may have a dramatic shift in the learning environment. There are generally two types of learning environments:
On-Campus
In-person learning is still a common choice for many students. With this option, you can attend part- or full-time and choose from the institution’s available programs, typically within certain degree tracks. Most, if not all, of those courses will be in person according to a set schedule.
There are benefits to in-person attendance, such as interacting with peers and professors in person. For some students, on-campus courses are the best option to stay on track with a structured program and accessible campus resources.
Online
Online education is growing in popularity. Depending on the structure, online courses may offer more flexibility for self-starters and allow students to balance their day-to-day responsibilities without neglecting coursework. Traditional colleges often offer similar degree tracks and schedules as on-campus courses, simulating the in-person experience with class participation forums, video chats, and interactive course materials.
For students with a tight schedule, online courses are often easier to align with your routine – but they’re no less rigorous. The online environment requires organization and focus to stay on task and keep up with coursework.
Creating a Plan
One of the biggest concerns for transfer students is whether their college credits will transfer to their new institution. Typically, this process is easier between schools with articulation agreements, which facilitate college credit transfers, but the ultimate decision to accept or reject transfer credits lies with the institution receiving them.
It’s generally simpler to transfer credits from lower-level courses than specialized major-specific courses. Direct course equivalency is more common with gen ed or core courses, which may count toward to your gen eds or as a general elective.
If some of your courses don’t transfer, it can be more difficult to satisfy the credits you need in your schedule. Classes can fill up quickly, leaving you at a disadvantage with strategically planning your college path.
Your advisor is a good resource to help you determine what options you have to prepare for the transfer, such as taking gen ed courses with a platform like Sophia in advance.
Get Support with Sophia
If you’re running into barriers with your transfer credits or with getting the courses you need into your schedule, Sophia can help you fill gaps in your schedule. With over 60 college-level courses designed to transfer, you can complete your gen ed courses to save time and money and stay on track with your degree.
Sophia also helps with prerequisites for your degree-specific courses to ensure you can maximize your course schedule, especially if you’re struggling to get into the courses you need when you need them.
Ready to get ahead pre-transfer? Explore our courses and start a free trial with Sophia!
