PCC Geography: Mr. Lee

Los Angeles Area University Geography Departments

Effective Transfer Tips

Your transfer to a four-year college will be smoother and easier if you follow these basic tips. These are based on personal experiences from having studied at 4 different American universities in Hawaii, Arizona, North Dakota, and New Jersey and on conversations from many students over the past 20 years. These ideas are also based on the fact that we are living in the Information Age. While much of the information you have comes from others, the critical watchword for a successful college transfer is "Don't rely on what others tell you. Get the facts directly from the source." Remember; don't rely on what others tell you…

READ THE COLLEGE CATALOGS. That's right, plural; catalogs. A college catalog is a legally binding contract between you and the school. It defines the policies procedures, and the requirements for successfully completing your educational program at the college. Start with your current college. Most colleges have a form or list of course requirements. Then read the target school's catalog (your transfer destination). Everything depends on the target school's requirements, not on the requirements of your current on school.

CONTACT THE TARGET SCHOOL DIRECTLY. It is important to directly deal with officials at the target school for one simple reason; you want to get the transfer information straight from them. They will know about any changes or pending changes in the transfer requirements. Officials at your present school can be victims of lost mail, missed phone messages, etc. Do not be passive about getting the transfer information. Take control of your future and deal directly with the target school. There are two contacts to make at the target school, the academic department and the admissions/ registration office.
Your specific major determines the academic department you should contact. Start with the academic department to see if they really offer what you want and need for your major. Course preparation for the major is their primary concern. Make direct contact with professors in the department. This is how you learn about the department and your future education.
If the department has what you want, then get the application materials from the admissions/registration office. The admissions folks monitor and enforce the basic transfer requirements. The academic department recommends who should be admitted to their department.

DON'T RELY ON WHAT THEY SAY; GET IT IN WRITING. When talking with school officials, be sure to get their names, phone numbers, etc. Be sure to get written confirmation of your conversations and agreements. Keep good records about your conversations. Keep copies of anything you send or submit to a school. In the event that things get lost, you want to have a paper trail. This greatly assists your ability to recover. Don't throw away your old college catalogs! You never know when you need to document something about your past education. When I got hired at a college, they were evaluating my qualifications for teaching certification. They questioned if a certain course I took 20 years ago really fulfilled a state requirement. I was able to retrieve my old college catalog. My employer looked at the course description in the old catalog. They were able to determine that although the course title was different, the content met the state requirement. I got my certification.

CONSIDER YOUR OPTIONS, PART 1. The current situation in California is one of rising costs for education, and reduced class offerings. When you transfer to the four-year school, you are at the bottom of the priority list for course enrollments. Do not expect to get many courses that speed you on your way toward your major or goal. It may take you one or more terms to get up on the priority list in order to enroll in those classes. Expect to take classes that may not directly support your major while you wait. Thus, you should carefully select a supporting "minor" field of study. This should really support your major area of study. An eye to flexibility is important here. I changed my major 7 times in the first two years at the university. Yet I still graduated in 4 years. It's okay to change your mind. But you want to try to have each course count toward your education program so that you can graduate on time. If you cannot decide on a specific minor, then spend the time getting information technology skills (i.e. computer skills).

CONSIDER YOUR OPTIONS, PART 2. If you transfer from community college to a local four-year school, plan your schedule to allow taking a one-unit class at your old community college. This is an insurance policy. You probably have a high enrollment priority number there. When you get to your target transfer school, you may find: 1) you may be missing some critical courses needed for transfer; 2) the transfer requirements changed, and you now must take one more class; 3) some of the courses you need a the target transfer school have pre-requisites you lack, but can take at the community college (where the cost is less); 4) sometimes you cannot enroll in a pre-requisite for a course at your target transfer school, but the course is available at your old school.

MAKE YOURSELF APPEAR OUTSTANDING. All college and universities want to find "outstanding" students. But besides grades, what makes a student outstanding? Well, you can approach this by first understanding what every applicant for transfer MUST have. The transfer application package contains the application form, transcripts, an essay, and letters of recommendation. At this point, all students have the same basic packet. Those with high grades, an excellent essay, and strong letters are ahead of some. But as a group, they are similar. Many students will have strong records in extra-curricular activities, awards, and scholarships. If you are among this group, you need to stand out from the group. In order to stand out from this group, you need to draw upon those traits that make you an individual--not just a member of this highly qualified applicant group. Do you have a clear vision of your goal? Have you presented it clearly and convincingly? Did you present concrete examples of your initiative, motivation, sensitivity to others, and social responsibilities? These traits are difficult to quantify in terms of grades and test measurements. Your essay and the letters of recommendation are the main ways to present these qualities.

TO BE OUTSTANDING, COMPLETE THE SCANS CHECKLISTS: Use the checklists developed by the Secretary's Commission on Acquiring Necessary Skills (U.S. Dept. of Labor) to inventory yourself. The items on these lists came from US employers telling the US government what they wanted entry-level employees to be capable of doing.

GET SOME PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE. Another way to appear outstanding is to get some practical work experience related to your major and career goal. It is difficult for most students to get this kind of work. It is easier to get this kind of experience by volunteering your time and labor. Be very selective about the work. Clearly negotiate the amount of time you will give for free, and exactly what you want for it (a letter of verification that you did the work). Be sure the letter is specific in the job description, duties, and responsibilities. I gained much experience this way. Later, when I graduated and interviewed for jobs, the interviewers often commented that they were expecting to see a much older individual. They were impressed that such a young person could have that combination of formal education and practical experience. Clearly they saw me as outstanding.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Ultimately, you will need to get a job. Find out all you can about the job prospects for your major. Go to the library and research the U.S. Department of Labor statistics and job forecasts. Use the SIC (Standard Industrial Codes) to learn more about the specific knowledge and skills required for jobs related to your major. This will give you insights to your academic preparation and the kinds of experience you need to get. Find out about the job placement record for graduates of your target school. Contact companies who hire graduates with majors in your field. Ask what which schools are represented among the people they have hired. Contact professional societies related to your major for additional information about careers in that area. Before signing up for classes, read the catalog to get an idea of the classes you need to take. Then check the current class schedule to find out when those classes meet. Get outside of the classroom at the end of class and ask those students about the course, instructor, books, assignments, tests, etc. Gather this information so you can make good decisions of which classes and professors to take.
Research the salary and benefits for your prospective job. Do this for various cities in the US as well as overseas. You should know how you fit into the global economy. Get to know the major companies and employers in your field. Keep abreast of the news and economy relative to your major and future job prospects.

© 1994-1998, Revised 2002 G.K. Lee

Contact the Transfer School Directly

Use the links below to directly contact Geography Departments in the greater Los Angeles area.

Report bad links to gklee@pasadena.edu

Links

CSU-Dominguez Hills
CSU-Long Beach
CSU-Los Angeles
CSU-Northridge
CSU Poly-Pomona
UC Irvine
UC Los Angeles
UC Riverside
University of Southern California