Transfer

It is that time of year where many a disillusioned college freshman is now faced with one pressing question: What Now? This is on their minds for various reasons. Maybe they hit the party scene a little too hard,, and their grades suffered. Maybe that big four year University just wasn’t a good fit for them. It could be a grade issue, a just not being happy issue, or many other reasons. However, the fact remains that they do not want to go (or cannot go) back to their first school of choice. Now they have to figure out what is their next step.

For many of these students, the local community college is the logical next stop. It may just be to pull their grades up so they can return to their four year school. It maybe just so they can stay in classes while they figure out what their next move is. No matter what the reason, there are a few things to keep in mind.

First, you need to determine the admissions policies of the community or junior college you want to attend. Make sure you have all of your paperwork ready. Some schools have strict procedures. Others may have an open enrollment policy, but do not let the term “open enrollment” mislead you. There are still steps and rules. With many open enrollment institutions, they will accept applications from anyone who submits them. However, that does not mean they will be eligible to take classes. The potential student still has to prove that they have an ability to benefit from the college’s classes. Obviously, if their skill level is below where the basic skills classes start, they should not be allowed to enroll. This is usually determined by a placement test.

If you have already been attending another institution, this should not be too much of an issue. Check with their admissions department. Your SAT or ACT scores my be high enough. If you completed basic skills classes or General Ed classes at your previous institution with a C or higher, these may waive testing as well. This varies by school, and you will need to clarify policies with the school you choose. If you need to test, please take the test seriously. This will determine what classes you need to take. If you are trying to bring up your GPA, many times pre pre-program level (remedial/ basic skills) classes do not count towards your GPA. Also, may schools have strict re-testing policies, so you might be eligible to test again before the term begins.

Something else to look into is the school’s accreditation. Many times students just pick a school, but they do not look at this key item. If you are trying to transfer back to a four year university, you need to find out what accreditations that school accepts credits from. Most major universities only accept credits from regionally accredited schools. Make sure you know this before you select your school. You do not want to spend tons of money on classes that will pretty much be useless.

Another key item is: when do classes start? Some schools are already back in session while other schools are not starting classes until next week. Some schools may have “flex” terms. Flex classes or alternative scheduling could be a saving grace. These classes do not meet for the whole regular term. They are shorter, and many of them have a later start date. For example, regular sixteen week classes may start on January 14, but there may be 12, 10, 8 and 4 week classes that start though out the semester.

If you are on Financial Aid, what do you need to do to have your aid package transferred from you first school to your new school? In most cases, all you need to do is go into you FASFA account online and put in the new school’s identification number. You may need to call the Financial Aid office to obtain this number, and to determine if there are any additional steps you must take. If you are planning on taking flex term/alternative scheduled classes, you may want to make sure there are not any special rules concerning you aid and those classes.

The final thing you will need to transfer to a community college is patience. At this point in the game, there will be long lines. Testing labs will be crowded, and there may even be a two or three hour wait before you can see an advisor. That does not include the time you will need to spend in line to actually get your classes entered into the computer.

Getting into community college may seem easy, but it is sometimes more complicated than it appears. Make sure you do your homework, and that you are prepared for this new step in your life.