It’s never too early to start looking into transferring to that prestigious school you’ve always dreamed of. And if you’re wondering where to start, look no further than the transfer workshops put on by the Career and Transfer Center throughout the semester.
Many students on campus don’t come to college with a very in depth plan for transferring, says Moorpark College counselor Lynn Hastings. There’s a lot more to transferring than just doing the basics.
“A lot of people come in thinking ‘I just need to get my general education’ but they don’t think about major preparation courses,” says Hastings.
That’s precisely what the workshop covers, along with other important information and how to navigate the many important links on the Career and Transfer Center’s website.
Each workshop put on by the college is run by a counselor from the Career and Transfer Center and the workshop usually runs for about an hour. You can either sign up beforehand at the Career and Transfer Center or you can just walk in. Students are not required to bring any materials to the workshops (i.e. transcripts, course schedules, ect.), though a pen and paper are recommended for note taking.
Even if you are undecided on a major or where you plan on transferring, the workshops are still great sources of information. In fact, if you’re not too sure where you want to go with your college career, these workshops are a great way to introduce yourself to the idea of transferring and all the requirements that come with it. If you already have an idea about how you’re going to transfer, a little refresher course can’t hurt.
The workshops start with the basics, like general education and internships, and work their way towards major preparation, Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) and how to apply for one, and the differences between transferring to a UC, Cal State, and private school. Even though it may seem like a lot of information to take in at one sitting, the workshop is run at a very easy pace and the counselors are always ready to take questions whenever they come up.
The meetings are also run with the students’ interests in mind, with examples being directed toward the students attending the workshops.
“The fact that she used our specific majors and the schools that we were looking at definitely helped with the whole understanding of it,” said 18-year-old finance major Natalya Mahaindra.
The workshop also focuses on the online aspect of transferring and introduces websites such as assist.org and adegreewithaguarantee.com. In addition, the workshop takes a look at the Transfer Center’s website and helps direct students to the most important links.
“I didn’t realize how much information is on the website,” Mahaindra says. “To have someone explain it and go through it on the website, instead of someone just saying ‘do this and this,’ is definitely helpful.”
The schedule for other upcoming workshops is available online on the Transfer Center’s website and appointments can always be made at the Career and Transfer Center in Fountain Hall. For updates on the latest from the transfer center, join the MC Transfer group on the MyVCCCD portal.
Transferring is not always easy, to say the least, but that doesn’t mean you have to figure it out by yourself. Whether it be a one-on-one meeting or in a workshop, there are plenty of opportunities to better prepare and inform yourself, ripe for the picking. The Career and Transfer Center is always there to help students reach their transfer goals.
