Before students can graduate and transfer in the fall, there are still important milestones that need to be achieved before officially moving on to a CSU, UC, or private university.
The Transfer Center Coordinator and Counselor, Giselle Ramirez, advises students to stay in touch with their counselor and regularly check their emails. This is to make sure students are up to date about information from the schools they have applied to in order to ensure a successful graduation.
“There’s different deadlines for different schools,” Ramirez said. “It’s really important to keep track of all your emails because a lot of times when students don’t read their emails, the school might have asked for something and if they miss the deadline, that’s it, you don’t get accepted.”
Roberta Brodie, a part-time counselor, also mentioned the importance of meeting with an academic counselor, even if it’s just to check in.
Brodie explained that there are different formats for receiving academic counseling. Making an appointment is as easy as walking into Fountain Hall, calling the front the desk, or using the express counseling provided for students.
According to Brodie, counselors are also available throughout different programs on campus such as the Transfer Center, ACCESS, EOPS, and during group counseling or Walk-in Wednesdays. However, some of these programs require students to be members of the program in order to receive resources.
“It’s a good thing to get multiple perspectives,” Brodie said. “It’s important to also know the names and contact information for your universities admission representative. Reach out to them for any changes, or questions you may have.”
Brodie offered some advice to students to get connected with the school they are potentially transferring to. She suggested looking at the school’s website and touring the campus.
“There’s something about the feel of a campus, a campus may have everything you’re looking for academically,” Brodie said. “But perhaps the location and the campus culture maybe doesn’t fit a student. Sometimes that can be very challenging to endure.”
Romelo Alley, a 21-year-old communications student at Moorpark College, is scared about transferring. Yet, he is still optimistic that a university will accept him.
“I’m not going to lie, I’m a bit nervous to transfer because I’ve grown so used to Moorpark College, the campus, and how everything works here,” Alley said. “A huge university has a way bigger campus, and it’s more difficult I believe to adjust to.”
Later in the semester, there will be a transfer event where a Wall of Fame of students will have their portraits displayed. The event is meant to help ease the transition for students who are transferring and to also celebrate their accomplishments.
“We notice a lot of the times the transition for students is not very clear and students get lost, so we want to make sure we’re bridging the gap for students who are transferring to another school,” Ramirez said.
Here are a few tasks students need to consider in the following months:
Students who applied to CSU’s must meet with a counselor to apply for their Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) by March 8th.
Students need to make sure they order their final transcripts as soon as final grades are released. They can be ordered through the VCCCD Portal, the deadline to submit to universities varies per school.
To book a counseling appointment, call the counseling office at (805) 378-1428, visit the Transfer Center’s website.
