Navigating the Hassles of Transferring
There’s something nefarious lurking in the river of Transfers, and the bridge leading from community college to your dream university has a wobbly board that might just break; leaving you floating downstream towards loans, lost time, and a whole lot of hassle. For some community college graduates, as happened to my older sister and many other graduates around the nation, they are accepted by their four year school only to find out that some of their classes have been denied approval.
While my sister only lost a few classes in the limbo of transferring, it will still be extra time and money. According to a study from the U.S Government Accountability Office, the average amount of credits lost for students transferring from a two-year to a four-year school is 30%. All’s not lost, however, even if you might find yourself in a similar predicament come graduation. There are resources that CCC provides to help advocate for yourself during the transfer process; here are some tactics below from The Career & Transfer Services Office!
WHO TO REACH OUT TO:
When transferring, it is a wonderful idea to stop by or make an appointment with the Career & Transfer Services Office in the Commons: room M210. In there you can find all the expertise you need from The Coordinator of Career and Transfer Services, Amanda Lee-Copp. Copp can assist with all the intricacies of transferring; from deciding which colleges have transfer agreements with CCC to learning how to apply!
If you just want to take a cursory look at up-to-date information on transfer resources, be sure to log into MyCorning and head over to the Student Resources page, beneath Career Planning.
SOME ARE MORE LIKELY TO ACCEPT YOUR CLASSES
If you are transferring to another SUNY school, it is likely that most or all of your credits will be transferred due to SUNY transfer guidelines. However, if you decide to transfer outside of the SUNY system, there is a higher risk of losing credits along the way. If you find that some of your credits were not accepted, first see what the transfer requirements are for your college, such as if they only accept classes graded with a “C” or higher.
TAKE THEM TO COURT…NOT REALLY
If a low grade is not the reason your class(es) did not transfer, you can go into the appeals process. And no, I don’t mean take your new institution to court. In our interview, Copp said, “Each transfer college has their own, unique process, so be sure to research the college's registrar and/or transfer website pages to find out more about what this process is like and what necessary documentation you will need.” She continued to say that in most cases, the college will request a description or syllabus from the course.
HI SYLLABI, HOW ARE YOU?
Keep your syllabi. While you might be able to email a professor and request the syllabus, it is always best to keep a folder on hand for each syllabus during your college career at CCC. This will assist in the appeals process if you need to prove the academic thoroughness of a class.
While there is no sure way to guarantee that all your credits would be accepted by your next college (specifically a non-SUNY), these are steps you can take to fasten the screws on your bridge and stay out of the transfer waters.