Not all higher education looks alike. The road for one student is oftentimes drastically different from the journey of another student. And indeed not everyone has the means or grades necessary to leap straight from high school to a prestigious four-year university. And those thinking about going back to school after a long break may not have this option either. That’s where community colleges come into play.
Community colleges are good inexpensive options for those looking to work towards a degree at their own pace. Of course the main goal for many a community college student is to eventually transfer to a state college or university.
For ambitious students, you can also learn about transferring from community college to Ivy League.
While community colleges certainly provide the pathway to make this transition, there are things the student can do to ensure a smooth transfer to their new bastion of higher education.
EARN AN ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE
There are two ways to use community college as a springboard to a four-year college or university: by earning a certain amount of credits or earning and associate’s degree. Research conducted at the national level shows that a much higher percentage of students who earn an associate’s degree from a community college go on to earn higher degree than those who don’t.
CONSIDER ALL OPTIONS
It’s important for transfer students to know every option available to them. That means looking into as many private and public four-year universities as possible. Who knows, the transfer university a student had his or her heart set on a year or two ago may now be eclipsed by a more attractive option.
START EARLY
It isn’t wise to wait until right before the requisite credits or degree is earned to begin planning for the transfer. As soon as the student starts their community college track is the ideal time to start planning for the future transfer. That mean visiting school options and meeting with transfers and representatives in order to find out the ins and outs of the transfer as well as to collect the requisite documents and materials. Armed with as much info as possible, the student can expect a smooth transfer.
CHOOSE A MAJOR
As important it is to begin planning early for the transfer, it is equally important to pick a major early. Knowing the intended major will allow the student to better gauge the prerequisite courses the should take at the community level. This efficiency will end up saving the student quite a bit of time – as well as few headaches – as far as the transfer is concerned.
COMPLETE ALL APPLICATIONS
Just because a student is accepted as a transfer to a new college or university doesn’t necessarily mean he or she is accepted to a specific academic program. Students should be aware that oftentimes there are separate applications for various university programs. Knowing this – as well as undertaking the proper prerequisite courses – will allow the student to get accepted to their program of choice and hit the ground running once they transfer.
These are just a few tips to making the transition from community college to public or private university that much easier. On top of this, students have many faculty resources at their local community college who will be more than happy to provide information regarding transfer to their specific college of choice.
About the author
Holly Sykes originally planned to continue to University to take up Chemistry but she followed her heart when she auditioned in one of the dance colleges in New York. She tours and choreographs across New York and LA.
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