How to Transfer from Your Community College

Transferring from your community college can be hectic, especially when you have no one to help guide you through it. Generally, if you are not participating in a joint admissions program at your community college, you will not get as much one on one help with the process. The transfer process can be tedious and draining if you have no idea where and when to start. Below I have included a common guideline to help ease the transfer process.

1.Research and compile a list of 3-4possible schools that you would like to attend. You should start this list as early as possible. Some students start researching universities in their freshmen year. When researching schools look at important factors such as; price, location, class size, credit transfer and curriculum.

Your list of schools should include 2 dream schools and 2-3 schools that you know you will get into because your GPA and qualifications match those of the schools' requirements. Your dream schools can be schools that you really want to get into but you fall a bit short when it comes to making certain requirements in areas such as extracurricular activities and GPA and test scores.

2. In October-November schedule campus visits with the schools of your choice and meet with an advisor from those schools to discuss the transfer process. You can also meet with an admission counselor or the professor of one of the departments you are considering studying in. This step is optional, but many students feel as though visually seeing the campus, the people, and professors will help them to narrow down their school list.

3. In November-January start asking professors to write letters of recommendation for you. You will need to print out the recommendation forms from the university websites (or the common application website, if you intend to apply this way) and give them to your professors to fill out. When you give your professors the forms make sure you also give them stamped envelopes with the address filled out to where you want the forms sent. If you prefer to send the recommendations to the universities your self then simply place your name and address on the main envelope so that your professors can send them back to you. It's always best to give professors as much lead time as possible when requesting recommendations because they are often busy. You do not want to rush them at the last minute to make a deadline. You should also make the request for the recommendation in person. If you have to ask for a recommendation through email make sure that your request is not casual but in the form of a professional letter.

4. In Nov-Jan Review the essay questions for each university you want to apply to. To do this you will have to decide which way you want to apply to each school. You can apply online and by paper using the University's application or you can apply online using the common application (if it is offered by the university you are applying to.) Once you decide which way you want to apply you can start an application and skim down to the essay portion. Jot the essay question(s) down you would like to answer and start writing your essay.

Remember that if you are applying to a university using the university's application you will have to answer one of the essay questions from the university's application. If you are using the common application to apply to the university, you have to answer one of the essay questions from the common application. You can not mix portions of the common application up with portions of the university application. If you choose to use the common application you might be required to fill out supplement forms from the university that can be found on the schools' websites. You should know that the Common application essay questions are not as personal and tailored as the university's essay questions. The university essay questions give you more freedom to be creative while the common application essay questions are more bland and straightforward. Both applications are treated equally

Be sure to get the proper help when writing your essay. When your essay is complete have it proof read before mailing it out. The essay is important; it is where you get a chance to let the admissions committee know who you are. The essay is your voice and can speak up for you when you fall short of the school requirements.

5. January 1st-As soon as possible after January 1st fill out the Free Application For Federal Student Aid also known as the FAFSA! The quicker you fill out the FAFSA the more funds will be available to you. Many schools have financial aid deadlines so be aware of all deadlines and make sure that you meet them. Generally, you can still apply to some schools after the deadline, but there is a possibility you may receive less aid since aid is dispersed on a first come first serve basis. Also funds from schools can become exhausted after the deadline, so the early bird gets the worm.

In addition to filling out the FAFSA some schools may require you to fill out the CSS profile or additional financial forms specifically for that school. For instance, Syracuse University requires all students to fill out the FAFSA and the CSS profile to receive financial aid. Suffolk University requires students to fill out the FAFSA and the Suffolk University Financial Aid application to receive financial aid. It is up to you to make sure that you research the proper forms needed to apply for financial aid. You can do this by researching the schools' websites or by calling in to the admissions office of the school.

This is also a great time to research the various types of aid available to help you fund your education. The three main forms of aid are; public, private, and institutional.
Public aid includes grants, work-study, scholarships and loans. Private aid is aid given by businesses and private programs. Institutional aid is provided by the school you are applying to and is often need or merit based.

6. In January-February apply to the schools of your choice. You should start applying to these schools in January- February because these are the peak months for filling out applications. The longer you wait to fill out your applications the slimmer your chances become for getting in. When filling out applications, be sure you are aware of application deadlines. Transfer students usually have later deadlines (than entering freshmen) to get their applications in. Some universities accept applications after the deadlines on a space available basis and others have a rolling admissions policy which means they accept applications up until there is no room left in the program.

While applying to the schools you will find that you are required to forward your college and sometimes High school transcript. You can request your college transcript by going into your school's enrollment center (or where they carry the academic records.) You might have to pay a very small fee to receive your transcript. Depending on how many credits you have received at your community college, you might be required to submit SAT scores. Be sure you review what forms are needed to complete your application.

7. February-March- You should have completed your application which includes the essay you worked on in Nov-Jan. You should have also received the recommendations from your professors, or they should have already mailed them to the university. If you have requested that the recommendations be sent to you, you should now mail them with your transcript and any other required forms to the university. Make sure you forward the forms to the correct address. Often times, enrollment forms are not sent to the university's main address but to different departments inside the university. Take the effort to make sure you mail every form to the correct place.

8. When you have completed your last semester at your community college be sure to send your final college transcript to the universities that you have applied for.

9. March-May- You now play the waiting game. Schools start sending out acceptance and rejection letters for transfer students in April through the end of May and sometimes as late as June.

10. May-June- You should have received your acceptance or rejection letters. Choose the school that you would like to attend and mail back the required forms and the deposit payment (check) back to the school. Be sure to send the letters back to the schools you will not attend to let them know you will not be attending.

Make sure you attend orientation. Good luck and congratulations!