10 Tips for Transferring From Community College

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This was very helpful...one question though. Since I knew I wasn't going to start with a university I didn't take any ACT or SATs. When I am ready to transfer will I need to take the SAT then or should I take it now (can students who are done with high school still take the SATs?)?

Haylee of WA 2:40PM May 19, 2012

Okay so i am having a hard time getting this all together i went to a community college for one semester. i only took two classes one i dropped and the other one i failed. I want to try to go to east carolina in the spring as a freshman since i have no credits would that work? This is such a stressful process!

victoria of NC 6:36PM May 07, 2012

в конце концов: мне понравилось.. а82ч

adjuct of AL 3:06AM February 23, 2010

As a student of an Early College High School(Alameda Science and Technology Institute). This was really helpful. In our school, by the Junior ans Senior year, we are at a community college getting our AA degree, I don't really know what and how I was goign to transfer my credits to a 4-year college, and this really helped. Thank You!!

ASTI student of CA 9:59PM November 16, 2009

@Michelle Y. Talbert,
There is a lot of research out there supporting this position. Perhaps this is a helpful beginning point for you:
"In this study, we examine the role of academic preparation in the transition from community colleges to four-year institutions. We address two specific questions: To what extent do academically unprepared students transfer to four-year institutions? And, can positive experiences in community colleges diminish the role of inadequate academic preparation? The results, which are based on analyses of Florida’s unit record data of first-time community college students, indicate that a substantial proportion of students who enter community colleges academically unprepared do indeed transfer to four-year institutions. Moreover, successful completion of intermediate outcomes — such as passing college-level math and writing courses, meeting specific credit thresholds, and earning an associate degree — enhances students’ probability of transfer. However, the ability of community colleges to mitigate the negative effects of inadequate academic preparation is limited: successful completion of even the most demanding intermediate outcomes does not alleviate the negative consequences of entering higher education unprepared. The policy implications of these findings are discussed.
http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/Publication.asp?UID=618."

Jeffrey J. Kraus of VA 10:58AM October 06, 2009

Please tell me the data source for point number 1-Complete Associate's Degree.
I attended Northern Virginia Community College (part-time for almost 10 years) and transferred to Cornell University, graduated with my Bachelor's of Science, and then went on to graduate from law school at the University of Pennsylvania. I did not graduate from community college. I believe that graduating from community college, while possibly helpful, is not indicative of success upon transfer. Additionally, I believe that the focus on graduation as the metric for success in community college is ill-placed. The focus should be on determining success based upon the student's individual goals and then measuring whether those goals are met. I wonder whether NoVA considers me in its student success rate statistics. Whether NoVA does or not, I do.
I am working on my first book for Community College Students, from the perspective of "Successful" Community College Students. I appreciate your article.

Michelle Y. Talbert of MD 1:46PM September 23, 2009

Hey, can you please provide me with contact info for this person? Thanks, Dr. Kent D. Beeler, author, Switching Colleges: Campus Transfer Student Success (2010)

Dr. Kent D. Beeler of FL 5:43PM September 17, 2009

When it comes to transferring, what you don’t know can hurt you.
Without advance planning, you may find out too late that you’ve been taking courses at community college that:
• won’t transfer to any four-year college
• won’t fulfill admission or graduation requirements at a particular four-year college of your choice
• won’t get you admitted to your major in a particular four-year college
• won’t get you admitted to a four-year college when you expect or
• won’t leave you enough financial aid because you used up your benefits taking the wrong courses
Without advance planning, it could take much longer to graduate. In fact, only about one-third of students complete a bachelor’s degree as soon as four years after entering college and it is not unusual for students to take five, six or more years to graduate. In general, the more colleges a student attends, the longer it takes to graduate. Since you don’t want extra unnecessary delays and expenses, you need to get the right transfer information as soon as possible and have a transfer plan.
With advance planning, you’ll be better prepared to find the right four-year colleges for you and to take advantage of transfer opportunities as soon as possible. Taking the wrong courses can delay your progress. The earlier you start planning, the more time you’ll have to: determine your career and life goals, find a major that fulfills those goals, select the right four-year colleges that will help you achieve your dreams, take the right courses to enhance your chances of being admitted to the four-year colleges of your choice and use your financial aid wisely.
Don Silver
Author of the Community College Transfer Guide

Don Silver of CA 6:53PM September 16, 2009