5 things to do to avoid the “sorry this class won’t transfer” moment

Transferring from community college to a university with your Associate of Arts degree is one of the best benefits of community college, and most students report that is their very goal upon enrolling at a community college.

However, it’s not always easy.

I just met with a friend and superstar community college graduate this morning who told me she just found out (a year before graduation from her 4-year university) that she’d have to take chemistry because her university and major required a physical science and she had taken two non-physical sciences at her community college.

Ahh!

Her community college education plan was matched with the university’s education plan for her particular major, but unfortunately the science requirement wasn’t communicated.

This happens a lot. And not only to community college students. I’ve had so many friends who’ve had issues with their transcripts, transfer credits, and graduation applications.

The credit-system is not perfect and advisors are swamped with so many students and reliant on computer systems that are not immune to both technological and human error.

While institutionally this should improve, you don’t want to just wait for things to get better or cross your fingers and hope this doesn’t happen to you.

As in all my content, I’m a big believer in giving you the tools necessary to advocate for yourself. So below are 5 things you can do to make sure you are only taking the classes you need to graduate on time:

1. Choose your transfer university and major ASAP
As soon as you can decide on your top-choice* transfer university and intended major at that university. Look online at the college catalog** and print out the degree plan for that major and bring it with you to every appointment with your community college advisor.

*If there are a few colleges you’re considering look at the course catalog education plans for all of them to see if there are any differences. If not, choose one to work from; if there are differences, choose the one that would best fit all the universities requirements.

**If this all sounds confusing to you ask a college graduate to help you navigate the university’s website or call the admissions office to ask for help looking for the education plan for the major you’re interested in. Don’t stop asking for help until you get what you need.

2. Meet with your advisor every semester to talk about your educational plan and graduation track
Show your academic advisor your four-year college catalog plan from the university and ask for help to map out your community college courses to meet those requirements. Check in every semester to ensure you’re still on the right track to graduate on time with the requirements your transfer university requires.

3. Review your transcript closely every semester and match it with your transfer university’s course catalog
This can be difficult at first but ask your academic advisor for help translating the transcript and understanding how it relates to your four-year educational plan. Get used to how it looks and pay attention to your progress towards graduation so that you’ll be attuned to notice if things get off track.

4. When possible meet with an advisor or admissions person at your transfer university to double-check that you’re on the right track
If you can’t meet with someone from your transfer university before you’re admitted, try bringing your transcript to a professor you trust as a mentor and ask for help. Professors have graduate degrees and can be a great second-eye on your transcript and educational plan.

5. Partner with a friend to do a transcript review exchange
Buddy up with a friend (ideally with the same plan as you, but it doesn’t have to be) and review each other’s transcripts every semester along with each other’s four-year educational plan. Getting a second or third eye on your transcript and degree progress is SO helpful.

My advisor at my 4-year university told me I was going to have to take 17 credits my final semester. I was all signed up for a ton of classes until a friend looked at my transcript for me and saw there was a mistake – I only needed 12 credits and was able to drop a class!

This may seem like a lot of extra work, but it’s the only way to ensure you graduate on time. No one cares about your educational plan and progress more than you.

Be your own advocate and be diligent in ensuring you are on the right track. Ultimately this is your life, your education. There are tons of people who will help you all along the way – it’s just up to you to ask and keep on asking.

Good luck and happy transferring. Remember that this journey, while complicated, is an exciting opportunity.

Ask Isa: 10 things to help you pick the best transfer university for you

From the Ask Isa inbox:

Dear Isa,

I'm in a pickle...I am in community college and am getting ready to transfer in the next year and am undecisive on which school to go to. One school I would like to go to because its cheaper and the other, if money were not an option, I would definitely go to. Your thoughts?

Sincerely,

Undecided

Dear Undecided,

There is not an easy answer to this question, and in the end only you can decide what is best for you. However, doing your research and asking for as much advice as possible will ensure you make the choice that will best help you reach your goals. 

College is the best investment you can make in yourself, so when it comes to taking out loans to pay for college, I think it can be beneficial if you have done your research and know that the benefits you will receive from attending that particular college are worth taking out loans for.

Here are some questions to ask yourself. I recommend writing down your answers:

(Let's call the cheaper college College A and the expensive college College B.) 

1) Why do I really want to go to College B? 
2) What benefits does College B offer me that College A cannot offer?
2a) Are those the type of benefits that could lead me closer to my goals? 
3) How much in loans would I have to take out to attend College A? Would the type of job I'm pursuing help me pay those back easily? 
4) Does College A offer important alumni connections to my desired industry that College B does not? 
5) Are there any benefits of College A, aside from being inexpensive, that I'm overlooking? 

Next, here are some things I highly recommend you do:

1) Check out the tools in LinkedIn Education and research the college's you're considering in relation to the careers people have after they've graduated from each. Compare. 
2) Reach out to alumni at College A and College B and ask if you can e-mail them a few questions or speak with them on the phone for a few minutes. Choose people who have a career you would aspire to. Ask them about their college experience and any advice they might have for you in making your choice. People love to mentor and share advice. 
3) Schedule a tour of each campus and pay close attention to the benefits of each. Bring lots of questions to ask the tour guide. 
4) Ask admissions officers at each college about all of the scholarship options. Sometimes students shy away from expensive or prestigious schools because they assume they can't afford it, when sometimes those are the schools that offer the best packages to students with great potential and great financial need. 
5) Apply to both schools and don't make your final decision until you receive the financial aid package for each. If you've done all the research above, once you get the packages you'll know what the best decision will be for you.

Best of luck and congratulations on your upcoming transfer!

How to choose the right transfer university

The majority of community college students plan on transferring to a university after completing their A.A. degree. But how do you know where to transfer? This video can get you started in the right direction. :)

"I'm feeling pressured as a transfer, what do I do?" A student asks for transfer advice

I recently received the following question from a student I'll call Teresa:

How did you cope with all the changes when you transferred from community college? I've just gone through my first day of orientation and all I hear from administrators is "if you're a transfer student, you need to act right away." Talk about pressure. I've also heard that the academic rigor is going to increase dramatically. I would really love your advice. 

Teresa has just transferred to a highly selective private school, and they are correct - you do have to act right away.

Two years goes by fast, and you don't want to waste any time. However, feeling pressured is not a good way to start, so below are the tips I shared with Teresa to help you relieve the pressure and have an incredible transfer experience. 

1. Find a faculty mentor
My faculty advisor became my mentor at my transfer university, and her guidance led to a free trip to England, New Orleans, a $2,000 research grant, me being chosen as the commencement speaker, and winning the top award for graduating seniors that also included $3,000. I tell you all that only to show you what a difference a faculty member can make in your transfer life.

So during your first few weeks visit all of your professors in their office hours, as well as follow up with your faculty advisor (if you have one). Then make follow-up appointments with the professor(s) you really connect with and start to build a personal relationship by asking for advice regarding how to get engaged on campus and in your field. 

2. Go to club recruitment
Find out when all of the clubs will be showcasing what they do and go! If you've missed it, look at all the clubs online and contact the president's to get more information. Then, visit all of the meetings that interest you.

3. Be strategic with your involvement 
There are a few strategies you can take with how you spend your time during your last two years of college - what's important is that you are strategic.

What worked well for me during my last two years was choosing just one organization that really interested me (the orientation team) and getting deeply involved. I wanted to work in education so I knew learning about this process would be a great experience, as well as help me get to know more people on campus. 

I then spent the rest of my time in class or the library, and then got a paid internship in the education field that gave me the opportunity to tutor, pay for gas and rent, and fulfill the internship requirement for my major. 

During your last two years, it can be really smart to think about your career and how your involvement can help you build relevant experience to get that first job out of college. 

4. Visit your campus career center
Visit the career center on your campus right away and start taking advantage of every service they offer. Find out when they have career fairs, how to get help with your resume, what internship and job databases they use, and if they offer any alumni professional mentorship programs. 

5. Have fun
Two years does go by fast. And while it's a great feeling to finish, I miss college all the time. I miss the satisfaction of getting a good grade, the ability to catch a quick coffee with a friend (I just had to schedule a breakfast with a friend four weeks in advance because we're so busy!), and time spent on nothing but learning. 

And don't worry about the advanced academic rigor. If you've chosen a major you are interested in and good at, then you won't notice a change in your academic requirements (e.g. for me writing a 20 page paper in my major was so much more fun than studying for biology). You will have to work hard, but if you've gotten yourself from community college to a four-year university, you already know how to do that. 

I received this follow up from Teresa :)

This is such a tough transition for me. But after my first day of class today, it seems a lot of it was in my head. My professor was actually really cool and it seems that the class will be fairly easy to pass (as long as I read and show up!). 

Good point on getting with a faculty advisor – I have one appointed to me and met with her once. I have a follow up with her in March. In the meantime, I’ll definitely make use of those office hours! Thanks for the support. It really goes along away!

Feel free to send me your questions anytime at isa@communitycollegesuccess.com.

"I Believe I Can Fly..."

I just got back from a conference in San Francisco and it was an incredible experience. You can find all of the inspiration I gathered from this conference when it comes to community college students figuring out what they want to do with their lives in the extra post-conference vlog below. I didn’t think I was going to have time to post a full blog/vlog with the back to back traveling I’m doing this weekend, but I had to give you something.   

So in addition to all of the inspiration I also gained  newfound confidence from traveling by myself. For those of you who have traveled by yourself since you were young this may not apply. But for me I had never even been on an airplane until I was 19. And all my trips since then have been with groups of people.

I am from Florida and have a terrible sense of spatial understanding, so public transportation has always alluded me. In past travels (e.g. England) I relied on my friends to navigate while I followed.

It was my turn to navigate by myself this weekend and it was empowering. To understand, I am someone who used to look at people who traveled alone as amazing independent individuals. I used to think wow, how do they figure all of that out? It seemed so foreign to me.

And now I know. And I feel like I could do anything and go anywhere.

Have you had that “I can do anything” moment in your life? Have you felt that unique sense of independence that reminds you that you and only you are in control of the direction you are going? We often greatly overestimate the power of others to pull us in various directions. When in reality, it is only that we choose to follow.

In community college it can be hard sometimes to gain that sense of independence as many students live with their parents in order to save money. I encourage you to consider transferring to a college where you live in a dorm after you graduate. Start saving up money and applying for scholarships so you can afford to live on campus – it is more possible than you think.

And for now, try going on trips or doing things on your own. I’ll never forget my very first day in community college my western civilization professor gave us all a 5 minute speech on why we all needed to take a weekend and go to England as college students. He said we should just buy a ticket, stay in cheap hostels, and travel around in the inexpensive trains.

I know it all sounds painfully cliché, and in some ways it is, but in other ways, I think those independent excursions of travel and exploration breed new confidence and inspiration. Sometimes things become cliché because they are just good.

So start thinking about ways you can carve out some independence for yourself, such as planning a road trip with friends this summer, or booking a ticket and staying in English hostels this weekend. 

Always remember you are  in charge of your direction. The question is - do you know where you are going? 

The Transfer Transformation

I transferred from community college to a university I dyed my hair blonde.

This wasn't the best look for me, but I was compelled to try. Why? Because I was going through an identity crisis/transformation when I transferred. 

Have you ever noticed that celebrities, or maybe even your friends, tend to alter their physical appearance after a breakup or after they get married? Ashley Simpson just got a divorce and chopped off all her hair and dyed it blonde. Vanessa Ann Hudgens and Zack Efron recently split and she just got a tattoo. Simple and shallow, maybe,but it is also deeply psychological. 

When I transferred from community college to a private school I had a hard time getting adjusted. Everyone at this new school had been living together for 2 years by the time I arrived. They also still lived together while I commuted 30 minutes there and back every day. And most of all, most of them were rich.

I'll never forget sitting down in my first class and trying to strike up a conversation with this sweet blonde girl in my class. We started talking about our majors and what we wanted to do, and her dream was to work for Chanel Makeup. At the time I didn't even know Chanel had makeup, and it seemed absurd that such a fancy purse brand would be able to hike the price of makeup just to slap two opposite C's on it (okay so last week I bought Chanel nail polish but it was the only nail polish in the department store and it was an emergency).

But I'll never forget how simply out of touch and out of place I felt in that moment. Once she mentioned Chanel I had nowhere else to go with the conversation. Me, who started up countless conversations in every community college class I had. Now all of a sudden here I was with these kids whose parents were doctors and pilots, who had designer purses and internships already lined up. And I couldn't relate. 

So unconsciously I dyed my hair blonde in order to fit in. This was all I did. I didn't join a sorority or stay out late or do things I shouldn't. I just dyed my hair. And then dyed it back a semester later because it just wasn't me. But as I've hoped you've figured out now this isn't about hair color. It's about adjusting to new life situations and managing and maintaining your identity so that you grow and not wither. 

I almost withered when I transferred but I soon found my place, re-established my identity, and made the most of my experience. 

When I graduated and moved on to my first real job, however, I actually did wither. Like Ashley Simpson I chopped off all my long hair that I loved so much and started wearing suits. The over-achiever that I was I read books about how to be and dress professional and I followed the rules exactly. The rules said you needed to not be so girly and be more masculine. So I put away my flowered blouses and started wearing loafers and pants and cut off all my hair. And I was bored and I missed myself. 

I can't remember exactly when or how it happened, but one day I realized that pants suits just weren't me. I realized I could still express myself and reach my professional goals. I didn't have to compromise that much; and if I wasn't feeling happy or confident, how could I be expected to bring my best ideas and creativity to my work?

So while I couldn't go back to the bright sun dresses and eclectic gladiator sandals that I wore in college, I started growing my hair out. And wearing flowered blouses. And dresses. Skirts. And heels. And I felt like myself again. 

The inspiration came for this post after browsing Facebook (I call it browsing...not stalking) and seeing a few of my favorite transfer students from both my tutoring days and my community college work who had altered their looks. One of my favorite old smartie-pants tutoring students started wearing these big glasses. Another started dressing a bit more urban. And the other chopped off all her hair. 

I think it's fun to explore new looks and reconsider your identity now and again. In fact, it is crucial for growth and development. However, especially as you transfer to different colleges, move, change jobs, or start or end new relationships, you want to make sure that the identities you create are yours and yours alone. Deep down you will know when the change is for someone or something else. And you will know when you look in the mirror when you really feel like yourself. 

So my challenge for you today is simple: wear something nice that makes you feel like you to school or work today. Though it may seem shallow, how you look can often reflect how you feel, and how you feel can reflect how you interact and perform. Try dressing nice to school every day - especially during test days - and notice how you feel and act. And also, don't do anything too drastic when you transfer. 

And finally for my greatest pearl of wisdom that you will ever receive in this blog --> Wait at least a semester before dying your hair blonde :)