Transfer Information and Worksheet

Transfer Worksheet
Professor Henry Schissler
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This information was compiled from discussions I’ve had with Admissions personnel, including those who work exclusively with transfer students, at various colleges locally and in other regions of the country. I picked about a dozen colleges with different characteristics - varying sizes and academic rigor, different types of majors and intensities of campus activities, urban and suburban settings, some public and some private – in order to attempt to find a consensus of what is necessary for successful transfer. I am pleased to report that there were common threads in transfer expectations.

General Information

You are not being viewed as a new high school graduate applying to college for the first time. You are being viewed as someone who has had some college academic experience (because you are an HCC student). And, you are being viewed as someone with more life experience than the high school senior because you are older and have adjusted to college work expectations. It is assumed that you are able to identify your learning and career goals, and are able to demonstrate a higher level of maturity for academic success.

It is important, therefore, that you settle on a major and career goal prior to applying. For some, these decisions have been made. For others, more research and thought are needed. Do you know, for example, what career paths people take when they major in Sociology or General Business or Communications? Be sure to study college catalogs to review course offerings for majors that might interest you, and read about career opportunities in fields that you are considering. Make an appointment with the Career and Transfer Counselors in the Student Services department at HCC and ask questions. They will be able to provide you with information and resources.


What Is Your “Transfer Student Profile”?

Most students fit neatly into one of the following categories of a typical Transfer Student Profiles. Some transfer students might fit into a combination of more than one, and some have circumstances that place them in their own unique category. Most of these profiles require “explanation” in the transfer essay because they demonstrate a “non-traditional” personal and/or academic journey up to the point of applying for transfer.

Here are the typical transfer student “profiles” admissions officials see:
• You came to HCC right out of high school, had good grades in high school and continue to have good grades here
• You came to HCC right after high school or one or two years after high school and had average grades in high school
• You came to HCC right after high school or one or two years after high school and had poor grades in high school
• You came to HCC after three or more years out of high school and had excellent, average or poor grades when you were in high school
• You attended college elsewhere for one year or less and came to HCC because of poor academic performance
o In any of these categories, you may also have a history of special education involvement
• You attended college elsewhere for one year (occasionally two), had good grades, and came to HCC to prepare to transfer to a new college
• You came to HCC after five or more years out of high school; you’ve had no college experience at all
• You came to HCC after ten or more years out of high school; you may or may not have had some college experience along the way
• You entered the military, completed your service, and are now attending HCC

Pick the profile that best fits your situation and think about what you’ll need to accomplish and articulate to the transfer college in essay form in order to have a good shot at being admitted.


Specifics That Colleges Look For In Transferring Students

(1) Grades are the most important consideration for successful transfer. If you have great grades, they’ll stand alone. But to enhance your academic strengths, you should join any Honor Society associated with your major field of study, and you should try to take part in the Honors Program here at HCC to demonstrate even stronger academic preparation. If possible, you should take a class with a “service learning component.” These courses require students to do some community-based volunteer work as part of the course requirements. Finally, you should take some courses that stress writing

If your high school grades were average or poor, you must explain this in your transfer essay. If your HCC grades aren’t considerably and consistently better, you are not going to attract the attention of Admissions unless there are extenuating circumstances still in play. You’ll have to explain this in your essay.

If you took the SAT tests and did well, they will help you but not a whole lot. Most colleges view the SAT as a snapshot of where you were academically when you took them. More and more colleges are giving less and less weight to the SAT under any admissions circumstance.


(2) The Transfer Essay is of serious importance to you. It is the second most essential piece of your transfer application after your academic grades. The content of your essay must discuss the Transfer Student Profile. Depending upon the profile, it might be a major piece of the essay or a minor addendum to the key points you will be talking about.

In the essay, you can reflect upon one or two specific pieces of learning that you found to be particularly meaningful to you as a student and an individual. You can reflect upon the intellectual and experiential process that has brought you to a particular major or professional goal. If, for example, you wish to major in history to become a secondary school history teacher, what types of history books do you read outside of the academic environment? What historical sites have you visited or would like to visit? A basic assumption about transfer students is that they know what they want to study and have reasonably established career goals.

In your essay, you are attempting to show your “essence,” and you want the admissions person to know how you became this way. If you are a self-starter, if you have leadership skills, if you are an altruistic person, you need to reflect on these (or other) qualities so that the reader feels your connection to these characteristics. You are also demonstrating your communication skills and your ability to write. This will be assessed.

Remember the transfer essay is not the place to restate accomplishments, extracurricular activities or meaningful work experiences because they are listed elsewhere in your application. There are no bullet points in this sort of essay – rather, personal reflection, self assessment, critical and insightful thinking are how you are writing your essay.

It is essential to write a draft that you can discuss with people who know you, including a professor or two. They can ask you questions about what you are saying, can key in on phrases that might not be self-explanatory to them but are to you. They can catch any clichés that might have slipped into your essay. They can reflect on content with you. Then, you need to be sure that your finished essay is reviewed for grammatical, spelling, punctuation (etc) errors.

If your Transfer Student Profile shows that you did poorly in high school or failed at your first four-year college, you are not alone. Many students face this reality when writing their essay. What is important is that you explain your journey honestly and openly, with a mixture of facts and feelings. While not making excuses for your past performance, there often are mitigating factors (to use a phrase from law) that put the past in perspective. That perspective is Step One. Step Two is what you’ve done to overcome the mitigating factors and what you’ve learned from it. And Step Three is to reflect on how these missteps have been used to develop strengths.

For example, if you went away to college and weren’t ready, partied excessively, ignored academics, and were asked to leave, you have a story that has been told thousands and thousands of times. The story is meaningless without insight and reflection. Why weren’t you ready? Why were you unable to act in a mature fashion? Why were you able to ignore warnings of academic failure that you received from your college? You need to tackle these tough questions with insightful self-assessment.


(3) Extracurricular Activities

You are a well-rounded individual. Your transfer college needs to know this. As an HCC student, you can be a part of the Student Senate and join a variety of campus clubs. There are also ample opportunities for service learning experiences in the community. For example, Casey Family Services welcomes volunteer Mentors to work one-on-one with foster children in their care. Youth sports leagues are always seeking volunteer coaches.

Most majors have a professional organization that you can join as a student member; you will receive information about the major, upcoming conferences, new developments in the field of study, and can purchase books and journals that might be of significant interest to you

Well-rounded individuals also read books and stay informed about social and political issues. They are registered to vote, and they vote. They might volunteer to work in a local, statewide, or national political campaign. They attend community events on occasion, and are drawn to certain issues that have a personal or altruistic impact on them – environmental initiatives for example. And, don’t worry, well-rounded individuals also have fun. But they don’t reveal too much of their fun-filled pursuits in photographs on Facebook or have email addresses that are overly provocative.


(4) Other Important Topics

• Apply to private as well as public colleges and universities because you might get adequate scholarship assistance to be able to consider the private colleges
• Complete financial aid forms well in advance and take the time to thoroughly understand the process; remember that you can negotiate your financial aid package with a private college and, by doing so, might be able to increase the size of your award