For many HFCC students, transferring colleges is another step toward the future. As exciting as the process of transferring is, it can also be very daunting. Not only do you have to figure out which college is the best fit, but also how tuition will be paid, credits will transfer, where you’ll live, and which major will prepare you for your future career.
As a student, I’ve been asking myself all of these questions on a regular basis, and doing as much research as I can so I’m ready for my transfer. Although I am not sure where I want to transfer to yet, here are some tips that may be helpful as you prepare for transferring colleges.
Get Started Early – When it comes to college applications, it’s very easy to fall into the pit of procrastination. However, procrastinating on a college decision will not only limit your transfer options, but could keep you from earning some decent scholarship money. Many colleges list their final transfer deadline as sometime in January or February, but by that time, many merit scholarships will already be handed out to students who applied early. If you want to be considered for certain merit-based scholarships, getting an early start will help you tremendously.
Call for More Information – Because of the availability of the internet, colleges publish most of their information online, and, in some cases, don’t print out paper copies of any materials. It’s very important to thoroughly read through these websites, because they usually will answer all your questions. However, if you have a specific question to ask a counselor or department, do not simply send an email. Although many colleges provide e-mail addresses, colleges receive so many e-mails from students that they can’t keep up with the load. Even if you only ask a simple question, your e-mail will probably get lost in the swirling vastness of cyberspace. For an immediate answer, simply call the school and talk to someone directly.
Use College Transfer Guides – Every college has their own general education requirements that students have to fulfill, and matching these requirements with the credits you’ve earned at HFCC can be a frustrating task. HFCC’s Counseling Office offers copies of Transfer Guides for many local universities, which evaluate how your credits will transfer, as well as whether these classes fulfill general education requirements. Not only will these guides give you a good idea of what classes you should take, but they will also give you an idea of what kinds of classes to take each semester.