12-6-07

Transferring Between Colleges (Part 1)

This is the first of a two part column

One topic that has, at least since 1989 when I started my recruiting career, always been a hot topic in the college admission game, is the transfer of students and credits from one institution of higher education to another.  For a wide variety of reasons, students routinely take courses at more than one college before they graduate with their Bachelor’s Degree.  Concurrent credit taken during high school, lower tuition costs, lower admission requirements, availability and delivery mode of course offerings (online, summer, etc.), perceived difficulty of the course, and changes in major, among others, are all common and appropriate reasons for taking courses at more than one institution. 

Regardless of the reason for transferring the credits, the practice is common, and presumably, here to stay.  There are, however, misconceptions on the part of some students and others who work with them, which can cause problems for either or both institutions AND the students themselves.  My purpose in writing this column is to inform students and parents as to how best to go about using coursework from more than one institution to complete a Bachelor’s Degree.  Seven things you should know are listed below:

1.  Know the difference between credits transferring to and credits counting toward a degree at another institution.  Most college credits transfer to other schools, and EVERYTHING you take at one school MUST be reported to all subsequent schools.  Whether or not a course transfers to another school is not really what you want to know.  You want to know if the faculty/advisor/program you are going to (your destination school) will count it toward your degree.  For example, if you take college algebra at school A (and pass it), it will most likely transfer to school B.  However, if you will be an engineering major at school B, it is unlikely that you will receive credit for it toward your degree because calculus is usually the first math course required of engineers.

2.  If you know what you want to major in and where you plan to graduate, don’t ask anyone but someone from that department/school if a course from another institution counts.  Faculty are constantly making changes and fine-tuning their programs to offer the best possible education in their discipline.  Only those connected with that program will be aware of the latest changes and updates, and the best possible course selections.  No matter how knowledgeable and/or well-intentioned the help from someone else, there is a greater possibility of errors.  Faculty or academic advisors from your destination school’s program are the best source of this information.  In addition, it gives you the opportunity to begin a relationship with your future home department before you actually get there.

An updated copy of the latest degree requirement sheet will answer many of your questions, but the advisor can help where things aren’t clear.

3.  You need to know that community colleges are, first and foremost, in the business of graduating students with Associates degrees and preparing them for work in specific fields (after graduating from their institution).  Their programs are often intended to fill needs within the local or regional community.  Ensuring that every class you take at their institution transfers, and counts at your next institution, is NOT their highest priority.  You have to be aware and involved so as to maximize the amount of “countable” credit you take with you to your next school.

If one of your goals is to graduate with an Associates Degree, you will need to take every class required for the Associates (obviously).  If it’s not, you may not want to take everything that’s required.  If you’re interested in getting out of school as quickly as possible, and don’t want to take ANY extra classes, you may not want to finish the Associate’s, choosing only to take whatever classes count toward your Bachelor’s degree.  Articulation agreements (addressed below) are a way to avoid this problem.

 Continued next week…

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