The Transfer Games: What to Know and Prepare For

By Cassidy Peterson
Staff Writer
thehutchinsoncollegian@gmail.com

As the spring semester starts to wind down, many students look to the future and their next college of choice.

Transferring to another college can be a relatively difficult or easy experience, depending on the school you are transferring to and your major. Additionally, it is imperative to figure out whether credits are transferable at your next college.

HutchCC sophomore Mariah Piña is graduating with a general studies associate’s degree and plans on attending Wichita State in the fall. Piña said that her and her advisor made sure she took courses that allowed for credit transfers to prevent any issues, which has made the process effortless.

“The transfer process has been OK, I’m not really that far into it, but the stuff I have done was pretty easy,” Piña said.

HutchCC business administration major and sophomore, Cooper Williams, said he is planning to transfer to Kansas State University this fall.

“With help from my advisor, planning out what I needed to take for a smooth transfer, all my credits transferred over just fine,” Williams said.

He also said that the transfer procedure has been easy and that the advisor at Kansas State has been helpful.

Although Piña and Williams had a quick and painless application process, that is not always the case. According to Community College Daily, students that transfer, on average, lose 13 credits. Plus, nearly 40% of transfer students did not receive any credit at all for any previously completed college coursework.

That is why advisors, such as HutchCC’s Charles Buller, are available on campus to ensure credits transfer and the whole application process is stress free. Buller has been an advisor for 21 years and currently advises students in the pre-pharmacy, pre-medicine, pre-physicians assistant, and laboratory science pathways. He said that when he meets with students his main goal as an advisor is to make sure that credits do transfer to whatever school a student is interested in going to. Buller remarks that after assisting students with their time at HutchCC, he has little to no part in the transfer and application process. Although, he is willing to write a letter of recommendation, send a syllabus, or more.

HutchCC has the resources to provide students with painless transitions into a four-year institution. With that in mind, students should do their own research and talk with an advisor from the school they are transferring to in advance to ensure a seamless shift.

Views: 74