UC to celebrate National Transfer Student Week

For the eighth year in a row, UC is joining universities and colleges across the country in observing the annual National Transfer Student Week. Transfer Student Week was created to highlight challenges transfer students face, while bringing together campus communities to celebrate the achievements of this unique student population.

At UC, transfer students make up about 15% of the undergraduate student body, a number that has been steadily growing over the years. Students transfer for various reasons, including academic opportunities, financial considerations, and personal factors.

Maria Habra, who transferred to UC this fall, says her decision was largely influenced by the university’s strong medical program. “UC has such a good medical school and the opportunities you get are far greater than what I could imagine. There are many hospitals and clinics within blocks of UC,” she explains. “The community was also a huge factor when I was transferring. UC always gave me that sense of home, everyone was welcoming and supportive,” she shares.

Krystal-Milly Vibila, who also joined UC this semester, highlights both location and affordability as key reasons for her transfer: “I originally transferred to UC for the DAAP program, because I have family friends who live about thirty minutes away, and because I was given scholarships, which lowered the cost of attendance.”

While each student’s story is unique, they share a common theme of finding the best fit to pursue a college degree.

Although transferring is becoming increasingly common, it can be a complicated process that requires students to be diligent and persistent. Despite this, transfer students are often met with misconceptions from their peers about why they transferred. In Habra’s experience, transfer students are often seen as “freshmen” or less academically prepared because they left their first-choice school.

Vibila echoes similar negative perceptions: “[The biggest misconception about transfer students] is probably that they got kicked out of their previous institution or they were failing there, so they needed a backup plan.”

Prejudice from peers is just one challenge students face when transferring to a new institution, but by highlighting their stories and resilience, Transfer Week can be a catalyst for furthering a community of belonging on campus.

For university administrators, Transfer Student Week is also an opportunity to educate staff and faculty on what they can do to make the transfer process easier for students and get them acclimated to campus.

According to Beth Young, director of the UC Transfer Center in the Office of Admissions, the university has made great strides to make it easier for students to transfer but acknowledges that more can be done. “The two most common concerns students voice about transferring is ‘will my credits transfer’ and ‘will I make friends.’ Many students who transfer are also the first in their family to attend college or may come from smaller institutions, which can make attending a large institution like UC feel overwhelming,” Young says. “By providing training on topics related to the transfer population, our staff and faculty can be better equipped to support these students, both before and after they are admitted,” she adds.

National Transfer Student Week runs from October 21 to 25 and the Transfer Center has put together a website with information about events for current and prospective students and virtual trainings for staff and faculty. Learn more at uc.edu/transfer.