Counselors aid in transfer process

By Matthew Gomez
The Guardsman

The variety of options facing City College students hoping to transfer to four-year institutions can be overwhelming, which is why counselors in the transfer department work tirelessly to make the process as simple as possible.

The transfer department, in Science Hall Room 132, is open to students who want information concerning transfer requirements, the application process, deadlines and other things related to the transfer process.

The three full-time counselors, Larry Damato, Grace Hom and Jack Sugawara, are available throughout the week for 30-minute scheduled appointments and drop-in sessions.

“They need to start planning from the first semester,” Hom said. “Definitely by the second semester.”

At the same time, transferring in general is becoming a more difficult process thanks to budget cuts and tuition increases. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that another $1 billion cut to California State University schools next semester could cause more class cuts and another tuition increase.

Damato, who is department chair and transfer director, mentioned that CSUs will be accepting applications this August for their Spring 2012 semester, something they did not do last year. The CSUs have not committed to accepting any students, due to budget restraints and the looming cuts, but Damato said any interested students should still send in an application. All application fees will be refunded the if the CSUs decide not to admit any students.

He also said schools often update and change their requirements for transferring, which can further complicate the process for uninformed students.

“A lot of students obviously come to community college to explore and find out what they want to do,” Damato said.

Phil Kim, 24, was worried he wouldn’t be able to transfer next semester because he hadn’t yet taken a calculus class required of him to be accepted into his major, economics. A counselor told him he would be able to take the class after he transferred, which relieved him of a lot of stress.

He’s sent in his applications to University of California schools at Davis, Berkeley and San Diego, and is keeping his fingers crossed because he expects to hear back any day now. He hopes to be a business analyst for a sports company like Nike or Adidas.

Hom stressed that taking care of the basics was the first step to a successful transfer process. She said students should take math and English courses every semester until they finish those requirements.

“Start off with the basics,” Hom said. “Get off on the right foot.”

Both counselors also mentioned the Transfer Admission Guarantee, offered by seven of the nine University of California colleges. A student will be accepted to the school they apply to (UC Berkeley and UCLA are the exception) so long as they fill out the TAG form and meet the requirements.The forms, which used to be mail-in and available at the transfer center, can now be filled out online.

The switch has proven to be popular. Damato said the number of City College students who applied rose from 250 to 1,250 in the last year.

By fall 2012, City College students could also be graduating with associate degrees to transfer, which will ensure a student meets eligibility requirements  to transfer to a CSU. The first two degrees will be available in communications and psychology.

“We’ll see if it really works,” Damato said. “As time goes on, more and more transfer degrees will be added.”

Email:
mgomez@theguardsman.com