By Igdaly Patel 

CHANGE! How many of us are worried about change? Oftentimes we experience a nervous feeling in our stomach because of the unknown. Many colleges place a lot of emphasis primarily on their incoming freshman class, making sure their transition from high school into college life is seamless. But why do we forget about transfer students?

We must keep in mind transfer students go through major changes as well. For these students, leaving home or another college for a new academic environment can be scary as they enter a new campus culture. Meeting new people and getting acquainted with a new school environment can be very challenging to say the least. However, it is a good thing to be challenged out of your comfort zone, and embark upon new territory and start that college journey. Even though at times it may seem easier to stay where you are, there are many benefits that come with change.

Working closely with transfer students this year has helped me learn more about the types of questions that are most important in the process of transferring. Below, I have listed the top three questions that transfer students consistently ask me.

1. Are my credits transferable?

Finding out if your credits are transferable is probably the determining factor for most transfer students. Some potential transfer students are under the impression their credits will automatically transfer over towards their major. However, this is not always the case and there are no guarantees courses will be transferable. I always encourage students to research the institution they want to transfer over to. Take a look at their course catalog. You can get an idea of how many of your credits could potentially be applied towards your major by simply exploring the PUC general catalog. You can also contact our Records Office before taking a course at another school to make sure we will accept those credits. Speak to your academic advisor at your school and the school you’re planning to transfer to.  Keep in mind each school reserves the right to accept or reject credits earned at another institution.

2. How and when can I register for classes?

Once you’ve been accepted to PUC, our Records Office will complete a degree audit/evaluation of your transcripts, and when it’s completed, it will be available on your WebAdvisor account where you can see how your transfer credits apply to your degree requirements at PUC. Based on your chosen major and/or pre-professionals goals, an academic advisor will be assigned to you and they will assist you on setting up your class schedule. They will also suggest to you any academic success strategies and answer any questions you may have regarding our academic policies. Once you have discussed and planned your class schedule with your advisor, you can register for classes using your WebAdvisor account. Learn more by reading our “The Basics of Your WebAdvisor Account” blog post.

3. Do we offer scholarships for transfer students?

Cost is another huge determining factor for whether or not a student decides to transfer to a different college. PUC offers scholarships for transfer students, and one such scholarship is the Academic Achievement Scholarship for transfer students. This scholarship is solely based on your college cumulative GPA, and all you need to do is submit your academic transcript to the Admissions office. For more information regarding the scholarships we offer, visit http://www.puc.edu/admissions/finance.

There’s also an unbelieveable amount of scholarships available to college students on websites and search engines. Be sure to check out our “Five Tips for Finding College Scholarships” blog post for ideas of where you can start looking for money to pay for college. Who doesn’t want to  get some free money towards their education?

There’s still plenty of time for you to do everything necessary to become a PUC student this year. Winter quarter starts on Monday, January 5th and spring quarter on Monday, March 30th. For more information about transferring to PUC please contact me! You can reach me at Igdaly@puc.edu or 707-965-6642. My job is to help anyone planning or considering transferring to PUC, and to make that transition as smooth as possible.