Thinking About Transferring To A Different College? Here Are Some Useful Tips

Transferring to a different college can be very difficult, but with the right information and planning, it can be done. There are many things you need to do before transferring, so make sure you know what credits will transfer and research the new school’s curriculum. You also need to get organized!

Get Familiarized with Your New Campus

Find out where each of your classes is located and what times they start/end and meet up with any professors during their office hours if possible. This way you’ll feel more comfortable when everything starts in the fall semester. But, if you’re transferring colleges after one semester, it might be too late to meet up with professors for this year. However, it’s still a good idea to introduce yourself as a transfer student beforehand and ask any questions you might have as soon as possible.

As soon as you’ve found out you’re going to transfer to a different college, you should immediately get in contact with your new school’s registrar. Ask them what transfer credit they would be willing to give you for the classes taken at your old college and start filling out the necessary paperwork so you can bring that information to your new professors when it comes time for class registration.

Explore What Classes You Can Take

Make sure you go over the course catalog of your new college as soon as possible so you know exactly what classes will be available to you. You can even take some online courses from your old college if they’re going to count toward your degree at the new one. But, make sure those credits are transferable and don’t overlap with your new school. If you have a general education requirement from your old college, you don’t want to do it twice!

In addition to ensuring credit for all of your old classes will count, the class schedule information is helpful because it shows if there are any semesters you can take a lighter course load and still graduate on time. So, take a look at your major, honors, and GE requirements if they’re different from the old college.

Organize All of Your Documents

Keep copies of these papers on both laptops or external hard drives as well as at home just in case you need a physical copy. Documents may include but are not limited to:

• Your unofficial transcript from the registrar at your old college.

• Copies of official course descriptions for each class you took at the old college.

• A letter from your academic advisor detailing what classes you need to take and in which semesters you should take them.

• A list of your major requirements from the department head for your major as well as a list of honors classes you’re planning on completing with a detailed semester schedule.

Transferring from one college to another can be a huge ordeal, but it doesn’t have to be if you know what you’re doing. Take some time before the transfer so you know exactly where everything is located and what credits will count. Also, get in contact with your new school’s registrar so they know you’re coming in the fall and go over your old school’s course catalog so you can decide if it would be better to take a lighter course load. Finally, organize all of your documents – especially your transcript, copies of course descriptions, a letter from an academic advisor, major requirements list, honors classes schedule – just in case!