College Advisor for Transferring Colleges

Parent Q&A

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  • Can anyone recommend a college advisor who is very knowledgeable about transfer applications -- not from a community college into a UC like many of the posts here, but from a private university into any type school (public or private, U.S. or Canada) on the West Coast?  We could use advice on how to find the best transfer matches, advice on whether my child's transcript (good grades but not a lot of course variety -- freshman year concentrated in STEM classes) meets a given school's transfer requirements, info re transfers in the computer science major, advice about whether to attend sophomore year at the current school or to take a leave of absence while applying to transfer, and info re which schools do the best job of warmly incorporating their transfer students.

    I see lots of encouraging recommendations here for college counselors generally, but am hoping to find someone with deep knowledge on these transfer questions.  (There is one answer from many years ago, but hoping for more current information.)

    Thanks!

    In my experience, it is really not that complicated. Don't think of it as a "transfer," because it is not, it is an application with existing college credits. A lot of weight will be given to high school grades and the application essay for applicants with fewer than 60 credit hours. Basic GE classes from the previous college will be accepted by the new school and the grades are important, not variety; no one expects much variety from a freshman. My daughter applied to a private college after one semester at a CSU, and I applied to a UC after two years at a CSU. We each lost 3 credits in the transition due to a specialized CSU course that apparently no other school requires, lol. Neither of us took time off in between changing schools, it depends on if the target school has space available or not. Is your child's main issue location? Check the school websites they are interested in to see the requirements for applications with existing credits.

  • Does anyone know of a college counselor that knows a lot about transferring colleges before or during junior year? We have reasons to want our son to transfer from an out-of-state college to an in-state one. We also need financial aid, so that makes it less than easy. I would appreciate anyone's advice. We feel it's urgent to talk to someone asap. Thanks sincerely. Ana

    Contact vielka [at] vielkahoy.com. She is an expert at this, and really knows her stuff. She can help with the transfer, and the funding part, as well as anything else that comes up during the process, and she's super fast at responding to your questions. Hope this helps.

Archived Q&A and Reviews


Transfer from Community College advisor

June 2016

Can someone recommend an advisor with specific experience on transfer from CA Community Colleges to UCs ?
Thanks
Anon
I'm not sure why you'd need to hire an advisor for this. There is a system in place, websites about it, and the CC counselors are well-versed about classes and credits needed to transfer to a UC or CSU. My son did it very effortlessly a couple years ago working with a counselor at Berkeley City College. Here are the websites:
Transferring from a CC to a CSU:  http://adegreewithaguarantee.com/
Mom of 3

Counselor for transfer from DVC

Oct 2015

Hello parents, My daughter started DVC this fall and is interested in many different fields. For her transfer, she could tag a UC or broaden her horizon. Many universities accept transfer students, we are looking for a solid college counselor with experience in selecting and transferring students to public and private colleges. Do you know anyone? Thank you! helicopter mom trying to let go


Martha Black helped my son transfer from a community college to a 4 year university.  The process was thorough and helpful and included both public and private university options.  Her number is 510-847-1205.
anon


College advisor for transfer students?

Aug 2015

Hello, I am wondering if there are any college advisors out there who specialize in transfer students to the UC schools? Specifically, Berkeley? Any suggestions appreciated. Thank you! mom to transfer student


I may be biased because I work at Berkeley, but you don't need to hire an advisor to help your prospective transfer student. There are free advisors who help prospective transfer students at California Community Colleges who want to transfer. Some come from Admissions, some from Berkeley's Transfer Center, and some from our Center for Educational Partnerships. They have 4 different programs depending on CCC campus and a bunch of free resources for planning: http://cep.berkeley.edu/transfer-pathways-to-uc-and-csu

Take advantage of these free resources from people who know what it takes to be a successful Berkeley transfer before spending money on a private counselor. Free help to become a Golden Bear
 


College Advisor to help with community college transfer

July 2013

My daughter attended one year at an out-of-state public university and is now about to start her second year at a California community college. While she generally seems to be doing fine, she is floundering a little and is somewhat lost as to what to do about next steps in terms of the transfer process, what her goals are, etc. My husband and I are also proposing that our daughter consider whether she might want to take a gap year or other time off to sort things out if that makes sense for her.

The community college that our daughter is attending has a good counseling department, but she is having some difficulty navigating through the process of this very large school and setting up appointments. (Honestly, I think the whole transfer process is a bit confusing, especially when credits from an out-of-state school are involved.) She is a bit young for her age and not very confident, comparing herself against her older sister who graduated from one school in four years and her friends who all appear to be ''on track.'' I thought it would be helpful for her (and us) if she could spend some time talking to a professional educational coach or consultant to make sure that she is on track herself to successfully transfer to a four-year school and/or to look at other options if she does want to take some time away from school at this point. I've looked through the archives of this site, but it looks like all the reviews are either for consultants who help high school students through the college admissions process or who seem to focus solely on gap year situations.

Any suggestions or referrals to someone in the Oakland/Berkeley area whom you think would be helpful in this type of situation would be most appreciated. concerned mom who is also learning how to let go


Martha Black does an excellent job advising transfer students. She is in Kensington and accessible by bus. Her phone number is 847-1205. Her website, marthablackcollegeadvising.com, outlines her process. She worked with my son and really helped him focus on preparation for transfer and the process.

Another resource is College Confidential, which has threads for general and UC transfers. Ms. Sun's blog, askmssun.livejournal.com, has a lot of information on the UC transfer process, with the caveat that her consulting business focuses on entry into the top UC's. Those who transferred and their acquaintances also warned us to make sure that the destination college does a good job of assimilating transfer students, both academically and socially. Best of luck to your daughter. Anon


Try Rebecca Fields. She's a college counselor. Her website says she also does coaching for college students. Anon