By Rubi Hurtado/reporter
Transferring involves several steps and several people to make sure students take the right steps at the right time.
Students first visit their academic advisors to make sure all the required courses have been taken and passed. Then the advisor refers them to the transfer center on that campus.
“University transfer centers prepare students for a smooth and successful transition to a four-year college,” said academic advisor Sandra Bermejo, who heads South’s center.
Advisors like Bermejo assist students by talking about their future goals, helping them submit university applications, referring them to the transfer center connected to the university of their choice and submitting scholarship applications.
“It can be a very overwhelming process where students may be lost and do not necessarily know what they need to do or what are the steps or when to even start the process,” she said.
The center’s duties may vary on each campus, but the main purpose is serving as middleman between the student and the university. In South’s center, computers allow students to fill out applications while the advisor answers questions.
Bermejo said many students are first-time college attendees from their families and arrive with a sense of being lost regarding what to do or what steps they need to take.
The center also offers workshops and advising sessions. Bermejo puts together a three-part transfer session for South and other campuses. These sessions happen throughout each semester, but students must sign up ahead of time.
Scholarships are a key part in the process. Students may also want to visit the financial aid office to make sure they meet the necessary deadlines and take the necessary steps to successfully complete that segment of the process.
Transfer centers are involved in three general areas. The Transfer Tracker includes looking over the degree plan and the number of hours completed. This is where that transition from general academic advisor to the transfer center advisor happens.
In Transfer Trips, campuses collaborate on field trips. Each campus will schedule and take students to visit universities that may or may not be commuting distances from home. The transfer centers also collaborate with various university partners to set up college fairs and individual recruitment days for colleges on different TCC campuses.
Tiffany Brigham from the University of Texas at Arlington transfer center works specifically with South and SE campuses.
“We work together to bring as much information to students as possible,” she said.
With the Transfer Academy, campuses collaborate in a series of programs such as possible scholarships. This originated on NE and is now being implemented across TCC.
On average, the transfer process takes about a year, Bermejo said. This gives students enough time to reduce stress on deadlines involving transfer and scholarship applications, transcripts needing to be delivered, appointments with the university advisor as well as housing needs if necessary.
“The process can be very overwhelming, but at the end, everything comes together,” said future UTA student Mohamad El Mawla.
El Mawla has taken classes on both TR and South campuses and will leave TCC with an Associate of Arts degree to seek a bachelor’s degree in business. He worked with Bermejo and Brigham. He said he had an idea of the steps he needed to take but needed guidance and having these two centers as a kind of mentor helped the process happen.
TCC student Gracie Martinez is also in the process of transferring. Her application submissions included UTA and Tarleton State University.
“I have been at Tarrant County College since 2002,” she said. “It is taking me longer than normal, but everyone’s situation is different. It is never late.”
