By Hannah Lathen/ managing editor

Students need to get into the transfer center as early as possible in their college careers, said South Campus transfer center coordinator Sandra Bermejo. 

Each TCC campus offers transfer centers where students can work toward graduating and going on to another college or university.

Transferring out of TCC is a simple process that includes applying for schools, requesting transcripts and then working on financial aid and scholarships, NE  transfer center coordinator Vanessa Ximenez said.

“Some students are very intimidated by the process because they don’t know where to start, but if they come here, we tell them where to start, and they find out it’s not a difficult process at all,” she said.

Rather than tackling the transfer process alone, Ximenez said students should use the transfer center because its staff members have a better understanding on what students need to do.

Transfer advisers can also assist students navigating through university websites to get the information they need.

One problem, Bermejo said, is students will try to start their transfer process in their last semester at TCC.

“What happens is that many of these students don’t realize what it can take,” Bermejo said. “It takes six months.”

The earlier students visit the transfer center the better, Bermejo said, because they can start degree planning.

“If they are transferring, it is important that they utilize the transfer center even in their first semester to pick some information and to make that connection with the transfer admissions counselor,” she said.

Scholarships are on a first-come, first-served basis, Bermejo said, so starting everything early is beneficial to students.

“Say a student plans to graduate in the spring,” she said. “They should start the transfer process as early as August or September of the academic school year.”

South student and peer advisor Key Gray is transferring to the University of North Texas this fall and used the center to guide him through the process.

“I know it can be kind of tedious and upsetting to get started and walk through the whole process,” he said. “The transfer center really lays it out in a way that is easy to understand.”