Transfer101

Zahir Poonawala: Research has its Rewards

Born and raised in Tanzania, Zahir Poonawala had been in the United States about six years when he began his higher education at Brookhaven College in Farmer’s Branch. Today, after a brief stop at the University of Houston, he majors in business administration, with a concentration in management information systems, at The University of Texas at Dallas; he’ll graduate in May 2010. For him, community college made the most sense financially, because he understood the Texas core curriculum would transfer to any Texas public university. He was correct, and says that his organizational skills and advance research enabled him to transfer without a hitch. Indeed, when Tau Sigma National Honor Society for transfer students formed a UT Dallas chapter, Poonawala was one of 93 to win membership with a first-semester grade-point average of at least 3.5.

His smartest tactic, he believes, was visiting UT Dallas — not once, but several times — before applying to transfer. “I would encourage students to do campus visits during which they should see the campus, visit a classroom, spend time with a counselor and make new friends,” he says. “These aspects are not visible on any school’s Web site!” Such visits enabled him to question other students about the best classes and professors, as well as to look into career-related organizations he could join. (He settled on SAP Users Group, in which he’s currently an officer.) By the time he actually enrolled, he had a very clear picture of what he’d be doing the next two years.

Derek Newman: From Temple College to UT Austin

For Derek Newman, the choice to attend community college was a family matter. His mother, a professor at Temple College, understood the financial benefits of Derek taking his core coursework at community college before transferring to a four-year university. And, Derek soon discovered there were other benefits as well. He excelled on Temple’s tennis team, finishing fifth and seventh in the nation during his time at the school. “I didn’t have the head to play tennis in high school,” says Derek. “I would flop a set because I would get so frustrated at the game. At Temple, coach Dick King whipped me into shape mentally and physically.”

The motivation he found at Temple also extended off the court. “Temple was a great school because of the teacher to student ratio,” he says. “In my biggest class at TC there were 33 students. I could create a much closer interaction with the professor and honestly understand the material better.”

As with any athlete, Derek understands the value of hard work and discipline. When asked what advice he’d offer to potential transfer students, Derek doesn’t hesitate: “Try your hardest at the community college because it’s difficult to transfer into a prestigious four-year university with a low-end GPA.” In May 2009, Derek’s dedication paid off. He graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a BS in sports management and a minor in business.

Elizabeth Hils: Start Early, Finish Strong

“I don’t know if I could have transferred successfully without my parents’ support,” says Elizabeth Hils, “They helped me so much through the whole process. My mom went to look at the school with me. My dad helped me with the paperwork.” Now an elementary education major at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, who expects to graduate in Spring 2011, Elizabeth began her higher education experience at the northeast campus of San Antonio College, which became Northeast Lakeview College while she was there.

“My plan always was to go to college the full four years or more to get my bachelors degree,” say Elizabeth. “But my parents and I decided it was best to enroll in community college as a dual-credit student to get my basics out of the way. Also, I wasn’t quite ready to move away from home when I was 18.”

The most challenging aspect of transferring to TAMU-CC, Elizabeth says, was the paperwork. “Starting the process early helped,” she says. “It gave us time to get all the paperwork finished and sent in and it gave me time to mentally and emotionally prepare for leaving home. We first went to look at TAMU-CC almost a year before I would start there.”

She also says it helps to know what you want to do in life. “Don’t ever give up on your goals, she says. “If you know what major you want, look at schools that specialize in those majors or are known for that major. Going to a transfer fair helped me. I got so much information about many different schools. Decide what you want and then get information about different universities and decide which one is the closest match to your desires.”

Elizabeth Benson-Landau: Going Beyond your Expectations

When Elizabeth Benson-Landau tells you to “take risks and live the experience,” you can see why she was the student commencement speaker when she graduated in May 2008 from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. You also know she means it.

While attending Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio — which she liked for its student-to-teacher ratio, lack of expense and the more manageable lifestyle it allowed — she applied to several large four-year colleges. “I thought I wanted to go to an Ivy League school,” says Elizabeth, “and when I wasn’t accepted I was devastated. What I did to shift my thoughts was reframe and get clearer about my goals. I kept an open mind and I was led to a school that served my life in the best way I could have imagined.”

After visiting and ruling out some large campuses like Ohio State, where she’d been accepted, she applied to TAMU-CC’s College of Liberal Arts. There, she got a job in the Office of Admissions and Records and joined several student and academic organizations. “This helped me enhance my social network and academic resources, which eased my transition to a four-year college,” she says. The coastal campus gave her an intimate learning environment that made her feel like “more than just a number.”

As an academic advisor for students seeking social science degrees in TAMU-CC’s College of Liberal Arts she continues to help current students feel the same way. “Your experience is what you make of it, “she says. “Stay open to the possibilities of what a community college can offer. You can do so much and go beyond your expectations.”

Jesse Trevino: From Tragedy to Triumph

For Jesse Trevino, community college meant a second chance. The San Antonio painter and muralist had just completed his first year at the Art Student League in New York City in mid-1966, and was about to leave for one of the school’s summer programs in Paris, when he was  drafted into the U.S. Army and sent to Vietnam. Fighting off snipers in the Mekong Delta, he was booby-trapped and severely wounded all over his body.

Trevino spent more than two years in military hospitals and ultimately lost his right hand. Back in civilian life, he registered at San Antonio College hoping to become an art teacher. But with the encouragement of his professors, he instead learned how to draw and paint with his left hand, graduating from SAC and going on to refine his skills while earning a bachelor’s degree from Our Lady of the Lake University and then a master’s from The University of Texas at San Antonio.

Trevino began photographing scenes from everyday life on the West Side — a snow-cone vendor, kids lined up in front of an old car, a nightclub, bakery, drugstore or church — and then painting them in a throbbing, hyper-realist style. Two of them, “Mis Hermanos” (My Brothers) and “Tienda de Elizondo” (Elizondo’s Shop), now belong to the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C.  Then he started assembling massive, colorful murals. Trevino’s “The Spirit of Healing,” done with 150,000 pieces of hand-cut ceramic tile on the side of Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital, is nine stories high and 40 feet wide, and has become a San Antonio landmark.

Amanda Phillips: At Home on Campus

When Amanda Phillips did the numbers, she realized the cost of spending four years on a university campus might just be beyond her reach. But that wasn’t the only deciding factor in her choice to begin her college experience at Lee College in Baytown — it was also the size of the campus. “I came from a high school with a graduating class of less than 200 students,” she explains. “I wanted to stay in the smallest campus atmosphere I could.”

Amanda found a number of other advantages to earning her AA degree at Lee before moving on to the University of Houston at Clear Lake. “Lee was a much more relaxed atmosphere than the university setting; I knew a lot of the people there from high school. And, I particularly loved Lee College’s Honors Program, which I participated in.”

So what’s Amanda top advice for students who plan to transfer? “You have to consider all the factors,” she says, “How close to home do you want to stay? What kind of environment are you looking for? Do you want a lot of school spirit and sports? Or, do you just want to go to school. I personally wanted to avoid all that.” That’s why she chose Clear Lake over the main or downtown UH campuses, and it worked out great. Amanda received her BA in history in August 2008.

Debbie De La Cerda:  Check and Double-Check

Had she not worked in the admissions office of the downtown campus of the University of Texas at San Antonio, Debbie De La Cerda might still be trying to navigate the complexities of transferring from a community college. De La Cerda’s experience ended well, but could serve as a cautionary tale for potential transfer students.  Though she always intended to get her degree from UTSA, she first attended Palo Alto Community College and San Antonio Community College in the 2+2 program to “get her feet wet.”   But when she got to UTSA she forgot to tell her advisor she’d been in that program; the advisor put her in the current catalog, needlessly lengthening her degree plan.

When she landed her job in the admissions office, co-workers set Debbie straight, and she got the advisor to correct her degree plan before she took any unnecessary courses.  She urges transfer students to check and double-check with their advisors to ascertain exactly what courses and associates degrees transfer. And she believes anyone entering community college should  choose classes as if he or she intends to go on to a four-year school, whether that’s the case or not. “Even if you’re not sure you want to further your education try to plan ahead and make sure your coursework is transferable and credited to any university where you might want to seek your BA or BS,” Debbie cautions. “Don’t assume your education stops once you’ve received your associate degree.”