Transfer101

Caroline was raised in Richardson, TX and joined the US Navy ten months after graduating high school in 2001. After serving six honorable years of active duty and visiting multiple countries throughout the world, Caroline decided to leave the military to pursue a higher education. “I felt it was important to obtain my degree so that I would have the knowledge and tools to further my career path. Whether that path will lead me to continue Naval Service or attain a job in the civilian sector is currently unknown, but I do know that I’ll be proud to have accomplished this goal.”

She chose to use her Post 9/11 GI Bill at Collin County Community College in order to stay close to her family, whom she had missed while on active duty. Once Caroline graduated with an Associate of Science in General Studies in December 2010, she decided that in order to achieve her ultimate educational goal, it was necessary to continue on to complete a Bachelor Degree in Geophysics. Caroline wanted to find a university that would have both a good academic program and a military friendly atmosphere.

Caroline decided to attend Texas Tech University, not only based on their outstanding reputation in the Geosciences and Engineering departments, but also because Texas Tech is rated among the top schools in the nation for providing military veterans the best experience possible. “I was lucky enough to find a school where there is an entire office devoted to veterans. Not only do they help with the red tape that often occurs with the GI Bill, but they also are there to make sure I am succeeding academically as well.”

Caroline is currently completing her Junior year, and is planning on attending Graduate School in August 2013. She is also serving as the Secretary of the Texas Tech Veterans Association on campus, an organization that is very involved in the community to promote patriotism and the understanding of Lubbock Veterans. Caroline enjoys each day that she can use her knowledge, skills, and experience that she acquired while serving in the Navy, as well as those that she gains while at Texas Tech to guide her on the path to success.

When Magan Marder visited a high school friend during Texas Tech University’s homecoming weekend, she quickly realized Texas Tech was where she needed to be.

Texas Tech’s down-to-earth atmosphere and the friendly and welcoming people she encountered on campus solidified her plans to transfer from a regional university in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex to Texas Tech.

Texas Tech’s admissions staff made transferring easy, she said, ensuring that all her application materials were submitted.

“I regret not starting at Texas Tech my first semester of college. Yet, when I transferred at semester, it was an easy transition for me because of all the opportunities available to students,” Magan says.

Magan advises other transfer students to visit Texas Tech and seek out all the ways to get involved on campus. She knows firsthand how easy it is to get involved from the beginning. Magan got involved in student government, joined a Greek letter organization and became a member of President’s Select, a student ambassador group.

“The transition becomes even easier when you know that they offer your major,” she says. “When I transferred to Texas Tech, my major was psychology, but then I discovered a major that better fit my career plans.” She’s now majoring in human development and family studies with the goal of one day becoming a licensed professional counselor.

Magan readily admits telling students that “Texas Tech was the right choice for me, and I know it can be for you, too.”

Higher education officials are pushing to get more community college graduates into the state’s four-year universities.

Officials with the University of Texas System, Texas A&M University System and Texas Association of Community Colleges unveiled the Transfer 101 campaign this month to better explain the transition and to encourage students to move on to additional education.

Studies show that students who complete community college course work before going to four-year institutions tend to graduate at a higher rate than those who begin their college educations at four-year institutions. However, fewer than 20 percent of qualified community college students elect to transfer to universities, according to Martha Ellis, the UT System’s associate vice chancellor for community college partnerships.

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Three years ago, Sophia Berry was wandering around the University of North Texas campus in Denton, map in hand, trying to find her next class. After spending a semester at a one-building community college, she found the university impossibly spread out. And the social pressures she felt there, among 28,000 undergraduates and 7,000 graduate students, were daunting.

Now she is so much at home that she serves as a counselor for incoming freshmen and transfer students, teaching them the university’s fight song and helping them make the transition to a large public college.

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