Transfer101

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.

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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