#transfertuesday

Guest Blog by: Joshua King

Growing up in the desert of Joshua Tree, I noticed at an early age that education was not a priority for a large part of my hometown. Many people were not expected to go to college after high school, and those that only attended the local community college for their Associate’s Degrees, with no intent to transfer. I came up a little different. I had always held the goal of a bachelor’s in mind, and although I attended that same community college as so many of my peers, the ultimate goal was university. Near the beginning of my final semester of college at Copper Mountain College, I was still unsure of where I wanted to go for the last two years of my undergrad. A myriad of different filters had been turned over again and again in my mind when it came to choosing the right school: Am I looking for rankings, or location? Do I want to stay in-state? Do I want to go to school with people like me, or surround myself with individuals from different cultures, backgrounds, and histories?

   It’s no secret that many students attend CVTC with the overall intention of transferring elsewhere. So where does one start the transfer process? Look no further! We’re here to give you all the information you need about our Transfer Tuesday events at CVTC.  

   For those unfamiliar with Transfer Tuesdays at CVTC, the event is set up to give students the opportunity to meet representatives from potential transfer colleges around the Eau Claire area. CVTC has a transfer program with three area colleges; UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stout, and UW-River Falls. These three schools accept the majority of CVTC credits and are ranked highest on schools current students end up transferring to. While these schools tend to be more popular for transfer students, they are not the only institutions highly revered in taking in transfer students from CVTC. Other private and satellite schools notoriously make transfer students a priority and have an established relationship with CVTC. This relationship with CVTC ensures students wanting to bring credits elsewhere have guaranteed credits once they begin their education elsewhere.

   I had the chance to sit down with Liberal Arts Transfer Specialist Bonnie Isaacson and Career Pathways Coordinator Jana Armstrong to discuss more detailed information regarding the event. Both Bonnie and Jana work closely with Transfer Tuesdays and have former professional experience as academic advisors. We discussed how for many students, the decision to start somewhere and then transfer means a desire to gain more than college credit; it means gaining experience too. The transition into higher education can be extremely overwhelming for many, and starting a foundation at a technical college can alleviate some intimidation.

   Bonnie and Jana both emphasized that Transfer Tuesdays not only offer students the opportunity to seek out other schooling options, it’s also a chance for them to network. Both women stressed how important it is for students to take advantage of every networking opportunity they can while on-campus, whether it’s attending events like Transfer Tuesdays, or being continuously involved in student organizations and clubs. While most don’t think of on-campus involvement as a component of transferring, Bonnie and Jana indicated that students underestimate how far connections made when getting their associate degree can take them.

   When it comes to advice for students intending on transferring, Bonnie and Jana say one of the most important things to do is meet with an advisor. They said students rarely take advantage of the free resources available to them on campus, including meeting with their academic advisors. Bonnie and Jana insist that meeting with an advisor ensures which credits are transferable and can even help students earn their degree in a timelier manner. Even for those unsure of which school or program in which they’d like to end up, talking to academic and general advisors can provide students with the tools they need to continue their education after CVTC.

      Today on the blog we wish to highlight some of the perks of being a transfer student on our campus. Being a Liberal Arts College we wish to instill the four ‘pillars’ of a liberal arts education: critical thinking, oral expression, written rhetoric, and accessing information efficiently and effectively. To aid our transfer  students in doing so they are required to take what we call “Core Seminars” (Core301, if the student comes in with 24 or more credits). This is in hopes to prepare them for what professors on our campus expect from students and to create a sense of community!

    These courses are run by professor Andrew Cognard-Black, and have a wide selection to encompass a multitude of interests for students. This semester the Core301 options are: ‘Campus Ecology’, ‘Is it just progress?’, ‘The Future of Nature’, ‘Genius, Creativity, and Madness’, ‘Capitalism’s Crisis’, and ‘Whistleblowers & Organizations’. This variety is taught by professors from a wide variety of fields, and they chose their topics so they are just as interested as the students!