Don't assume that all of your credits from one college will be accepted by another. Transfer students may end up having to take the same course twice--once at their original school and again at the college to which they transfer. To avoid repeating courses, students should contact the college where they plan to transfer and ask for recommendations about which courses to take. According to Global Study Magazine, programs at community colleges are often aligned with programs at the major university within the same state. Therefore, transferring to a college in the same state as your current school can help you avoid re-taking courses. Students can still receive credit for classes taken at out-of-state colleges and colleges in foreign countries. However, there is a greater chance that these students will have to take some courses twice.
A transfer student must complete a comprehensive application to the new college. The main difference between completing an initial application and a transfer application is that transfer applications may not require that students report SAT or ACT scores. Instead, the focus of the the transfer application is mainly on grade point average, the student's resume, recommendation letters and a personal essay. Transfer students should attempt to maintain at least a B average overall in academic, grade-level courses. Becoming involved in extracurricular activities also provides students with good experience to place on a resume. Being regularly involved in a few activities is better than being sporadically involved in several activities. Regular long-term commitments to extracurriculars can put students in contact with faculty members who can write powerful recommendation letters and may inspire students when it comes to choosing a topic for the personal essay. Personal essays must stand out and be written as though they are stories with action and an interesting beginning, middle and end.
Transfer students may become comfortable at their first college and then end up feeling displaced and homesick when they move to a different school. It's important that students get to know their new schools before showing up on the first day of class. Students may accomplish this by making a personal connection with administration when they begin planning their credits and by getting involved in extracurricular activities or sororities and fraternities that have chapters at the new school, as well. Transfer students also may find it helpful to attend freshmen orientation sessions at the new school and to make several trips to the new campus and town before classes begin.