Transfer decision not an easy one

IMG_7351-webA majority of DMACC transfer students go to Iowa State University, followed by University of Iowa, Grand View, Drake, Kirkwood, University of Northern Iowa and others, according to statistics from the year 2010 provided by DMACC.

There are many reasons why a student chooses a particular school over another.

This could have to do with the choice of major, popularity of the school, finance, family history or something else. To find out, we asked six students the schools they intend transferring to and why.

Kaitlyn Herr, a liberal arts major plans on transferring to ISU.

“I plan on transferring to Iowa State because I’m a vet med major, and Iowa State’s vet med program is ranked number two in the country,” she said.

Philip Graham, journalism and mass communication major is undecided between Drake and Grand View. They both hold specific interest for him.

“I would like to go to Drake because of magazine marketing, and website development. Grand View because they have individual programs that are very specific,” he said.

For Doris Ross, liberal arts major, ISU is the choice.

“There are more opportunities available in art and business,” she said.

Fatou Jammeh, hospitality management major is also going to ISU.

“They have a great hospitality management program,” she said.

Megan Meister, elementary education major plans on transferring to UNI because they are renown for elementary education.

Timothy Rude, liberal arts major plans on transferring to Drake because a lot of his family had go there.

Making transfer decisions is not always an easy one. How do you know for sure that a school is the right fit for you?

According to Bobby Nalean, counselor, research and awareness are an important part of the process.

“A lot of times students discover that they are undecided after previously feeling confident with a decision. Taking that time to explore possibilities is a really good thing to do because that is really one of the ways that you can be aware of options and possibilities,” he said.

If students are undecided about what school to transfer to, DMACC offers career exploration workshops at the career center and counselors also work with students one-on-one.

“In the workshops we talk about the decision making process, the exploration process and actually work through some assessment that look at interest, values, and skills as a way to start exploring specific possibilities or match in terms of career and majors that lineup with those things,” Nalean said.

Often times, Nalean noticed, students are unsure of what they want to do, but know they want to attend a particular school.

He believes this is a good conversation to have because there is that interest.

What they do in such cases is try to look at the bigger picture, what’s available there and what programs are going to be options at those institutions.

Transfer discussions, according to Nalean, is an everyday conversation. It is not about directing a student to a school, but rather empowering them in their decision making.

“It is really not about guiding a student to a particular school, but putting a stress on becoming aware of the options and possibilities, and empowering the student to feel confident in their ability to make an informed decision,” he said.

One Comment

  1. Transfer students, especially international transfers, are usually at big disadvantages to fit in the new environment, catch up and stand out. I think those who are considering the same move need to firstly prepare themselves well with the right information and attitude. The University provides various resources to help its students, yet you still have to seek them out and make yourself be heard. It’s the same for the social aspect that you need to reach out to make new friends. Most importantly, always have faith in yourself and trust the choices you make.

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