As graduation inches closer, many students at Highline College are thinking about the next step on their educational journeys. Thankfully for potential transfer students, the Northwest STEP Transfer Fair was designed with them in mind. At this event, which took place on May 19 in Building 8 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., university representatives answered students’ questions about that transition.

Generally, the key to success when transferring from community college to university boils down to a few things: Make sure that coursework completed at the college is transferable to the university of choice, submit transcripts with the university application, and, once accepted, connect with academic advisors to learn about additional resources and next steps.

Carley Randall of the Career and Transfer Services department said, “The goal of this event is to connect students with universities and provide them with an opportunity to ask questions, get information as they continue with their academic journeys, and empower students to successfully navigate the transfer process.”

Describing the preparation for the Northwest Transfer Fair, Randall said, “Preparation for this event began several months in advance and was guided in part by our partnership with the Northwest Student Transfer Education Partnership (NW STEP), a regional network of higher education professionals across Washington state.”

Northwest STEP is an organization that bridges the gap between community or technical colleges and universities by creating opportunities for prospective transfer students to learn more about four-year schools and how to apply.

Although many universities were invited to table at the fair by Career and Transfer Services this year, “some additional institutions express[ed] interest and RSVP’d based on prior engagement or outreach that we have done.” The department also made sure to spread awareness about the event through a marketing campaign consisting of flyers around campus, emails sent to the student body, and social media posts.

The Career and Transfer Services department weren’t the only ones involved in the planning of the fair, though. Richard Frische is the head of recruitment for Arizona State University and his job is to engage in conversations with potential transfer students from various colleges, catching flights and setting up booths. 

When asked about the process of attending these events, he said, “A lot of the preparation involves looking at the data, figuring out our priorities. The admissions office isn’t going across the country. I only go to community colleges that have a demonstrated enrollment pattern [because] I have to make this travel worth the money we’re spending. For example, there are a bunch of community colleges on the Oregon coast that I’d love to do a circuit at, but we don’t get a lot of enrollment from that area, so I can’t justify the cost. We prioritize schools with demonstrated enrollment history.”

As someone who works in an admissions office, Frische interacts with a lot of transfer students. When asked what universities can do to support transfer students coming into their schools, he said, “The role of the university is to personalize and tailor the support to the individual transfer student, because a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t usually work with them the way that it might with other populations.” 

Universities across the country offer optional transfer pathways that allow students to register for classes that will easily transfer from community college to a four-year school. “That way students should never be surprised by how their credits transfer because they will have planned it out term-by-term,” said Frische.

When asked how her school supports transfer students, Vicky Beauford, the recruitment specialist and admissions counselor at Evergreen State College, Tacoma, said, “Here at Evergreen State College, we have a transfer team. There’s an admissions counselor, who is me, Vicky. I’ll help you get into the program. Then I’ll hand you off to Dr. Keith Stafford, who is the director of the program. He helps students transition from meetings with me to applying to college. He helps you get your transcripts in on time and directs you on the steps you have to take while you’re filling out the application.” 

While community colleges are generally institutions to take foundational classes such as English 101, universities are institutions where students are able to take degree-specific classes. In the case of Evergreen, “We’re [an] interdisciplinary Bachelor’s of Arts program. With interdisciplinary studies, you already know what you want to do and have known since community college, so now you’re enhancing what you know. Coming into Evergreen, you don’t have to worry about having textbooks because we read regular books and expound on those books in your education. Our school is designed for heavy reading, heavy writing, and it’s heavy on presentations. Very heavy on working in groups.”

Western Washington University’s transfer student services consist of academic advisors, summer orientation and registration sessions, and department-specific advising. Jacob Joens-Poulton, the regional representative for south King County, elaborated on this: “There’s a few different places where students are able to receive support. I myself am an advisor for students but we also have a dedicated transfer advisor and we’ll be bringing on another pretty soon. Students are able to have someone who can look directly at their situation and help them individually, to create the pathways from the college to Western, to understand where they’re coming from. 

“[Advisors] connect with students’ personal and professional goals, look at their academic history, and are able to give them those advising next steps [answering questions such as] ‘What’s it like moving to Bellingham?’ finding a place to live, all of that. That’s the first round of support. Within departments themselves, they have their own advisors, so that can be a huge resource even in the beginning stage. If students do Computer Science and they’re like ‘Hey, I know this is a competitive field, what can I do at Highline to be prepared at Western?’ There are a lot of levels [of support] for students to move confidently towards getting their Bachelor’s.”

The difference between community college and university, is that, “there are more opportunities for students to immerse themselves in the tools and technology of different fields that will build their skills to work, whether they’re going out into the professional world or going on to graduate school. I think those opportunities are really unique to a university. I also think that the social scene is a little bit different,” said Joens-Poulton.

“There are a lot of clubs here, but at the universities there are even more options for students to get involved with campus life,” continued Joens-Poulton. I think the departments at the university are a little more geared towards transitioning into the work world after graduation in a very direct sense. Professors have connections to different industries or professional growth [opportunities]. I think those resources are very strong.”

Alongside the university representatives, student volunteers were another vital part of the event. Volunteers could be found signing participants in, monitoring the snack table, and providing additional information about the transfer process. Snacks were provided by the Highline College Pantry, which drew a crowd. It is estimated that there were about 100 event-goers present and 25 universities represented, from institutions as local as UW Seattle to as far-flung as Western Governors University in Salt Lake City.

Elias Whitaker is a soon-to-be graduate of Highline College who attended the NW Step Transfer Fair to gain some insight into the next step of his education. When asked if he found the transfer process intimidating, Whitaker said, “Of course, it’s something I’ve never done before. If I can get into it, I can do it. Starting off is the hardest part. The people I talked to gave me scholarship opportunities, more information for a specific major–early education, I want to be a teacher–they gave me [a list of] specific deadlines, financial assistance, and personal contact information. That’s helpful for sure.”