<p>I just recently successfully transferred to another university, but I've been paying the price of an unintended consequence! While most of my friends and family supports my decision, there are those who flak on me a lot. One of the more recent complaints someone directed to me was: "You basically found the loopholes and worked your way from the back door," or "it's so much easier to get as a transfer student."</p>
<p>As much as I can care less about what people have to say, there's a negative connotation to these comments: transfer students are "dumber" on average. I don't think many people realize how difficult it is to transfer due to the requirements of classes in college (all of which I found much harder than high school work) and keeping your grades as high as possible. Not to forget how knit picky some requirements get, and sometimes transfer acceptance rates are LOWER than freshmen rates -- it's just not a simple process.</p>
<p>It really shocks me when people tell me how less of a hard-worker I am or less deserving to attend an institution because I didn't go immediately following high school. Some people don't have to money to afford schools like that, and often, we all change our career paths as we become more educated so we want to go to a school that fits our actual social and academic interests. Why do people always think high school efforts are what matters the most? It just doesn't work as easy as some think due to personal circumstances.</p>
<p>Anyway, sorry for the rant/question (?). Has anyone stumbled upon condescending people like this?</p>
<p>I looked through some of your old posts, and saw that you are going to be transferring into USC for this upcoming fall. I’m guessing that the condescending people you are referring to are your friends/acquaintances back home, since you haven’t started your first semester yet. </p>
<p>I just transferred out of USC, and I am fairly certain that you will not find the same mentality once you get there. The school is very welcoming to its own, and the majority of the people you meet will probably just want to know more about you and why you transferred (as well as assure you that USC is the best school ever, since most students have crazy 'SC pride). </p>
<p>While I do think some people believe that transfer students have an easier time getting into top universities than first year admits, there are also many who recognize that a lot of students don’t find the right “fit” in a college the first time around. With transferring becoming somewhat more acceptable and feasible now than it used to be, I also think that the mentality towards transfers is gradually becoming more of the latter.</p>
<p>I, too, am hoping to find a respectful and open student body at my new school. All we can really do is try our best to succeed in our new situations, and show everyone that we truly do belong there. The best defense against those who would judge you is simply proving them wrong! Besides that, I’d say just try not to let negative mentalities affect you. You know you deserve to be there, and who cares what everyone else thinks.</p>
<p>Most of them are just jealous. Unless you are a UC transfer student from a california community college they shouldn’t be saying a word. If you were transferring to UCLA or UCB from a California community college as an English major or something I would definitely say something. Some of my friends did that 3.4gpa no ECs got into UCLA one with a 3.6 got into UCB with pretty much taking extremely easy classes. Now they think they are geniuses but some how are getting destroyed academically by those schools haha. That’s my only comment. I am a transfer student myself.</p>
<p>That’s just me being bitter against stupid spoiled brats in orange county though, that’s no referring to all CCC transfer students.</p>
<p>^ Agreed. Californian CC transfer to UCs is just ridiculous imo. One of the reasons why UCB and UCLA will never match the HYPSM for me. They leave the back door wide open!</p>
<p>Many of the UCLA and UCB transfer students get rocked once they get there, I have 3 friends all had 4.0s now have 2.0-2.5s because they took a bunch of BS classes that didn’t prepare them for anything. It’s different for science majors though.</p>
<p>Years ago when I transferred from a CCC to Cal, the standard for being admitted to any UC was at least a 3.0. I found that the CCC writing class I’d taken prepared me well for all the essays I needed to write and ended up graduating PBK, so it really varies.</p>
<p>The thing about CC to UCs transfer is that some take really easy classes and it’s hard for UCs to decide if a student took a challenging class or not. That’s why more people are taking honor classes at my CCC because they are trying to set themselves a part. </p>
<p>@Melody10511 “One of the reasons why UCB and UCLA will never match the HYPSM for me. They leave the back door wide open!” I am not sure if you are trolling or not, but your comment is very ignorant. UCs want people who didn’t have a chance in high school to be able to get into a 4 year college and the same goes for USC. UCs and USC like community college students transferring, this evident based on some statistics they let out. Some community college students came from hard high schools and did wonderfully there, like Gunn and Palo Alto, and just need to save money. Just because they let community college students transfer in a large amount, does not mean their learning environments are devalued. Also, HYPSM aren’t the only good colleges in this country.</p>
<p>I completely agree with you.
Being a transfer student is a tuff thing. Not everyone who tries to go from a cc to a four year makes it, plus we are expected to have more things done before hand. Its tuff and some people dont acknowledge it, but we are probably smarter than some freshmen there, plus we have college experience.
Sent from my Desire HD using CC</p>
<p>Here is my opinion.
The reason people think transferring is easy because…it kind of is. HEAR ME OUT THOUGH before people start attacking me.
Take Grad schools for example. Their #1 factor is usually undergrad GPA. Why? Because it’s a strong indicator of how a person performs with high level college rigor.
Now, when a high school student applies and has an average GPA, a college may turn that person down. But once they’re in college, where each class COSTS money, a handful of students work hard and get decent grades (again, not ALL but some). If they choose to transfer at that point, it’s easier because the GPA they earned at that college is a way better indicator of how well that person does in a college environment than a HS GPA.
Of course, there are exceptions (taking BS classes in college, transferring to a harder school, etc). </p>
<p>Now, that is why I’m saying it can be easier–simply because if you work harder in college than in HS, it CAN (not always though) influence the college admission committee that you are in fact ready to be in that institution.</p>
<p>Ok, I didn’t bother to read this thread except for the original post, but it boggles my mind that anyone could think transfers took the “easy way” out. If anything, making the proper adjustments after high school to your study habits is A LOT harder if you didn’t originally do well in high school since you have to deal with social adjustments as well as the different format in college and in many schools, especially the top schools, transferring in is extremely difficult and involves incredibly low acceptance rates. There’s also the extra stress of having to adjust to a college environment twice in an undergraduate career, even if the school you transferred into is what you would consider a “dream school.” There’s also of course the planning involved in taking the proper courses and keeping a rigorous schedule your freshman (and possibly also sophomore year) that would more likely impress adcoms.</p>
<p>What happened to respect for people who took second chances? I think the opportunity UC schools provide to many CC transfers who are passed their high school mistakes from within California is a great thing. After all, those schools were made to serve the people of California. Some people take more time to mature and still others just had bad luck with college acceptance the first time they applied or they made bad decisions when applying and were otherwise amazing students.</p>
<p>Coolapple: from what u stated, ur basically saying that universities acknowledge a transfers work because all the work was done in a college environment therefore not really being easier to transfer but, they are more likely to acknowledge the work we have done versus those in high school. I agree. But its not easier, ur still expected to do so much, plus like u stated pay for ur own classes. </p>
<p>@suprafreshkid
Trolling or ignorant? This thread already provided that CC transfers get rocked down when they transfer to a big-time UC.</p>
<p>Saving money is good, I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all. But I’ve seen the quality of education in some CCs and how ridiculously easy it is to get good grades there. I think the fact that there is a glaring discrepancy between transfer students’ UC and CC grades is already enough to say that UCs are stretching their hands a bit too far. Good colleges admit people who are capable of handling the curriculum well.</p>
<p>If you were offended by the term “backdoor”, then my apologies. But a second chance is a SECOND chance, and it definitely should not be any easier than the first chance.</p>
<p>Melody:
I dont think its easier, and not all the college courses are easy. There are several college courses that challenge the students and actually make them work. I can honestly say that i have worked my ass off to be able to transfer. One of the reason universities turn down high school graduates is not only because of their gpa but also because they may feel that some students may not perform adequately in a big university so a cc is a good transition for it. Cc students are not any different than your average university student. They just went through a different process. They dont take different courses, they are actually expected to be at a sophmore to junior standing when they transfer out. Cc students take the same type of electives and major requirement courses its just taking place in a different environment.</p>
<ul>
<li>Also, cc students dont just take any random classes to transfer, they are expected to take certain types of courses to be eligible to transfer.<br></li>
</ul>
<p>I transferred to UCLA, and during my time there, an economics professor even wrote about how the transfers were “watering down” the other UCLA students! I definitely encountered this, but surprisingly not by my fellow peers at UCLA, but rather from other people who basically had NO business saying such things. I truly believe transfer students are just as smart and hard-working, and anyone who tries to say otherwise is just not content with their own life! I worked very hard at my CC to get into UCLA and finished all in four years. If you can get through the upper division classes at a university, then there is no question you could have gotten through their lower division classes as well.</p>
<p>You might have worked hard getting into UCLA but a lot of kids do not. Getting through upper divisions with a C is not saying anything in fact it would be proving that you are just getting by. Getting B’s and A’s in them is a good judge of whether a transfer student is worthy of their acceptance. If you maintained above a 3.0 while there then bravo, you really do deserve some credit. Many CCC students stop trying as hard when they get there or they would just get their GPAs destroyed because they took the easy way out at CC. </p>
<p>I think the reason transfer student are looked down upon, I am one btw, is because it’s seen as not that hard to get a 4.0 at community college. Society does not think highly of it, which is sad because I feel like some of the smart kids I know are transfer students.</p>
<p>One way to compare programs is to look at the textbooks being used for equivalent courses along with publicly available grade information (only works for public colleges). Given a large enough sample size (20k+) you can get a good idea how students compare not only across community college vs 4 year publics, but 4 year publics vs each other. I found many schools use the same textbooks for lower division courses, at least in science, mathematics and engineering. It was comforting to know that a student in statics at GATech looked at the same problem set I did or a student in calculus at Harvard. As well, I actually found out that the average GPA at my state flagship for the first two years of engineering was about .375 higher than it was for my CC across the same courses. Again, given the sample size, I see the “rigor” of the programs as on par with slightly better students at the 4 year school (which makes sense).</p>
<p>Of course it will vary from school to school and state to state, so give it a look and see for yourself!</p>