In our last post, we considered some ways in which you might help your college student think about a transfer to another college. Here, we consider how to help your student through the actual transfer process itself. Our next post will examine ways in which you can support your new transfer student.
Once your college student has made a decision to transfer to another college, there are some important tasks to be done.
Gather lots of information about potential colleges and/or programs.
Your student may know exactly where he wants to transfer, or he may be looking for the appropriate school. The more information he can gather, the more smoothly the process will go. One advantage that your student now has is the knowledge he has gained through the time he has spent at his current school. As he thinks about the reasons for transferring, he will think of questions he wants to be sure that he asks at the new school. What are his priorities? What wasn’t working (if anything) at the current school? Encourage him to take time to look carefully at the new institution. Study the website. Visit the school. Stay overnight on campus if possible. Talk to current students. Meet with admissions or advising personnel at the new school. Ask lots of questions.