Transfer students arrive at UMBC as a key interest group seeking endorsements for their specific academic and career goals. Their most notable challenge often centers upon time. They need to hit their personal campaign trails running with effective action-taking strategies that will enable them to secure the kinds of experiences, skills and relationships that will help them get jobs or get admitted to graduate school. A strategic sense of urgency is needed to get things done within their fast-tracked terms of study.
Below are the key platform planks of transfer students and where on campus they can obtain the skilled support to achieve those goals.
Increasing the Opportunities for Transfer Students to Give Back to Others
The Shriver Center can connect you with Service Learning experiences throughout the Baltimore area. Volunteering is an important way to give back, but also can be a great achievement to highlight on a resume. From helping young students learn to read to assisting elderly hospital patients, transfer students can make a difference.
Increasing Professional Development Opportunities for Transfer Students
The Career Center is the place to go if you would like to connect with internship opportunities. Career Center staff can assist you in putting together or refining your resume to start your internship search. They can also help you find an on-campus job, a summer position, or a permanent job after graduation. The Career Center brings hundreds of employers to campus to meet with students and takes students "on the road" to visit area employers.
Creating Networking and Leadership Opportunities for Transfer Students
The Transfer Student Network (TSN) hosts social and academic events throughout the semester and is a great place to connect with other transfer students. TSN hosts workshops on useful topics such as: Academic Advising, Study Skills, Transportation Resources, and Nutrition. The staff are great resources for helping you get involved in leadership roles across campus. Although TSN is housed in the Office of Off-Campus Student Services (OCSS), transfer students who live ON campus are welcome to all TSN activities too!
TIME-SENSITIVE BONUS INFORMATION: The TSN is recruiting students for paid part-time positions for Spring semester right now! Applications are due by November 30, 2015. Learn more here.
Supporting Transfer Students Making the Transition to STEM Majors at UMBC
UMBC sponsors the STEM Student Transfer Success Initiative (or t-STEM for short) that provides extra support for students coming to UMBC from community colleges to pursue degrees and careers in science and engineering. Originally funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, this effort involves extensive collaboration with area community colleges. For students already here at UMBC, one of the most interesting benefits is the option to connect with a peer mentor who is also a STEM student from a community college who has been through the transition.
Providing Transfer Students with Information about Undergraduate Research, Transfer Success Seminars, and More
The Office of Undergraduate Education (OUE) is a great office to connect with if you would like to get involved with undergraduate research or are trying to figure out a plan to make the most of your UMBC experience. The OUE staff enjoy hearing transfer students’ individual stories, can offer excellent academic planning suggestions and act as advocates on behalf of transfer students with respect to practices and policies that impact the quality of transfer student experiences at UMBC. They also sponsor the Transfer Success Seminars designed to help transfer students in particular majors or cohorts bridge any gaps between their community college coursework and the demands of UMBC courses.
SHADY GROVE ALERT: If you are a transfer student at the UMBC Shady Grove campus, looking for extra support in your transition from community college, consider enrolling in TRS 201-03 Transfer Success Seminar for Spring 2016. Contact Tim Cox (thcox@umbc.edu) for additional information and permission to enroll. This course carries academic credit.
WINNING STRATEGIES FOR TRANSFER STUDENTS
1. Start connecting with UMBC faculty, staff, and fellow students. Create your UMBC network.
2. Think about how you can build on the activities and experiences you participated in at your previous institution.
3. Be open to fellow students who want to connect and network with you to learn about your experiences.
BONUS LINKS
How to Finish Your Associate's Degree Using UMBC Credits:
"Facebook Top
Source for Political News Among Millennials" by Pew Research Center for Journalism and Media, June 2015
See more at: Rock the Vote
EXTRA CREDIT POLL QUESTION
Which resources on campus have you found most helpful as a transfer student?
