Addressing Barriers and Celebrating Results
UMBC’s recent enrollment data reflects the impact of these efforts. The university welcomed 863 transfer students — a significant increase compared with the previous fall and one of the largest incoming transfer populations in recent years.
This work also aligns with broader institutional goals around retention and graduation. Over the past decade, both overall transfer populations and college-specific transfer cohorts have shown upward trends in graduation rates, reflecting stronger transitions from community colleges to bachelor’s degree completion.
Financial concerns and credit transfer uncertainties are among the most common barriers for community college students. By helping students make informed decisions early — clarifying coursework, financial planning, and understanding career pathways — Pre-Transfer Advising reduces uncertainty and increases confidence.
To help students maximize the transferability of their coursework, Desiree’s advising approach takes a holistic view of each student’s academic journey. She highlights the advantages and opportunities of transferring to UMBC while helping students understand how their academic history and interests align with long-term academic, graduate, or professional goals.
Her advising sessions aim to ensure students leave well-informed and equipped with strategies for future academic success. One key recommendation is completing an associate’s degree whenever possible, which can strengthen a student’s pathway toward earning a bachelor’s degree at UMBC.
A significant part of Desiree’s work also involves traveling to Maryland community colleges to provide embedded advising support directly on those campuses, demonstrating UMBC’s commitment to engaging prospective students early and building seamless transfer pathways.
Desiree specializes in advising students planning to apply transfer credits toward undergraduate programs in the arts, humanities, and social sciences, as well as social work, aging services, teacher education, pre-allied health pathways, and major exploration.
Pre-transfer advising sessions typically include:
Students prepare for advising by completing intake questions, providing unofficial transcripts, and exploring online tools such as UMBC’s Transfer Central and the University System of Maryland’s articulation database (ARTSYS). These resources help advisors provide context and guidance as students navigate the complexities of transfer planning.
And while pre-transfer advising helps students plan their academic pathways, early outreach also plays an important role in helping prospective students understand their options and begin building connections to UMBC.
The first week of October marked the seventh year of the Office of Academic and Pre-Professional Advising’s (OAPA) Major Event—a signature, campus-wide experience designed to guide and empower all students on their academic journey.
Though the event has evolved in format over the years, its purpose remains the same: to support students who are still discovering their academic passions, reassessing their current paths, or considering new directions. This year’s iteration brought that mission to life with renewed energy, innovation, and a little cosmic inspiration.
This year’s three-day series was built around a space theme, inspired by UMBC’s partnership in NASA’s Artemis III mission. Featuring graphics of moons, constellations, and galaxies—designed in collaboration with Common Vision—the event invited students to see themselves as explorers on a journey of academic self-discovery.
Throughout the week, 167 students engaged in:
Accompanying the Major Event this year was an interactive mobile and web app to transform the way UMBC students and the entire campus experience its signature program. By leveraging the extensive scope of customizable features available via Webex Events (formerly Socio), Coordinator for Pre-Transfer Advising Desiree Sterling created an immersive, multimedia hub for attendees to navigate the Major Event on site (i.e. via Majors Fair interactive map), synchronously (i.e. joining the virtual academic planning workshop), or asynchronously (i.e. scanning profiles and resources imported into the app). The app also supports other key functions for event management and post event follow up.
At its core, the advising model behind the Major Event—and OAPA’s broader work—reinforces a powerful message: Exploration is not a setback—it’s a step forward.
Through advising, OAPA encourages students to see exploration not as indecision, but as an active and essential part of academic growth. That’s why the term exploratory is used in place of undecided—to reflect a more intentional, strengths-based approach to guiding students through academic uncertainty.
Advisors work with students to create space for reflection, strategic course selection, and goal setting, helping them explore options while maintaining academic progress.
“Exploratory students are doing essential academic work,” one advisor shared. “They’re not lost—they’re learning to ask the right questions.”
This advising philosophy also encourages students to make meaningful connections—between their interests, skills, values, and the opportunities available to them both in and beyond the classroom. Conversations about majors often lead to broader discussions about internships, research, study abroad, and long-term career goals—helping students design an academic path that aligns with who they are and where they want to go.
For exploratory students, The Major Event is more than a fair—it’s a launchpad. It offers a low-pressure environment where students can:
It also reminds students that they are not alone—many of their peers are navigating similar uncertainty. The event helps normalize the experience while providing clear and practical next steps.
OAPA’s commitment to exploratory students doesn’t begin or end with The Major Event. Year-round, students can access:
With another Major Event behind them, OAPA is already focused on what’s next. Post-event feedback from students, departments, and campus partners will help shape future programming. The team is also exploring how the Sched app can support ongoing engagement, not just during events but throughout the academic year.
“Our goal is to make academic exploration an empowered, supported, and celebrated part of every student’s experience at UMBC.”
Students who attended the alumni panel saw firsthand that exploration and uncertainty often lead to meaningful and even unexpected careers. The panelists shared stories of redirection, resilience, and purpose—underscoring that exploration isn’t just about choosing a major, but about designing a life.
The next step? Students can continue exploring with the support of the Office of Academic and Pre-professional Advising.
Meet with an advisor. Enroll in a new course. Explore a different discipline. Submit that major declaration form. Each step brings students closer to launch.
And with the right support in place, exploration isn’t a detour—it’s how students land among the stars.
At UMBC, student employees are more than just the welcoming faces in our front offices — they are collaborators, innovators, and leaders. In Enrollment Management (EM), these students help prospective and current Retrievers navigate their journeys, but in doing so, they often discover their own.
The experience of working in EM — whether in Undergraduate Admissions, Financial Aid, the Registrar’s Office, or Academic Advising — offers more than a paycheck. It offers purpose. These roles cultivate confidence, sharpen professional skills, and give students first hand insight into how systems work. But even more profoundly, they provide opportunities for students to connect, grow, and lead.
For some, like Grit Guide Lilli Malone, the job became a platform for reimagining how the university welcomes new students. With a dual background in History and Theatre Design & Production, Lilli combined structure with experience to develop UMBC’s tour tagging system — matching prospective students with guides who share their interests or identities. Her work helped others see themselves at UMBC, and it also revealed to her the power of inclusive design and collaborative leadership. “I loved helping prospective students feel that someone here sees them,” she reflected.
That same spirit of connection resonated deeply with Evan Royston, another Grit Guide and a History and Political Science major who partnered with Lilli to bring the tour tagging system to life. For Evan, what started as a campus job became a calling. He still has the sign-in sheet from his very first Saturday tour — a symbol of how meaningful one experience could be. Later, that family told him his tour helped them choose UMBC. “It made me realize how much a single conversation can shape someone’s future,” he shared. That sense of impact guided Evan toward graduate study in historical studies, where he will continue making deep connections.
Others, like Peer Advisor Keerti Venkat, found empowerment by helping others navigate complexity. A Psychology major and first-generation American college student, Keerti turned her role in the Office of Academic and Pre-Professional Advising into a bridge — using her own journey to guide others with clarity. “It’s gratifying to know how things work behind the scenes — and to know how to help,” she said. In supporting her peers, she discovered a deeper interest in mental health advocacy and higher education — one she will now pursue through graduate study in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
And in some cases, the student role evolved into something much larger — a cornerstone of identity and purpose. Peer Advisor Sam Kennedy, a Social Work major, began her journey with a simple call campaign and grew into one of the most trusted voices in her office. As a peer advisor in OAPA, Sam became a culture builder — someone who not only supported advising but connected, encouraged, and inspired the peer and professional advising staff. “We build each other up because it helps us to do a better job,” she said. Her role helped clarify her path toward an MSW, rooted in service, empathy, and systems of care.
Across these stories, a shared theme emerges: student employment in Enrollment Management is a high-impact experience — one that fuses academic knowledge with real-world skills, and personal growth with professional readiness. These students didn't just do the job; they shaped it, and it shaped them in return.
Their growth reflects what national research affirms: when institutions design student employment as a learning experience, the benefits multiply. As noted in the 2024 NACE article Reimagining Student Employment, universities that intentionally integrate career development into on-campus roles see stronger student retention and career preparedness. At UMBC, that intentionality is paying off — not just in operational excellence, but in student transformation.
As Lilli, Evan, Keerti, and Sam prepare for graduate school and careers in social work, counseling, and historical research, they carry forward lessons born from service, collaboration, and a deep understanding of what it means to help others find their way.
Because when students are trusted to lead, supported to grow, and encouraged to reflect — everyone benefits.
To learn more about Peer Advisors, contact Laszlo Korossy, Ph.D., Assistant Director of Advising, Outreach, and Assessment in the Office of Academic and Pre-Professional Advising.
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