Helen Ramirez/Roundup
Students gathered along the Pierce College Mall on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for information on transferring to 4-year universities.
The college fair had schools like UCLA, CSUN, USC, UC Davis and other universities with tables set up offering handouts and information for students passing by.
“The most important thing students need to do is apply on time,” said Cynthia Martinez, a student outreach counselor from CSUN. “Because of the budget, only applications for the fall term are being accepted.”
Martinez added that if students are looking for closer attention and help from their professors, they should consider CSUN or other Cal State campuses. They should also consider other options for obtaining credits, like the CLEP program and the clep prep that is involved alongside it.
According to the CSUN transfer brochure, the student to faculty ratio is 23-to-1 and the average class size is 30 students.
“Students should look into the course descriptions of different colleges and see if they have any of their interests,” Martinez said.
Recent CSUN psychology graduate, Adriana Contreras, 23, came to the college fair to help her friend, Seneha Thakral, 19, find more information on transfer opportunities.
“If I had this event when I was in college it would have been helpful,” Contreras said. “They help with what schools to choose for your major…then you can compare and contrast between schools.”
Business Management major George Cordova, 21, has narrowed his choices down to either CSUN or CSU East Bay. Cordova attended the college fair to see which colleges would benefit his major.
“I got some information on how much the school cost – the basics,” said Cordova.
The event helped Cordova make his final decision on where to transfer as he finishes his last semester at Pierce.
Students considering private colleges had USC, Mount St. Mary’s College and Hope International University to look into at the event.
USC Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Joe Beltran, spoke to students about credit requirements.
To transfer into USC as a junior, students cannot exceed 64 credits. Beltran added that students cannot have less than 30 credits or their high school information will reviewed.
Along with providing basic transfer infomation, the college fair helped students expand their options with various universities.
“I wasn’t considering Davis, but now I am,” said Simone Vasquez, a 20-year-old psychology major. “I didn’t know anything about Davis until today.”
This college fair also helped chemistry major, Simon Ramirez, 19, consider other universities.
Ramirez wants to transfer to UC Irvine. Since the university was not at the event, he decided to look into Arizona State University.
“I got information about financial expenses and GPA merit scholarships,” Ramirez said. “Now I am more aware about my options and more open minded of schools.”
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