Michaia Hernandez / Roundup
Representatives from universities in and around Southern California will be available for one-on-one sessions with Pierce College students in the Transfer Center this week.
“We try to get as many as we can to come on campus, because it’s a really great service to students,” Transfer Center Director Sunday Salter said.
Some of the representatives are people who work directly with the admissions offices of their respective universities, making them valuable people to connect with, according to Salter.
Some schools, including CSUN, also send peer advisors: well-trained students who take on the job of simplifying the application process of individuals looking to transfer to their universities.
“The peer advisors are very helpful,” Fabian Cook, a student worker at the Career Center, said. “They will tell you a bit about your desired program, and the easiest ways of transferring into those schools.”
According to Henry Gonzales, a UCLA science peer advisor, each counseling session varies depending on the current semester.
“For instance, during the fall I work with students with the application process to the UCs,” he said. “For spring, I work with them on how to apply for summer internships and volunteer work.”
Gonzales said that he works closely with the students assigned to him.
“I also follow up on how they are doing with their classes, and share my experience at UCLA in the science field,” he said.
Because CSUN and UCLA are the two universities with the highest transfer rates, they send their representatives more frequently than others. According to Salter, both UCLA and CSUN send representatives at least once a month. Other universities conduct their counseling sessions at least once a semester.
It is also due to popular demand that both CSUN and UCLA sometimes require students to schedule an appointment prior to their counseling sessions. According to Salter, a lot of students tend to be a no-show for their appointments, so walk-ins are accepted.
“Feedback from students has been positive,” Gonzales said. “They have said that the process of applying and looking into schools has been easier as a result of the one-on-one sessions they’ve had with me.”
