Students were actively engaged in Pierce College’s Transfer College Fair in an attempt to learn more about the transfer process and set their eyes on four-year institutions where they can continue their academic journey.
Pierce College’s annual Transfer Fair was held Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Pierce College Mall with 45 universities in attendance. The fair focused on allowing students to engage with a representative from one of the universities and start the decision process for the school they want to continue moving forward with.
Sonoma State University Recruiting Counselor Kyle Williams aimed to help students with the application process as well as get to know the campus of Sonoma State University better.
Williams believes having a transfer day can allow the universities to be more accessible to the students and allow for them to be more transparent.
“Some students don’t know where exactly they want to go so it can make it a bit easier because there are a billion colleges that they could possibly go to,” Williams said. “So it kind of makes it a little more real and easier for them to decide which ones to go to.”
Williams states the representatives’ role is to spread information and make it easier for potential students to understand.
“Sometimes it can feel that maybe the websites are confusing,” Williams said. “So our role is to explain things because we’re usually really familiar with the campus. We can explain specific requirements for programs, and what campus life is like. Stuff that you can’t necessarily get from a website.”
Pierce College student Kai Nguyen believes there is great importance in having transfer fairs due to the lack of knowledge some students have about the transfer process or the abundance of options.
“I am very overwhelmed by the amount of colleges that I can apply to and the requirements,” Nguyen said. “By having this transfer fair I get a little bit more educated and I have a better sense of where I want to go, what I want to do, and how to get there.”
Nguyen believes doing research on their own, making an educational plan, or going to see college counselors, can be beneficial in their own right. However, Nguyen believes transfer fairs are just as impactful if not more than personal research.
“Attending college transfer fairs where you learn more about colleges from people who are actually from those colleges and have a better sense than just the basic Google search because a lot of the time all colleges have up are frequently asked questions,” Nguyen said. “If you want to go into depth then it’s better to talk to someone and actually connect with them.”
Pierce College student Victoria Plato feels as if the transfer process can be overwhelming for her as well. With her still deciding between colleges, she likes that colleges show what is offered to the student.
“When I came here I was really overwhelmed because I wasn’t really sure about what school I wanted to go to and I’m still kind of on the fence about it,” Plato said. “I kind of have one in mind, but I also want to pursue a master’s degree.”
Undeclared major Emely Zambrana feels that some students who attend community college don’t know exactly what they want as their major.
“Once you decide your major, you’re able to see all these colleges that are here for transfer day and see what college you’d want to attend and dedicate yourself to,” Zambrana said.
As a student who is still struggling to decide what major is right for her, Zambrana looks for a good college that provides whatever she is looking for in her major. Zambrana is also looking for other factors such as distance in her decision.
