My Transfer Experience
by Johnny Lee
Tip #1: START THE PROCESS EARLY!
The transfer process goes beyond your application. The entire process begins as soon as you step into LaGuardia. When I first entered LaGuardia Community College, I had my mind set on graduating as soon as possible and transferring Baruch. I soon realized that I was limiting myself and not taking full advantage of my time here.
However, my entire perspective changed one summer day after meeting with Dr. Koh, Dr. Chaffee, Ms. Burke, and members of the Honors Student Advisory Committee (HSAC). They had told me about all the successful alumni who have gone on to prestigious 4-year colleges like Georgetown, Amherst, Cornell, and Columbia. So I asked myself, “why not me?” And that was the day that I began my transfer process. Kevin Magana (who is now at Georgetown) sat down with me to plan out the rest of time at LaGuardia. After two hours, we finished my course schedule for the next two semesters. The courses included 4 honors courses a semester and other courses that both satisfied my graduation requirements and prerequisites for the schools to which I was applying.
Courses
The courses you take (Honors courses, level of difficulty of the course, and the required courses for your degree) are important. Therefore, you have to make a solid plan of what courses you are going to take from now until the time you graduate. I believe a strong aspect of my application was the fact that I took 10 Honors courses; this demonstrates that I am a student who is always challenging himself. Also, I made sure I took a wide range of courses to show that I was capable in other subjects. Instead of just focusing on Business courses, I also took classes in Philosophy, Social Sciences, and Math.
Time and Organization
I began working on my application after the Fall semester. However, I underestimated how demanding the process truly is. You have to always be aware of the deadlines and the small tasks like getting your high school transcripts, the fee waivers, and college official’s report. Your organization skills will truly be put to the test during this process.
What I found was most helpful was having a network of support from my peers who were going through the same process as I was, not because “misery loves company,” but because we were able to answer each other’s questions and review one another’s essays. If you really want a great essay, I would highly advise you to seek the help of your peers, tutors, and professors.
Below is a peek at my timeline for two components of my transfer path. With the benefit of experience, I would recommend you begin earlier, as suggested in our Transfer Guides.
Letters Of Recommendation Process
Jan. 13 Requested letter of recommendation from my Business Law professor, Macroeconomics professor and an advisor.
Jan. 18 Dropped off a "letter of recommendation package" for my professors.
Jan. 26 Met with my professors to discuss some information that would be relevant.
Feb. 11 Dropped off letter of recommendation to my advisor.
Essay Process
Dec. 28 Compiled a list of all the supplemental essays that I would need to complete and arranged the list according to the deadlines.
Jan. 5 Completed first draft of personal statement.
Jan. 12 Revised first draft of personal statement.
Jan. 23 Met with another student for a peer-critique session.
Jan. 27 Met with writing tutor to critique essays.