Why Community College Students Make Successful Transfer Students

Journal of College Admission, Winter 2007 by Urso, David, Sygielski, John J "Ski"

Tony

Tony, a 17-year-old high school graduate, earned a dozen college credits during high school through a dual enrollment program his high school arranged with his community college. However, Tony, like many of his friends, was unable to gain admittance into the state's flagship institution and reluctantly decided to spend a year at his local community college rather than enrolling in another state four-year institution. This way, Tony and his friends thought, they would be able to get a year's worth of transfer courses completed and save some money before they transferred to their first choice.

Having successfully completed his dual enrollment credits over the past two years, Tony carried a full-load his first semester and earned a 3.2 G.P.A. This success was particularly compelling due to the individualized attention he received at his community college, which helped spot a learning disability. After the disorder was identified, Tony was directed to specific grant-based resources on campus that were designed to help students like him excel.

In preparation for the second semester, he spoke with his advisor and college counselor to identify and register for the appropriate transfer courses for the next semester. Having gained confidence in his academic abilities during his first semester, he not only registered for another full load, but he also decided to find an opportunity to get involved with a group on campus. After exploring his options, Tony selected the Gay-Straight Alliance. The group was small, but its size allowed Tony to quickly assume leadership responsibilities in the organization.

Half-way through his second semester, based on his improving academic success and his increased sense of pride and confidence, he decided not to apply to local four-year schools with only one year of credits completed. Tony decided it was the right choice to complete a second year at the community college and attain an associate's degree before transferring to the state's flagship institution of higher education. In addition to acknowledging the additional academic support that was available to him, Tony had come to understand that finishing his associate's degree before leaving would make it easier to find a better paying part-time job during his time at the four-year school. This information combined with Tony's comfort in the welcoming social climes of the community college persuaded him to run for President of the SGA-He was elected during his second year.

After working two jobs over the summer, he, and many of his new friends, returned to the community college in the fall. Later that semester he became a member of Phi Theta Kappa (Internationa! Honor Society for Community College students) and joined the Scientific Club and Big Brothers/ Big Sisters in his community. After serious conversations with his advisor and counselor, he decided to change his career aspiration from information technology to pre-law and worked closely with a counselor from the out-of-state university his latest research revealed would best meet his needs.

Tony graduated with honors that spring and transferred all of his coursework to his out-of-state university. The credit that transferred in helped Tony attain junior status. Many of Tony's friends went on to other four-year institutions in the state. Tony stayed in touch with these friends and was consistently energized by hearing that they were also experiencing great successes at the four-year schools based on their active participation in their community college.

Two years later, Tony again graduated with honors and had been accepted into a top-tier law school to pursue a future in environment law. While he formed many new life-long relationships with his classmates and faculty at the four-year institution, he was delighted to see so many community college employees and former classmates in attendance at his graduation.

Mary Ann

Approaching her 40th birthday, Mary Ann, an African-American woman, recently received a plaque celebrating her 20th anniversary of employment at the local textile plant where she, her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother had worked for a combined 75 years. In addition to her tasks in the laundry department. Mary Ann stocked shelves in the evening at a local discount store to support her three children (12, 14 and 16). A single mother for nearly 10 years, she looked forward to the day when she could quit her evening job and do the thing she really wanted to do-work at a near-by nursing home where her grandparents had recently become residents.

Shortly after returning from a well-earned week off from both her jobs, Mary Ann learned she, and most of the other 300 employees at the plant, would be laid off within the next three to six months. As a high school drop-out, Mary Ann wondered what she would do m a town whose unemployment was already the highest in the state. In fact, the other businesses that supported the plant had slowly moved away over the past several years making the only other major employers m town the hospital and county government offices. As the news of this impending shutdown became a reality, she anxiously looked through the newspaper to see what positions existed and learned a high school diploma was the minimum qualification for all of them, with a majority requiring at least some higher education skill work. Realizing education was going to be the only way to help herself and her family achieve a new life, she decided to enroll in the local high school's G.E.D. program.