With the current budget situation and increasing competitiveness to be accepted into top universities, it is increasingly important for students to be aware of the resources available to help in the transfer process, Ken Brown, board of trustees member, said.

As long as there are budget cuts, classes and resources are going to be difficult to come by, leaving students to figure out alternate paths to their future.

“I am planning on applying this fall and transferring in 2013, but I am giving up on the dream of transferring as a junior and just trying to get in somewhere. It’s too difficult to get all of the classes I need as far as prerequisites to get in as a junior at an university,” Sam Couch, 21, computer sciences and engineering major said.

Multiple events are organized throughout every semester by the Transfer Center to assist students in choosing the right universities, followed by step-by-step assistance during the application process, Rene Lozano, Transfer Center coordinator, said.

Updated monthly, the Transfer Center compiles all events, workshops, campus tours and university representative visits into one calendar for easy reference, also accessible on the Transfer Center’s Facebook site.

“Campus tours are especially important so that students know exactly the university that they are applying to and possibly attending in the near future,” Lozano said.

Taking students as south as San Diego, as far east as Riverside and as far north as the bay area, the Transfer Center organizes campus tours for students who are interested in seeing the campuses first hand and free of charge, Lozano added.

Making appointments for guidance on what needs to fill in the gaps for completion is important and growing more accessible with the growth of technology, Lozano said.

Counseling appointments have become easier to schedule with the new option to schedule online via MyECC; appointment times are available every Tuesday afternoon.

With the widening budget cuts and decreasing classes, students need to truly approach the transfer process with strategic moves that work best for them.

“I know my odds are much slimmer going in as an undeclared, but I am willing to take my chances and add an additional year onto my schooling at an university, rather than waiting around for a few more years at EC trying to complete my prerequisites,” Couch said.

If students navigate their approach to transferring properly, they can place themselves in a position where they will be somewhere best suited for them.

“Half of the battle is really just getting the information and gathering what you need to know. The application and transfer process is all about approaching it as a strategy and that is what the transfer center is trying to equip students with,” Lozano added.