When I first started at El Camino College, I didn’t give transferring much thought. I was a reluctant student and I did not ask for help when I needed it; it felt instinctive and I had no plan of transferring to any university.

However, as the fall 2022 semester began, I made the decision to transfer.

It can be exciting to transfer as a first-time university student but having no one to help you can get frustrating.

My brother was the one who helped me fill out applications for anything school related. After he left El Camino, I would be the one who needed to figure out how to fill out the applications.

That was my experience last semester. The thought of attending a university never crossed my mind, so when the time came to submit applications I was unaware of where to turn to for help.

I was told to attend the transfer assistance workshops. This is where the constant emails from counselors promoting transfer workshops for students who need assistance with applications come in.

Help both in person at the Student Services Building and online via Zoom, the transfer workshops have the drawback of providing step-by-step instructions on specific days of the week.

If students can’t make a specific date, they would have to attend the next available workshop. For any additional help, students can visit the help labs.

One thing that has always haunted me was the idea of transfer applications. I never knew if I would be accepted to a university and thought if I answered something incorrectly I’d be instantly rejected.

The application had me feeling confused, nervous and angry. My experience was terrible.

Often, students will do as I did and email their counselors for help, however, the responses are always the same.

According to a Nov. 11, 2022 email provided by counselors, transfer applicants were advised to visit the transfer center for workshops.

Attending the workshops is not often practical for a person who works afternoon shifts and has anthropology assignments due the evenings of certain workshops.

However, students are still required to attend the workshops in order to get assistance with completing applications.

Last semester was overwhelming. I never had considered skipping a class or taking a semester off before.

On top of my coursework, I had to worry about getting to my classes and work on time, passing my driver’s exam, sending transfer applications, and applying for financial assistance.

I am someone who works better in a one-on-one environment and that is the issue: it’s hard to tell students to attend hour-long workshops and expect them to memorize all the information.

As someone who tries to balance his schedule to accommodate his job, it can be discouraging to be told that I can’t receive personalized support unless I attend scheduled workshops.

Many students are not willing to sacrifice hours at work to attend a workshop due to rising costs and inflation. According to the World Economic Forum, 17% of US college students do not return in the fall semester and drop out for that reason.

Group-setting workshops are a fantastic way to teach practical skills to students for future and ongoing college applications since they allow participants to learn simultaneously with each other.

However, not all students benefit from group workshops and online videos.

The American Society for Cell Biology researched that there were many students who prefer working and study alone compared to group settings due to social anxiety.

Therefore, students should be encouraged to plan appointments with transfer experts rather than being reminded of workshop dates. More days ought to be added for students who are unable to attend certain workshops.

Personalized assistance to each student would be a solution since many students have different backgrounds that may impact their applications and also would be beneficial to students with busy schedules, not needing to infringe on their availability.

In the end, I completed everything I needed to do.

Since I finished my transfer applications and was admitted to the university of my choice, California State University Long Beach I have moved one step closer to starting my career.