Running head: BEST PRACTICES: ACADEMIC ADVISING & TRANSFERS

Successful Transfer Students: How Can Academic Advisors Help?

Becca Van Drimmelen
SDAD 5960 Fall 2014
Erin Swezey
Seattle University

BEST PRACTICES: ACADEMIC ADVISING & TRANSFERS

Abstract
This paper explores the relationship between the most pressing needs of todays transfer students
and best practices for academic advisors that help create successful transfer students. This paper
focuses on students who are transferring from the community college to the four-year university
and on academic advisors who are working in the community college setting. First, this paper
examines the top three most pressing needs of transfer students today and gives a brief analysis
of each need. Second, this paper suggests several best practices for academic advisors to
consider when working with transfer students based on these needs. Both the needs of transfer
students and the best practices explored in this paper are based on research from other literature
and personal communications with professionals in the field.

BEST PRACTICES: ACADEMIC ADVISING & TRANSFERS

Introduction
The probability of a student attaining a baccalaureate degree is reduced 21 to 33
percentage points by beginning at a community college rather than a 4 year institution (Allen et
al. 2013.) It is clear that students who begin at a community college with the intention of
transferring on to a four-year university later (transfer students) are less likely to attain their
goals than students who start their college experience at the four-year university that they intend
to graduate from (traditional students). Academic advisors are often among the only people at a
community college who see (at least once) the majority of students during their time at the
institution. They have the ability to make real, lasting impact on a students self-efficacy, ability
to transfer, and ultimately their ability to complete a bachelors degree or beyond.
Academic advisors in the community college setting are often seen as a one-stop-shop for
all issues related to transfer students because of their frequent contact and knowledge of the
transfer process. However, academic advisors cannot solely be held accountable for knowing
everything about the transfer process or creating successful transfer students. The transfer
process is long, complicated, and involves many aspects of both the community college and the
four-year university experience. So how can academic advisors better help their transfer students
while not taking on everything themselves? This paper will outline three of the most pressing
needs of todays transfer students and relate them to several best practices for academic advisors.
These best practices can help academic advisors at the community college level when working
with transfer students and also help academic advisors better understand what kinds of
collaborations they may be able to assist with in order to help create more successful transfer
students.

BEST PRACTICES: ACADEMIC ADVISING & TRANSFERS

Most Pressing Needs of Transfer Students Today

Clear and Easy to Navigate Pathways
Both the literature and current professionals agree that the number one need of todays
transfer students is clear and easy to navigate pathways. This includes both academic pathways
(i.e. how to get a certain degree) and pathways to the university setting (i.e. how to transfer to
another institution). The road to an education and/or a degree for a transfer student is not
necessarily linear. It is often complicated by more transitions and challenges than that of a
traditional student. Melissa Sinclair, the current Students with Dependents and Transfer Student
Program Director at University of California L.A., shares that transfer students are very aware of
the limited time frame that they have to get involved and accomplish the things that they want to
do at a particular institution (personal communication, December 3rd, 2014). This limited time
frame when complicated by unclear or complex pathways can be enough to deter a transfer
student from completing their degree. Different four-year universities often have different entry
requirements for different programs as well. This can cause confusion for transfer students when
they are trying to figure out what to take at the community college or when they need to begin to
apply for schools. Transfer students today are very concerned with doing the right things to
get into the school of their choice, and right now, it can be difficult to know what those right
things are (Roach, 2013).
Connection to the University Setting
Four-year universities are just as responsible for transfer student success as community
colleges are; however, transfer students look a little different at each type of institution. Students

BEST PRACTICES: ACADEMIC ADVISING & TRANSFERS

who are looking to transfer out of the community college to a four-year university will be
concerned with what it takes to be admitted to certain institutions, if their credits are going to
transfer correctly, and what their life would look like if they were to choose a specific institution
(Sharratt, Fischer, Boroughs, Blackstad, Sinclair, personal communications, 2014). Community
Colleges and, specifically, academic advisors, can only answer so many of these questions
because the only people who are experts on these four-year universities are these four-year
universities themselves (Audrey Fischer, personal communication, October 21st, 2014). Being
connected to the four-year university setting early can help a transfer student to feel like they
know exactly what they need to do to be successful at that particular institution (even if they do
not start there). It can also take much of the guess work out of choosing classes and transferring
if students hear what they need to take directly from the university and program they are
interested in. Students who feel connected to the four-year university when they transfer may
already have relationships with people that they can go to if they feel themselves experiencing
transfer shock. Also, they may be more likely to seek out a resource to help them as they may
already feel like a part of the institution.
Accurate Academic Advising
All students need accurate information, but inaccurate information regarding the
requirements for their degree or area of study could add years and hundreds of dollars to a
transfer students degree. Transfer students are very worried about receiving inaccurate
information from their academic advisors, and they are worried for a reason. Too many transfer
students report receiving advice from their academic advisor that was inaccurate or advice that
they did not understand well enough to effectively act on. In a study by Christina Chin-Newman

BEST PRACTICES: ACADEMIC ADVISING & TRANSFERS

and Stacy Shaw (2013), one student shared that, because she did not fully understand how
transferable units worked, she had to spend an extra year at community college before
transferring because she took the wrong set of courses. A student taking the wrong set of
courses may not entirely be the fault of the academic advisor, but as Joslin Boroughs, a Transfer
Advisor at North Seattle College points out, transferring is not a linear process and expectations
need to be clear at each step in order for students to understand the consequences of their choices
throughout the process (personal communication, November 20th, 2014).
Best Practices for Community College Academic Advisors to Help Create Successful
Transfer Students
Structured Academic Pathways and Clear Transfer Processes
Todays transfer students need structured academic pathways and a clear transfer process.
One way for academic advisors to help with this need is to focus on long term educational
planning with students. Melissa Sinclair talks about the role of the academic advisor as not just
being in the here and now but also in the long term. Major and university requirements are
important at the community college level as well, states Melissa (personal communication,
December 3rd, 2014). Long term educational planning is a way that community college
academic advisors can help students to see the academic pathways that are available to them and
how their future may look if they make certain choices. While students may be immediately
concerned about what classes they should take in the next quarter or what GPA they need to get
into a certain school, it is important that they plan ahead and have clear ideas about how they
will approach their future goals. Anissa Sharratt, the Online Advisor at Bellevue College, points
out that this kind of advising also gives advisors the opportunity to help students understand

BEST PRACTICES: ACADEMIC ADVISING & TRANSFERS

what things other than just good grades will help them to be a competitive applicant in the
transfer process (personal communication, October 21st, 2014). Using long term educational
planning more regularly with students would also force academic programs to clearly outline
their pre-requisites and expectations early on, for students will be concerned with these things
earlier in their schooling experiences. They will also more likely know the right questions to ask
in order to receive help if they more fully understand their pathways from an early point in in
their educational journey.
However, academic advisors must be careful when focusing on long term educational
planning, as there will be some students who just want their immediate question answered and
may not be in a place to have an in depth conversation about their future plans or goals.
Research done by Anderson et al. (2014) showed that students satisfaction with their academic
advising is more positive when their advisors behaviors align with their expectations of
prescriptive or developmental advising. This means that while long term educational planning
can be very effective with students, academic advisors must be able to gauge where their
students are developmentally and understand when they may need to postpone the long
conversation in favor of the immediate.
Connection to the University Setting
Community colleges and four-year institutions need to work together in order to create
opportunities for their students to form connections. Community colleges are in a good position
to serve as a host to representatives from four-year institutions who want to make themselves
available to students. They are also in a good position to act as a liaison for four-year institutions
and host opportunities for students to go to the four-year institution and experience the

BEST PRACTICES: ACADEMIC ADVISING & TRANSFERS

institution. Both of these things take resources in the forms of time, space, and money; however,
providing the opportunity for a student to be connected to the four year institution has a huge
impact on a students self-efficacy and ability to transfer successfully. In research done by Abby
Miller (2013) she states that regular contact with four-year representatives also helps to
demystify and humanize the college or university. Many Community Colleges already have
four-year institution visit systems in place, but visibility is often an issue. If students are not
aware of when representatives from different four-year universities are coming to their
community college or when their community college might be going to a university, they will
not take advantage of these opportunities. Making sure that these opportunities are clearly
posted on high traffic websites and ensuring that faculty and other staff are aware of these visits
is very helpful. Students often respond positively when a faculty or staff member that they
respect helps them see an opportunity. The more people who are aware of the different ways and
opportunities to connect with four-year universities, the more likely students will know that these
opportunities exist and take advantage of them.
Students also have to understand that academic advisors cannot possibly know every
criteria for every program at every school, and academic advisors do not do their students any
favors by pretending that they do. Joslin Boroughs points out that understanding this is actually
a great way for students to start a connection with the university they are interested in, and
academic advisors can help facilitate this. An advisor can show a student how to make a good
phone call to an admissions representative and help them understand what kinds of questions
would be helpful to ask (personal communication, November 20th, 2014). Empowering students
to educate themselves about the universities they are interested in helps them to forge an
important first connection at the university and also takes some pressure off of the academic

BEST PRACTICES: ACADEMIC ADVISING & TRANSFERS

advisor by alleviating their need to hold all of the knowledge.

High Expectations of Students Abilities to Transfer
Having high expectations that a student will transfer and be successful and voicing these
expectations often is one of the best things that an academic advisor can do to help a transfer
student be successful. Ana Blackstad, the current Dean of Student Success at Bellevue College,
talks about how a lot of students at the community college level feel a lot of pressure, both
financially and from other sources, to know right away what they want to do. A lot of them
express to her and to others that they feel they are already behind even when they have just
started their degree. Ana shares that it can be helpful to help students create timelines in order to
help them see their goals and then to take on the role of a coach helping the students meet their
goals and any challenges that come up along the way (personal communication, November 13th,
2014). Affirmation on a regular basis can be the difference between a student believing in
themselves or not. An advisor may be the only source of affirmation for a student. In a research
study by Becky Wai-Ling Packard and Kimberly Jeffers (2013), students noted how [active
listening and encouragement] and reassurance helped them to stay on track with their transfer
plans. Simple acts of encouragement and reassurance can make a students experience more
positive.
Melissa Sinclair shares that, from the prospective of a professional at a four year
institution, transfer shock is a real thing and it needs to be normalized for students coming from
the community college. All transfer students experience it to a certain extent. No one is alone in
this. However, Melissa says that students have the skills from the community college to be
successful, it is just an adjustment (personal communication, December 3rd, 2014). Having high

BEST PRACTICES: ACADEMIC ADVISING & TRANSFERS

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expectations of a students ability to transfer includes helping students to understand how their
ability to be successful at the community college translates to their ability to be successful at the
four-year university setting.
Conclusion
Transfer students are a unique population with very unique educational experiences and
needs. These students are often referred to academic advisors in order to get these needs met.
Academic advisors are in a good position to better understand what needs transfer students are
facing today and to adapt their services to help meet these needs. By using best practices such as
long term educational planning and matching advising behaviors with student expectations,
academic advisors can help their transfer students to find and create more clear and structured
pathways. These clear pathways reduce the chance that students will receive inaccurate advising
or misunderstand the advising they receive. Modeling for students how to connect with fouryear universities and creating visible and open opportunities for students to connect with fouryear universities can help transfer students meet their needs for connection with the four-year
university. Lastly, having high expectations of students abilities to transfer and voicing those
expectations and beliefs to students can help transfer students have those kinds of expectations
for themselves and ultimately be more successful in their transfer process. All in all, academic
advisors have the opportunity to greatly influence the success of their transfer students through
their interactions and through using some of these best practices. However, creating successful
transfer students also requires that students take on some of the responsibility for their education
and work with their academic advisor and other resources to ensure that their needs are being
met. Advising is a relationship that requires active participation on both sides to make work.

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References
Allen, J., Smith, C., & Muehleck, J. (2013). What kinds of advising are important to community
college pre-and posttransfer students? Community College Review, 41(4), 330-345.
Anderson, W., Motto, J., & Bourdeaux, R. (2014). Getting what they want: Aligning student
expectations of advising with perceived advisor behaviors. Mid-Western Educational
Researcher, 26(1), 27-51.
Chin-Newman, C., & Shaw, S. (2013). The anxiety of change: How new transfer students
overcome challenges. Journal of College Admission, Fall 2013, 15-21.
Miller, A. (2013). Institutional practices that facilitate bachelor's degree completion for transfer
students. New Directions for Higher Education, 162(Summer 2013), 39-50.
Roach, R. (2013). The community college transfer challenge. Diverse: Issues in Higher
Education, 26(7), 14-16.
Wai-Ling Packard, B., & Jeffers, K. (2013). Advising and progress in the community college
STEM transfer pathway. NACADA Journal, 33(2), 65-75.