New Transfer Student Initiatives

By Maria DePalma
January 25, 2007

In an effort to enhance the L&S Office of Undergraduate Advising’s (OUA) existing services for new transfer students, the "Transition to Cal" committee, a small group of OUA advisers who oversee the College's academic advising component at CalSO, is developing an online advising tool specifically geared for transfers.  This tool, similar to the Academic Orienteering website for first year students http://ls-orientation.berkeley.edu/intro.html, is designed to be used by newly admitted transfers prior to their participation in CalSO programs and enrollment in their first semester classes at Cal.   In early November 2006, the committee convened a meeting with campus partners including representatives from New Student Services; the Transfer, Re-entry, and Student Parent Center; Undergraduate Major Advisers; the Career Center; and the Office of Undergraduate Admission to determine information essential to helping transfer students transition to Cal. 

Based on feedback, our goal is to develop an interactive web-based workshop. This workshop will familiarize newly admitted transfer students with degree requirements, policies and procedures and available campus resources and academic enrichment opportunities. It will also assist students in the declaration of their intended majors by identifying major pre-requisite courses as well as the principles guiding selection of courses for a transfer student’s first semester at Cal.

As we proceed with the design of the online workshop we are keeping in mind future efforts to develop a transfer program similar to the Finding Your Way pilot program for first year students which was unveiled in Fall 2006. We will also continue to look for ways to increase our collaboration with our campus partners as we all work to ease transfer students’ transition to Cal.