Study Shows a Third of Students Switch Schools
By Paul Filice
The Daily Aztec

SAN DIEGO- Are you a transfer student or have friends who are? If so, you're not alone. Transferring to different colleges is common. A recent study by the U.S. Department of Education found that almost a third of college students transfer to another university before graduating.

The study - which is part of a report called, "Descriptive Summary of 1995-96 Postsecondary Students: Six Years Later" - followed more than 10,000 students who began college in 1996.

At San Diego State University, about 50 percent of students entering the university each year are transfers, Ernst Griffin, assistant to the associate vice president of academic affairs, said.

About 22 percent of freshmen leave SDSU at the end of their first year, Sandra Cook, executive director of enrollment services, said. In 2001, 70 percent of those who were academically eligible to return went to another school.

Why do students choose to transfer?

"There are probably as many reasons as there are students," Griffin said.

A major reason is that many students in California start in community colleges, so they have to transfer to a four-year school to earn their degrees, he said. Also, personal factors, financial situations and academic concerns play big roles in why students transfer.

Some students may feel SDSU is too big for them, Griffin said. They may feel disconnected from the university or want something the school doesn't have.

The study also found that 11 percent of students have taken classes at two schools concurrently. At SDSU, many students take classes at community colleges simultaneously because it may be cheaper or more convenient, Griffin said. However, the educational experience students receive at SDSU should be superior to one at a community college, he said.

Some students take classes at SDSU and UCSD simultaneously and have the advantage of being able to see the different ways the schools approach education, Griffin said.

Students transferring from one college to another may have trouble adjusting to the schoolwork or the surroundings of an unfamiliar environment. SDSU spends several million dollars each year to help students adjust to various aspects of college life.

"The way a student can succeed in a big university or any big organization is finding a way to make it theirs," he said.

Students should get to know their faculty personally, he said.

"Transferring from a JC to SDSU or any university is a big mess because there are so many different requirements you have to fulfill," said Kamran Syed, a computer engineering junior who transferred to SDSU after attending a junior college for about three years.

"Every counselor has different advice for you."

SDSU offers academic and counseling services to help new students. While no programs are specifically designed for transfers, the Faculty/Student Mentoring Program offers classes to assist them, Cook said.

It's difficult to accommodate current students and new transfer students with advising, she said. SDSU tries to give transfer students an evaluation of their credits within their first semester. Then they can use the Web Portal online to get a degree audit anytime to keep track of their requirements.

"I would encourage all transfer students to go to the transfer orientation," Cook said.

At orientation, which usually occurs in June, transfer students meet their faculty advisors. If students have questions, they should always ask and never assume anything, she said.
Students should also contact the Advising Center to see when they can have their transcripts looked over, Cook said.

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