College Advisor for Transferring Colleges
See also: College Admissions Consultants
Parent Q&A
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Transfer from Community College advisor
June 2016
Counselor for transfer from DVC
Oct 2015
Hello parents, My daughter started DVC this fall and is interested in many different fields. For her transfer, she could tag a UC or broaden her horizon. Many universities accept transfer students, we are looking for a solid college counselor with experience in selecting and transferring students to public and private colleges. Do you know anyone? Thank you! helicopter mom trying to let go
Martha Black helped my son transfer from a community college to a 4 year university. The process was thorough and helpful and included both public and private university options. Her number is 510-847-1205.
anon
College advisor for transfer students?
Aug 2015
Hello, I am wondering if there are any college advisors out there who specialize in transfer students to the UC schools? Specifically, Berkeley? Any suggestions appreciated. Thank you! mom to transfer student
I may be biased because I work at Berkeley, but you don't need to hire an advisor to help your prospective transfer student. There are free advisors who help prospective transfer students at California Community Colleges who want to transfer. Some come from Admissions, some from Berkeley's Transfer Center, and some from our Center for Educational Partnerships. They have 4 different programs depending on CCC campus and a bunch of free resources for planning: http://cep.berkeley.edu/transfer-pathways-to-uc-and-csu
Take advantage of these free resources from people who know what it takes to be a successful Berkeley transfer before spending money on a private counselor. Free help to become a Golden Bear
College Advisor to help with community college transfer
July 2013
My daughter attended one year at an out-of-state public university and is now about to start her second year at a California community college. While she generally seems to be doing fine, she is floundering a little and is somewhat lost as to what to do about next steps in terms of the transfer process, what her goals are, etc. My husband and I are also proposing that our daughter consider whether she might want to take a gap year or other time off to sort things out if that makes sense for her.
The community college that our daughter is attending has a good counseling department, but she is having some difficulty navigating through the process of this very large school and setting up appointments. (Honestly, I think the whole transfer process is a bit confusing, especially when credits from an out-of-state school are involved.) She is a bit young for her age and not very confident, comparing herself against her older sister who graduated from one school in four years and her friends who all appear to be ''on track.'' I thought it would be helpful for her (and us) if she could spend some time talking to a professional educational coach or consultant to make sure that she is on track herself to successfully transfer to a four-year school and/or to look at other options if she does want to take some time away from school at this point. I've looked through the archives of this site, but it looks like all the reviews are either for consultants who help high school students through the college admissions process or who seem to focus solely on gap year situations.
Any suggestions or referrals to someone in the Oakland/Berkeley area whom you think would be helpful in this type of situation would be most appreciated. concerned mom who is also learning how to let go
Martha Black does an excellent job advising transfer students. She is in Kensington and accessible by bus. Her phone number is 847-1205. Her website, marthablackcollegeadvising.com, outlines her process. She worked with my son and really helped him focus on preparation for transfer and the process.
Another resource is College Confidential, which has threads for general and UC transfers. Ms. Sun's blog, askmssun.livejournal.com, has a lot of information on the UC transfer process, with the caveat that her consulting business focuses on entry into the top UC's. Those who transferred and their acquaintances also warned us to make sure that the destination college does a good job of assimilating transfer students, both academically and socially. Best of luck to your daughter. Anon
Try Rebecca Fields. She's a college counselor. Her website says she also does coaching for college students. Anon
Unfortunately, once you've taken college classes after high school graduation, you are no longer eligible to apply as a freshman. You are transfer applicant. If she wants to come back to California next year and not wait to apply as junior, then her best bet is to do her second year at a California Community College, then transfer to a UC as a junior after completing all of the transfer requirements. She will also have a higher chance of acceptance at a UC if she is applying from a CCC than if she is applying from an out of state school.
She should plan to spend a year at a California community college and apply to UC and/or CSUs for junior year as a transfer. The UCs are mandated to have 1/3 of their students be community college transfer students, and it is a much more straightforward process to be admitted as a transfer than as a high school senior. In fact, admission to many of the UCs is guaranteed if she meets a certain GPA and takes the required lower level courses for her planned major. Taking the required courses is very important because they want to see that she will have met prerequisites for required upper level courses and able to graduate in 2 more years. She can meet with a transfer admission counselor at the cc and at the UC she wants to attend to make a plan.
Five years ago I asked at a Cal Poly SLO admissions event whether my child could do this, apply as a freshman if he planned to take a a year off after high school and take a few classes at community college. They were pretty snarky about saying No, he can't try to get in as a second-try freshman if he goes to community college to improve his GPA. It was mean and unprofessional, in particular because I was asking because my child was seriously ill and hoping to recover during that year (he did), and I didn't want to drag all that into the conversation in front of him and all the other people there. Their point, though, was true freshman or junior transfer.
Anyway, so a person you could talk to who is expensive is Rebecca Field. But probably just googling will work, what with AI answers now. An option might be to come back and go to community college and then transfer to a UC. Or stay another year and then attempt a junior transfer. Calif community colleges have the TAG program which is a sort of preferential application to UCs though. Good luck!
100% agree with the previous posters' advice. Since you asked for referrals, you may want to contact Wendy Morrison if you need help from an excellent college counselor. https://wendymorrisoncollegechoices.com/ We have engaged Wendy for both of our college bound kids, including this application cycle, and I happen to know that she works with students in CC wanting the transfer path into a UC. Best to your daughter!