Submitted by Amber Martinez, Enrollment Advisor/Recruiter at Athens State University (AL) in collaboration with Heather Yush, PTK Associate Director of College & Transfer Relations
I recently attended a workshop entitled: “What We’ve Learned – 25 Virtual Transfer Fairs Later” by Heather Yush and Ron Filipowicz. During the session, they shared feedback from students about their experiences attending virtual college fairs. I noticed a lot of students mention they had trouble keeping all the information organized from the different college fairs and presentations they had listened to. This sparked an idea – what if we could provide a free resource to students to help them keep track of their notes when learning about all the different colleges? As a first-generation college student, I know how hard it is to figure out which college would be the best fit. As a recruiter for over 9 years and working as a transfer admissions counselor at Athens State University, I realize that many times students are unsure of the best questions to ask admissions counselors. Heather and I have joined together to provide what we hope to be a valuable resource in your college search process.
Our gift to you is this Transfer Planning Guide that we’ve created to help you make a fully informed decision about transferring. Make it your own – sort the various categories according to which is most important to you. Customize the resource by adding personalized criteria or cut categories altogether if not applicable. For example, if you intend to complete your bachelor’s degree fully online, then you may wish to delete the category “Surrounding Area.” Within each category, rearrange the list of factors to reflect your most to least important priorities. This will make it easier for you to identify your non-negotiables, assess your options, and find a best transfer-fit institution that literally checks all – or at least most – of your boxes. With this guide in hand, we encourage you to get started with your research now by logging into PTK Connect and clicking Find Colleges or Find Scholarships. Also, we highly recommend completing PTK’s Transfer Edge course, so you can understand the big picture when it comes to the transfer process. Next, mark your calendar and prepare to meet with transfer admission counselors from these colleges and universities on April 8 and 9 at the PTK Catalyst Virtual Transfer Fair. Another free perk of membership in PTK is the opportunity to participate in additional free virtual transfer fairs beyond PTK Catalyst. Register here for the April 22 at 1 pm ET/12 pm CT event. Congratulations on deciding to continue your education and best wishes in your transfer planning!
