In the midst of falling temperatures and fewer days remaining in the semester for Los Medanos College students, there is even less time for those looking to attend a state university for the Fall 2013 semester — Nov. 30 is the last day to apply to California State Universities and Universities of California according to LMC Student Ambassador Daisy Rios who works in the Transfer Center.

Transfer Center Coordinator Tara Dale Sanders explained that students have to apply one year ahead of the semester they want to transfer in. For example students who wants to attend UC Davis in Fall of 2013 need to apply by the Nov. 30 deadline.

She said for those students looking to transfer to out-of-state colleges and private universities will need to check with the school they plan on attending because they may have a different set of deadlines than state academic institutions.
LMC student Diana Salmeron is a bit ahead of the curve in her transfer planning because she scheduled an appointment to meet with a U.C. Berkley Representative now even though she isn’t planning on transferring until the Fall of 2014.

“I just want to know what to expect and what I need to do transfer,” said Salmeron.
Sanders encourages all students to look this far ahead if they are planning on attending a university after LMC.
“Some students may think it is too early to begin planning. This is not the case. Students should begin researching schools, developing their educational plan and meeting with college representatives early in their academic career,” said Sanders.

She explained that students who delay planning can run into pitfalls like not fulfilling the major requirements of the school they plan on attending, which may be different from or in addition to what they need to complete for general education and transfer requirements.

“It is important to know which plan to follow and to get guidance from counselors, university admissions representatives and Transfer Center staff,” said Sanders. “The Transfer center offers many resources to help students not only during the application process, but also on their transfer journey.”

She added the center can help students know exactly when their deadlines are and more specific details if they wish to enter a particular program like LMC’s nursing program.

Sanders said there are a variety of ways the center strives to help students including one-on-one help for students with specific questions, understanding the applications, and putting on workshops to familiarize students on what they need to do to transfer to CSUs and UCs.

Beyond that she explained the center works to give students a chance to actually visit campuses through tours they put on and to find schools that offer programs they are interested in.

“Each semester we offer campus tours to at least six different schools to help students explore possible transfer choices,” said Sanders. “Students aren’t just relocating their academic careers, but their entire life, and we want there to be an opportunity to see of the school is the right fit.”

Another area crucial in the transfer process is the admissions office and here too student delays can prove costly in terms of achieving their goals with little to no stress.

Robin Armour the director of Admissons for LMC said students can use unofficial transcripts to help with the application process, but will need official transcripts to be sent to the school of their choice.

Students should realize the transcripts will only reflect what they have done at LMC and not other colleges including the sister colleges Diablo Valley and Contra Costa.

Students can request their transcripts by going to losmedanos.edu then selecting web adviser from the a-z index once there students need to click on the academic services link and choose the official transcript request option.
Armour like Sanders recommends students plan ahead, so they can avoid difficulties.
“If you wait to the last minute you have to pay more,” said Armour.

LMC’s admissions gives students two free official transcripts then charges a $5 fee for each additional transcript using normal delivery, which takes two-weeks to prepare. There is a rush option for an additional $10 and express option where students can get their transcript within an hour if they are willing to spend $25 plus the $5 fee.

For more information on the Transfer Center go to Room 434 located on the third floor of the college complex. Students can also visit losmedanos.edu and select Transfer Center from the A-Z index.