Have you only applied to one four-year college or university for next fall? Think about applying to one or two more over the winter break so that you will have options during the spring. Set aside time in the next two weeks to visit the admission websites of two more colleges.

If you have applied to future four year institutions already, remember to send an updated official copy of your NOVA transcript once your fall, 2009 grades are posted. Make a note on your calendar now to send an updated transcript in January. Good luck on your final exams next week!

NOVA Blogs

Did you know that NOVA has several other blogs besides the Transfer blog? It is good to check these other blogs on topics such as Emergency Planning and How To Pay For College. Find them by clicking on the "Blogs At NOVA" link on the right hand side of our home page.

Successful Transfer Students

Have you read the short success stories on our website from previous NOVA transfer students Bridget Wilson, Geoffrey Kaman, and Jason Wray? Our students transfer to schools all over the U.S. and into all kinds of majors. Learn about the journey for these three students by clicking on our web link "Learn from Successful NOVA transfer students" when you are on our transfer web page at www.nvcc.edu.

Fall 2010 application deadlines

Attending transfer meetings lately with the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and James Madison University, it is clear that Admissions Offices prefer completion of applications in the fall prior to enrollment for the following fall. Even though the universities publish an application deadline for March or later, they "prefer" applications that come in months before. The University of Virginia begins reading fall, 2010 application packets after November 1, 2009.

If you are planning a fall, 2010 transfer, it is not too early to begin applying! If you have questions or need help, please go to your Student Service Center on your campus. We want to help!

Here are 10 tips for transfer students that our Virginia Community College System chancellor, Dr. Glen DuBois, himself a graduate of a community college, recently shared with U.S. News and World Report:

1. Complete your associate's degree. National research shows that community college students who finish their degree program complete the baccalaureate at a much higher rate than those students who transfer with simply a grab bag of credits.
2. Shop around. Examine all of the options available to you as a transfer student. Examine both public and private four-year institutions to decide what will be the best fit for you. The four-year institution that you had your heart set on in high school might not ultimately be the best choice for the subject you want to pursue.
3. Plan ahead. The earlier you begin to prepare for transfer, the better. Visit your top choices, collect transfer materials, and find out if there are any transfer agreements between where you are and where you want to go. The more information that you have, the easier it will be to make a decision.
4. Know what actually transfers. Make sure you are picking courses that are transferable to colleges and universities. There are Web sites, tools, and advisers at both community colleges and universities to help you choose wisely.
4-Star Tip. Many states have "articulation agreements"—negotiated documents that make clear what's needed to transfer from one higher education institution to another. The benefit to you as a student is that the agreement takes the guesswork out of the process by telling you, in black and white, what classes you need to take and what grades you need to make to avoid losing hard-earned credits when you transfer. Many states have Web sites with detailed information about articulation agreements and the process of transferring. Some of the best are:
Virginia: www.VaWizard.org
Arizona: www.aztransfer.com/CCStudent
Texas: www.tccns.org/default.asp
Illinois: www.itransfer.org/
California: www.cpec.ca.gov/OnLineData/TransferPathway.asp
5. Don't be shy. Meet regularly with advisers at the community college. Keep your adviser informed of your transfer plans, and as transfer approaches, set a time to meet with an adviser at your target institution. If you try to navigate this process without the help of advisers, you might not be able to maximize your community college courses.
6. Choose a major. Pick your major early, and seek advice about the best courses to take to meet requirements. By choosing your major early, you can take the prerequisites that you need for that program at the university. Well-planned course taking will help you finish your transfer program more efficiently, saving you time and money in the long run.
7. Get admitted. Make sure that you apply to both the institution as well as the program that you want to attend at that institution. If you get admitted to the university, it often does not mean that you are admitted to the specific program that you want to study, like engineering or nursing. Make sure you complete those application materials, too. The deadlines for the university admissions materials and the program admissions materials might be different. Do your research!
8. Make them show you the money. Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) if you have not done so already. Call the university admissions office to see if it has scholarships set aside for transfer students—many institutions do. Make sure that you meet all of the deadlines for financial aid. Otherwise, you might miss out on assistance that is available to you.
9. Attend orientation. You might think that you do not need this because you already are a college student. But navigating the university is different. Take advantage of the opportunities that the universities have created for transfer students. These orientations will help ease the transfer process.
10. Stay focused. This one is easy to forget. Whether it's your associate's or bachelor's degree we're talking about, finishing on time is not easy. But it can be done if you are focused and work hard. Keep your goal in mind even when you're working in your hardest class, which you don't much like. It will all pay off.

Spring, 2010 Application Deadlines

Application Deadlines to transfer to a new college in January are quickly approaching. Here are some of our Virginia college Spring semester deadlines:

George Mason University: October 15, priority deadline
Virginia Commonwealth University: November 1 deadline
Virginia Tech: October 1 deadline
University of Virginia: November 1 deadline
James Madison University: Not Available
Old Dominion University: October 1 deadline
Mary Washington University: November 1 deadline

These deadlines can be found on the Admissions website for each school. Do not wait too late to begin sending in your application, NOVA transcript, and all other past college transcripts. Questions? See a counselor on your campus in the Student Service Center. All counselors can help with transfer and application questions.

Many of the Guaranteed Admission Agreements require that you complete an associate degree with the community college to qualify for the agreement. Be sure to use the College Catalog to follow the degree requirements closely and meet with your faculty advisor each semester.

New Fall Events Listed

Have you checked out the Transfer Web page's Events Calendar? http://www.nvcc.edu/current-students/transfer/transfer-events/index.html

We just posted over 80 transfer related events between our six campuses. College Admissions Office visits, information about how to transfer workshops, free van trips to tour college campuses, and all the local college fairs are listed!

Don't miss out on all these great opportunities for the fall 0f 2009. They won't be available again until later in the spring semester, 2010 or in some cases not again until fall, 2010!

Fall Transfer Students

Hello everyone, do you have any questions yet about which transfer classes to take in the spring semester at NOVA? Registration will begin in November for the spring term.

Recent Pre Med Transfer Question

Here is a recent question sent to NOVA:
The following message has been forwarded from the Virginia Education Wizard's "Contact Us" tool:
"I'm currently attending northern virginia community college toward an assoicates of science, but I would like to transfer to a Pre Med program in the Fall of 2010. What do I need to do to accomplish this?"

Here is our response from Dr. John Thrash, Special Assistant for Advising:
Preparing to transfer is an important job, and it is good that you are thinking about this now. I have the following suggestions:

1. Choose the top five colleges or universities that you would like to attend and obtain their catalogs (online or write to ask that you be sent a hard copy).
2. Read the section of the catalogs pertaining to transfer admission very carefully, and then read about the school's pre-med programs.
3. Narrow the five down to three.
4. If possible, visit the institutions just to take a look around and talk to some of the undergraduate students there.
5. Make your interest in the school known to the admission office through a careful letter showing interest and asking for information about the college, the academic department(s) that house pre-med majors, and the requirements for graduation. You might also ask about the success of graduates in being accepted to medical schools.
6. After you have done some of this research and are prepared to do so, visit a transfer counselor at NVCC. If you are at the AN campus, Ms. Kimberly Wright and Ms. Fran Troy are excellent.

As you can see, transferring requires work on the part of the student. And, it is important to understand that the "receiving institution" is the controlling institution. That said, NVCC and the VCCS do have a number of transfer agreements. To learn more about the resources available to you at NOVA, please go to www.nvcc.edu and type "transfer agreements" in the search engine. There you will find such pages as:

a. Transfer to Bachelor's Degree Programs
b. Successful Transfer Planning
c. Articulation Agreements
d. Transfer and Articulation, etc.

Additionally, there is a specific transfer webpage at: www.nvcc.edu/current-students/transfer/index.html, which I highly recommend.

Guaranteed admissions are listed at: www.nvcc.edu/about-nova/directories--offices/administrative/offices/academic/guaranteed-adm/index.html.

You're on the right track. Put in a little work and you'll get there! Thanks for your inquiry, and I wish you well.

John Thrash, Ph.D.
Special Assistant for Advising

Please share

How is your experience going to a two-year school compared to your friends who went right away to four-year schools?

Question for you

Transfer students, why did you choose to go to a community college rather than a four-year school? We want to hear from you.

New additions to 4-year college links and guides

We now have over 80 college and university web sites and transfer guides on our college transfer web page link at:
http://www.nvcc.edu/about-nova/directories--offices/administrative-offices/academic/transfer/index.html

If there is not a transfer guide link, that means the college or university does not provide one to transfer students yet.

It is never too early to plan your transfer strategy. If this fall, 2009 is your first semester, enjoy looking at the college and university links soon for transfer information.

Transfer Website Update

Check out the latest updates on the home page of the NOVA Transfer website. A button leading you to the Virginia Transfer Wizard was recently added.

Transfer Blog

Check out our new blog where the NOVA Transfer Staff communicate directly with you to provide you important updates and answer your questions!

There is already much information about the Transfer Process on the NOVA website, but we wanted to offer you an additional place where you can view valuable transfer information and ask questions and comments. The blog entries are organized by most recent at the top to least recent.

At the end of each entry is a Comment section you can click on to make comments or ask questions about the transfer process. Next, click on the Publish Your Comment button. Your comment or question will appear in the Comments area.