Transfer Shock or Transfer Ecstasy? The Exploration of California Community College Transfer Student Experiences at the University of California, Santa Barbara

• In Event: AERA Graduate Student Research in Progress Roundtable Session One
  In Roundtable Session: Understanding the Experiences of University Newcomers: Student Employment and Community College Transfers (Table 18)

Abstract

Nine of the ten UC Campuses offer undergraduate education. Of these undergraduates, a third of these students start at the community college. There is a projected goal that once transfer students are admitted, that they will be able to graduate from the university within two years. However, the average time-to-degree elapsed here at the University of California, Santa Barbara often ranges from two to four years upon matriculation. Thus, I seek to understand the following:
"Why is it taking transfer students at the University of California, Santa Barbara, longer to graduate, in terms of the two-year, time-to-degree policy?"
The term "transfer-shock" has been created to refer to the tendency of academic and social disorientation amongst students transferring from one institution of higher education to another. In many studies, native students (students who have entered the university straight from high school) are shown to perform better than transfer students academically. Prior research also alludes to the difficulties transfer students have integrating into the campus' student life. However, few studies have looked at transfer student adjustment at quarter-system universities. Additionally, there is little data on identifying key indicators towards this disorientation. Thus, this study employs an exploratory sequential mixed methods design to examine transfer student adjustment at UC Santa Barbara.

Author

• Caitlin P Ng, University of California - Santa Barbara
  Presenting Author