Exploring Community College Students' Transfer Experiences and Perceptions and What They Believe Administration Can Do to Improve Their Experiences

Perceptions and Challenges of Engineering and Science Transfer Students From Community College to University in a Chinese Educational Context

“…It has been reported that some transfer students in the United States also found they were unable to select many subjects because the deadline for selection was before their enrollment (Eggleston and Laanan, 2001), similar to the experience described by our transfer students. In fact, Walker and Okpala (2017) determined that transfer students noticed the disparities between themselves and mainstream students and suggested that university administrators recognize their different needs. Transfer students often feel they are receiving inadequate support from their universities (Eggleston and Laanan, 2001;Kodama, 2002;Cheung et al, 2020c), and want to obtain more resources from their universities (Tobolowsky and Cox, 2012;Walker and Okpala, 2017).…”

“…In fact, Walker and Okpala (2017) determined that transfer students noticed the disparities between themselves and mainstream students and suggested that university administrators recognize their different needs. Transfer students often feel they are receiving inadequate support from their universities (Eggleston and Laanan, 2001;Kodama, 2002;Cheung et al, 2020c), and want to obtain more resources from their universities (Tobolowsky and Cox, 2012;Walker and Okpala, 2017). As a matter of fact, they have been neglected and labeled as not requiring extra assistance, due to the perception that their previous experience in community college was enough (Beckenstein, 1992), as was the case reported in our interviews.…”

“Like a Freshman Who Didn’t Get a Freshman Orientation”: How Transfer Student Capital, Social Support, and Self-Efficacy Intertwine in the Transfer Student Experience

“…In particular, peers (such as fellow community college and previous transfer students) can provide practical information which is unknown to or discounted by advisors or other official sources but is nonetheless vital to a successful transition and adjustment to the receiving institution ( Flaga, 2006 ; Laanan et al, 2011 ; Moser, 2014 ). However, if the information provided by various sources is inaccurate or conflicting, students could become frustrated and confused ( Ornelas and Solorzano, 2004 ; Allen et al, 2014 ; Walker and Okpala, 2017 ; Musoba et al, 2018 ; Schudde et al, 2021 ), or may lose time and money through excess credits or duplicated coursework ( Laanan, 2003 ; Aragon and Perez, 2006 ; Owens, 2010 ; Bailey et al, 2013 , 2015 ; Ellis, 2013 ; Jaggars and Stacey, 2014 ; Ngo and Kosiewicz, 2017 ). Collectively, these negative outcomes could lower students’ motivation and confidence in the likelihood of successfully persisting to a bachelor’s degree.…”

An Exploratory Study of Transferring From a Community College Into a 4-Year Music Education Program

“…Zhang et al (2018) suggested that this may indicate that students of color experience more challenges and impediments than White students during the transfer process. In addition, in examining 12 transfer students at a Historically Black College, Walker and Okpala (2017) found large diversity among the population, with ages ranging from 18 to mid-50s, as 42% ( n = 5) of their participants were married or divorced. These participants discussed their additional responsibilities outside of school, such as family obligations and having part- or full-time jobs to assist their family situations.…”

“…A sense of community is of great importance for college and university students. Frequently, transfer students enter at a variety of stages in life (Tobolowsky & Cox, 2012; Walker & Okpala, 2017), are often older than their peers (Townsend & Wilson, 2006), and are often less engaged in campus social activities (Ishitani & McKitrick, 2010; Nunez & Yoshimi, 2016). Hence, transfer students must often build social networks outside of campus.…”