On Friday, March 20, the Transfer Center hosted a tour of San Francisco State University. In addition to a campus tour, students attended a general admissions presentation conducted by our college representative, Doris Fendt. Doris discussed in detail admissions requirements, dates and deadlines students need to be aware of, and how to make their transfer from Skyline College to SF State possible. The students were engaged in the presentations and asked a lot of questions. In addition to Doris’ presentation, Paul Mendez, another SF State Representative, presented on the Transfer Articulation Bridge (TAB) Program, a course offered to Skyline College students that is designed to serve underrepresented students. Paul discussed with the students the benefits of the course and how it prepares students for the transition from Skyline College to SF State.
For many students this was the first time they had traveled to SFSU and for some it was the school they had applied to for the Fall 2015 semester. Many students discovered that there were many options and resources available to them and one student felt that the tour “… was really good for planning my future.” The personal connection students made with SFSU admissions staff and faculty is invaluable in their preparation and comfort in preparing to transfer to SFSU.
On Friday, April 10, in collaboration with TRiO, the Transfer Center also hosted our UC Berkeley college tour where over 40 students had the opportunity to hear from the UC Berkeley College Representative, Bryan Martinez, who also serves our students here at Skyline College through the Transfer Alliance Project. He has scheduled one-on-one advising appointments and provides additional support to underrepresented students. Bryan was not only able to host an admissions presentation, but to our surprise he organized a student panel. Students had the opportunity to hear first-hand from the panelists their experiences transferring from a community college to UC Berkeley. Many of the students on the tour expressed that they found the admissions presentation informational and the panel presentation insightful. One student expressed that thanks to the presentation and tour, “…UC Berkeley is not an impossible school [to get into] and that there are numerous resources.” Another student wrote, “I really love the community support at Skyline College and the opportunities to visit campuses…Great Tour. Thank you Transfer Center and TRiO.”
Many thanks to Doris Fendt, Paul Mendez, and Bryan Martinez for taking time out of their day to provide the presentation. The students benefited tremendously thanks to their dedication and support. And a special thanks goes to the Transfer Center staff, faculty, and TRiO for helping to organize and support this trip.
Campus tours have been identified as a critical part of transfering by the Skyline College Transfer Initiative and we are excited to say that the tours that were offered this semester have all proven to be very successful and beneficial to all the students that attended.
Article and photo by Michele Haggar
