The Voice - Student Newspaper

Prospective transfer students can take a sigh of relief

Transferring to a four-year university doesn't have to be a stressful process. You need to figure out what major you want to pursue, the college you wish to transfer to, the path you want to take to reach your goal, and the understanding of the admission requirements that correspond with your ultimate plan.

Glendale Community College(GCC) offers all the resources needed to help you get to where you want to go. Mark Reed, GCC head of advisement, encourages students to "ask questions and do research in order to ensure you will be successful."

In order to transfer you need to understand the admission requirements of your choice university. Students should be aware that GCC has a corresponding course agreement with the three Arizona state universities; Arizona State University, University of Arizona, and Northern Arizona University.

If you plan to transfer to an out-of state school the approach would be the same but the course research would be more intensive. A sensible idea, in either case, would be to earn an Associate's degree at GCC prior to transferring to a four year university for a Bachelor's degree.

Mark Reed and Anthony Reyes, an academic advisor for GCC for five years, formed the best method to make the transferring process as easy as possible in five easy steps. The first course of action would be to make inquiries at the Counseling and Career Services Building on campus about what career you plan to pursuing.

The Career Center will assist you in picking a major that best suits your ultimate career goal as well as the best university to satisfy your academic needs. From there you can speak with an academic adviser about "pursuing the best path, with GCC, in order to achieve your career goal." Be certain that earning an AA degree at GCC is the right approach for you; it's not the right path for every student. Follow a university provided academic check sheet offered to prospective transfer students. Be sure to read relevant information about admissions and their requirements in GCC's and inquiring universities catalog.

Reed mentioned that students tend to ask about "which courses offered at GCC are equivalent to Arizona University offered courses?" Reed clarified that "most general courses are equivalent, as well as major specific courses." Ideally to know exactly which courses are considered equivalent, students should inquire at the Maricopa District Webpage where there is a list of General Education Curriculas that are accepted by the three Arizona four-year campuses. All of the information you need can be found on www.gc.maricopa.edu; the GCC website.

Any further questions can be answered by a career counselor or an academic advisor.