Transfer Students and the College Process
Tania is a Junior at UCLA majoring in both Sociology and Anthropology. She is involved in two research projects through two competitive fellowships, where she studies Iranian-American ethnic boundaries and identity formation. She is an advocate for marginalized students in multiple ways, speaking to a national audience about the struggles of transfer students, working to give LGBTQ+ students more resources on campus, and working as an agent at the Student Success Agency to give high schoolers the support she often didn’t have.
She uses her personal experiences of almost dropping out of high school her freshman year, attending Moorpark Community College, and later, dealing with imposter syndrome to create a space where her students can see her as vulnerable and share their own experiences in an open environment. She is currently making plans to attend graduate school to pursue a career in social science research, and we were able to sit down with her and learn about her unique journey and the challenges she faced on the way.
Tania’s Education
Tania struggled with depression in high school and felt isolated both academically and socially. She learned that taking the time to journal, practice mindfulness, and be introspective helped her grow. She decided to homeschool herself, but when that became challenging, she seized the opportunity to attend an alternative school that was built on passion-based learning. This was the place where she realized she was capable of doing anything a “smart kid” was. She redefined what she saw as intelligent, and realized that discipline and work ethic made all the difference.
Tania was able to make up for lost time. Her senior year of high school, she was accepted to nearly every college she applied to. After a random financial aid clause made her ineligible for her full-ride a week before classes started, Tania had to reevaluate. She signed up for an extension class at UCLA but found it didn’t allow her to take a gap year. Once again, a clause made it so she was classified as a transfer student. At that point, the only way she could attend University was by starting at a community college. Tania was devastated and felt like her hard work and turn-around in high school had gone without recognition, but became committed to making it work.
She attended Moorpark Community College, lived at home, and worked at REI. She did well and set her goals high, planning to transfer to a 4-year school in just 1.5 semesters. After her time at Moorpark, she applied as a transfer and was accepted to UC Berkeley and UCLA. After visiting the campus, liking its climate and being part of a couple different bridge programs, Tania chose UCLA. One of these programs was the CC to PhD program, which Tania used to get involved with sociology research.
Planning for Higher Education
Tania suggests students look at the big picture when planning their college journey, which means evaluating the time commitment, being realistic about finances, and making sure the program and school are a good fit.
For some, such as students in California, starting at one of their top-notch community colleges and then transferring to a 4-year school is a great way to save money. For others, doing a direct program will allow them a smoother transition to the higher degrees they want. For students below the poverty line, seizing a full financial aid opportunity is often best. And for others, college isn’t the way to go at all. One of Tania’s students was passionate about cosmetology and decided to leave college and pursue that instead, and now she works full-time in a job she loves.
When it comes to financial aid, Tania tells her students to be persistent and know who to go to for help, that way they can use every opportunity they come across. Students need to be able to market themselves because there are people willing to give away money, so their job is to find them and prove that they’re a good investment. Students need to remember that even little amounts add up and they will never have more time than they do during high school to apply for external scholarships.
Tania tells her students to see how well the program and school align with their goals by looking at course listings, meet the professors, and see what daily life would look like there. She laughs about how much she loves the food at UCLA — the school is rated number one in college dining, and she appreciates that every day! She also suggests looking into housing and seeing whether a dorm or an apartment would be a better fit.
Dealing With Imposter Syndrome
Two-thirds of UCLA transfer students experience imposter syndrome, and one-third of women more generally do. This is something Tania struggled with as a transfer student from a community college and a recipient of the prestigious Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship. She thinks most of her problems freshman year of high school stemmed from her not believing in herself academically. External factors and advice she didn’t feel was applicable to her life influenced this, and now she wishes the advice she’d received was more pragmatic. As an agent, she addresses these things with her students and helps them overcome imposter syndrome on a day-to-day basis — and not just during school, but later in their career too.
Tania helps to normalize the feelings associated with imposter syndrome by acknowledging that everybody has gaps and addressing them logically. Different students have different challenges based on their positionality. More generally, there is a “hidden” college curriculum where students need to learn the stuff that’s not in books — what office hours are, how to talk to a professor, how to write an email, how to sound professional, how to ask questions. It can be intimidating and make students feel like they don’t belong, but that does not mean they can’t learn these things and improve their skills.
