Carina Galicia talks with Lorena Valdez, Transfer Student Programs and Services Coordinator, about her summer plans. Photo by Jenne Mowry.

Fall transfer student reception
The 2008-09 Welcome Reception for Transfer Students will be held August 22, from noon until 2:30 PM. In addition, transfers may want to attend one or more of the following workshops:

> Getting Started @ Cal
> Career Center Resources: Not Too Soon to Explore
> Welcome to Office Hours: Meeting Berkeley Faculty
> Stepping it up @ Cal: What to Expect from Upper-Division Course Work
> Student Life Advising Services and Educational Opportunity Program (SLAS/EOP)
> Beyond the Classroom: Research, Travel, and other Enrichment Opportunities
> Maximizing Financial Aid
> Advising Resources and Planning Your Path @ Berkeley
> The Library: Navigating Services

A full schedule of these workshops, including locations and times offered, can be found at trsp.berkeley.edu/.

Transition courses for transfers
Check out some of these for-credit classes:

> Education 198: Strategies for Success at Cal for Transfer Students
> Education 198: Adult Learners in Higher Education
> Education 98/198: Once Upon a University: An Orientation Course for Student Parents
> Education 198: Veterans in Higher Education

Transfers are encouraged to drop by the TRSP with questions or to learn about scholarships, internships, undergraduate research opportunities, and other enrichment programs (trsp.berkeley.edu; 100 Cesar Chavez Student Center; trsp@berkeley.edu; 510/642-4257).

Spring transfers
Check the Transfer, Re-entry, Student Parent Center website in early January for spring activities (trsp.berkeley.edu).

The time is right: coming to Cal as a transfer student

Prior to transferring to Berkeley in the spring of 2007, I had been living in LA, working nonstop for about six years at a sports television network, and attending community college. When the time finally came to apply to transfer, I had intended to apply to UCLA and USC, but the application deadlines for their film schools were earlier than the college deadlines, so I missed them. Though I was disappointed at first, I realized that it was time for me to leave Los Angeles, and I ended up applying to UC Santa Cruz, UC Santa Barbara, UC Berkeley, and NYU.

I received acceptance letters from Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara fairly quickly, but it was awhile before I heard from Berkeley or NYU. When I finally learned that I had been accepted to Cal, I was so excited that I didn’t immediately realize that it was for the spring semester rather than the fall. I didn’t know what to make of it at first; I felt very insecure and inadequate. Wasn’t I good enough to get in with the other fall admits? I struggled with this for a few days, but I eventually came to the conclusion that I had already spent nearly six years at a community college, and if Berkeley had accepted me, then what’s the harm in waiting one more semester? By the time I learned that I had not been accepted to NYU, I was already considering myself a Cal student.

I arrived in Berkeley on spring move-in day, ready to set up my new life in Wada Hall (the transfer and upper-division apartment housing in Unit 2). I was expecting to meet all of my roommates when I arrived; I didn’t know that most students don’t return until a day or two before classes begin. I was alone for about two or three days, and I used my spare time to explore and walk around Berkeley. Welcome activities for spring admits were kind of sparse so I decided to check out some of the workshops being offered by the Transfer, Re-entry and Student Parent Center (TRSP). I started meeting other new transfer students, and I also became better acquainted with the campus and other resources (such as the library and financial aid), which helped me feel more secure about being at Berkeley. The financial aid workshop really made a difference to me: I had gone from being employed full-time (in LA) to not working at all, and I needed all the advice and assistance I could get! That workshop (and others) helped tremendously.

When I came back to my room after a workshop, I was surprised to see that one of my roommates had arrived...and I quickly discovered that we were going to get along just fine. When my second roommate came two days later, I was worried, because they had been friends since their freshman year, and I thought I might become a third wheel. But they were really great about including me. Even though they have both graduated already, they are still two of my closest friends.

I was really anxious when the first day of classes arrived. One of my classes, Education 198, played a very important role during my first semester; it was facilitated by TRSP, and it placed me with other transfer students who were going through the exact same things that I was going through. Finding a peer group at Cal—a cluster of people who really understood what I was experiencing—made my transition a lot less lonely and a lot more successful. I developed a great relationship with one of the TRSP class coordinators, and I know that I will always be able to come in and talk to her about any concerns I may have.

As for the rest of my classes, I was surprised at how much reading was assigned on a weekly basis, and my French class kept me busy with daily homework assignments. Even so, I didn’t feel unprepared in any way. My school workload was a lot heavier than I was accustomed to, but I found that by managing my time, I was able to keep up with it. As a transfer student, I had to hit the ground running. I felt that I needed to take the initiative in getting to know my professors—and have them know my name—by visiting them during their office hours. It’s intimidating at first, but professors enjoy speaking to their students. I have even had at least two of them mention that they like transfer students in particular because we arrive knowing exactly what we want to do.

By the time my second semester came around, I was comfortable with the campus and had made friends that I would run into in between classes. I decided to intern at TRSP to share what I had learned with new and prospective transfer students, and I applied to be a CalSO counselor for the same reason. As an intern, I answered phones and helped prospective students with a lot of the “nuts and bolts” of filling out their applications. All of that paperwork can seem so daunting, but once you have done it, it is not as scary. I was glad to be able to help them get through that process and on to their next steps in applying to Cal.

After a successful first semester, I felt more confident in my abilities as a Berkeley student, and my grades proved to me that I did belong at Cal. Regardless of what semester I came to Berkeley, I am truly appreciative of the level of education I’m receiving, as well as the way I have been able to take on leadership positions that allow me grow in ways that I never thought possible.

— Carina Galicia, Spring transfer
Film Studies major
From Los Angeles, California