A large crowd of students gathered last month for Diablo Valley College’s annual Transfer Day Fair, held on Thursday, Oct. 26, on the Pleasant Hill Campus. The fair provided students the opportunity to ask questions and get first-hand responses from representatives of more than 50 UC and CSU schools, private universities, and out of state colleges.

Students’ interests ranged from which desired majors the schools offered to the kinds of available financial aid, campus culture, admission deadlines, and transfer requirements. 

Coordinated by DVC’s Career and Transfer Services, the event aimed to benefit students who might otherwise not know what opportunities are available and other information needed to successfully transfer to a four-year institution. 

With their booths set up in the common area of campus, university representatives highlighted key information about what set their schools apart. They said they quickly ran out of business cards and pamphlets due to the high volume of DVC students that attended.

Michael Taylor, representing the American University of Rome, said he hoped to “inform students that there are international opportunities available to them as well.”

Meanwhile, Lisa Harsh from the University of Wyoming emphasized that her school is “very connected with the outdoors” and encouraged students who live an active lifestyle to apply. 

“We have an outdoor program… that provides quality affordable equipment to students to help get them outside,” Harsh said. 

Over the course of the day, the crowd in attendance grew larger. Many students said they came across the event by chance after heading out of class. But others made sure to arrive early so as not to wait in long lines for meetings with popular schools like UC Berkeley and UCLA.

One student, Jasmine, who is studying architecture at DVC, said she originally placed Cal Poly as her number one desired school. But after attending the transfer fair, she said she feels she has “more options” and is now expanding her college search outside of California.

Another student, who preferred to remain anonymous, said it was “great to get information from people who have attended [the universities].” 

Numerous courses, events, workshops and websites are available to students seeking to transfer, with an emphasis on assisting African-American, Chicano/Latino, Native American, disabled, low-income, and other underrepresented students.

In addition, guidance classes taught by DVC counselors can help students who are still deciding their majors and establish clearer transfer goals.

“I hope to learn more about the transfer process, since I’m first generation from a family that doesn’t really have much higher level education experience,” said Juan Lopez Solano, a nursing major at DVC who plans to take Counseling 130: Transfer Planning.

“I don’t really have anyone to turn to for advice on the whole process, and it can feel kind of overwhelming.”

In addition, on Monday, Nov. 13, DVC Career and Transfer Services is hosting a luncheon to introduce the Transfer Scholars Network.

The new program from the Aspen Institute assists in connecting accomplished students at community colleges with admissions representatives from 14 high-ranked four-year universities, each renowned for its generous financial aid offerings.

The institutions include leading Ivy League universities and private liberal arts colleges such as Brown, Cornell, MIT, Yale and Princeton. The luncheon will be held in the BWL-CCC building from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. and via Zoom. RSVP to attend in person here.

Students who missed the Transfer Day Fair can still connect with university representatives to ask questions and get information at DVC’s University Rep Visits page. Further information can also be found at the DVC Transfer Canvas page, and students may view recordings of transfer workshops via the Events and Workshops page.