Transfer Policies Must Change � The Quick and the Ed

Transfer Policies Must Change � The Quick and the Ed

Transfer Policies Must Change

by guest blogger

In a recent column for The Chronicle of Higher Education, Education Sector’s Kevin Carey described the maze of obstacles transfer students encounter in the higher education system. In that description of “credentialism run amok,” he used the story of one Kent State University student to illustrate his points. I am that student. Education Sector has graciously allowed me to respond to Kevin’s article and to readers’ comments. I hope that my response will help shed light on some of the underlying problems plaguing transfer students (and, in some respects, all students) and, ultimately, move the discussion forward.
Often, evening students lack access to advisers and financial aid personnel. This is a problem. Many students who work full-time and attend class at night cannot take off work to meet in-person with an adviser during daytime “office hours”—between 10:00–11:30 a.m. and 1:30–4:00 p.m. Yet, adviser meetings are essential for transfer students to ensure they’re getting the most credit-value for their previous learning. If institutions want to serve their evening students well, they should institute policies that require their advising and financial aid offices to be open at times convenient for those students. My suggestion is to stay open during lunch two days per week and stay open until 7:00 one evening per week on a staggered schedule. Being open only during lunch precludes those students who work far from campus from using those time slots, while opening late the same