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Monday, June 15, 1998

Transfer students struggle to acclimate to UCLA

GRADUATES: Many must juggle responsibilities, adjust to high standards, pace of being Bruins

By Audrey Beck

Daily Bruin Contributor

The fatigue and stress of finals and the anonymity of a large university leave few students untouched, but transfer students have the added difficulty of competing with students who have been at UCLA since their freshman year.

Transfer students have to transition into a new school, while simultaneously maintaining their GPA and often juggling family and work obligations.

Everardo Rivera, a fourth-year history and chicano studies student, spent endless hours at Powell trying to master UCLA's library system. He said this was only one of the many challenges he faced as a transfer student.

While coming to UCLA can be an intimidating experience for any student, transfer students such as Rivera do not let their difficulties stop them from graduating.

Statistics show retention and graduation rates for transfer students have steadily increased over the past decade.

According to the Office of Academic Planning and Budget, 93 percent of transfer students admitted in the fall of 1996 returned for their second year.

In contrast, of freshman admitted in the fall of '94, only 86 percent returned for their fourth year.

According to Bruce Barbee, a counselor with the College of Letters and Sciences, transfer students make up one of the most diverse populations on campus according.

"It depends on how much they challenged themselves (and) what types of junior colleges they came from," Barbee said, regarding the different educational backgrounds of transfer students.

Plus, many have added responsibilities such as commuting, married life and children.

Jante Palacios said her transition to UCLA would have been easier if her high school and junior college had been more challenging.

She said her junior college lacked adequate resources and had a high school level curriculum.

"Ideally, the classes that transfer should be more difficult, with a pace similar to a UC class," Rivera said.

Both Rivera and Irene Alquila, a fourth-year political science student, said one of the greatest challenges is remaining confident of their academic abilities.

According to Rivera, many high schools try to convince students to enter trade school or junior college as opposed to going straight to a university. As a result, transfers are often under-prepared and are easily discouraged, he added.

Alquila agreed with Rivera, adding that she spent a lot of her time in junior college feeling frustrated because she waited to come to UCLA.

The transition from a semester system to the quick pace of the quarter system is one of the most difficult challenges transfer students face, Barbee said.

Alvila said she initially had a hard time keeping up with the additional reading.

"I had to realize that unlike the semester system, I couldn't take a break" with classes only a quarter long, she said.

For many transfer students, getting to UCLA is the culmination of many years of hard work at both high school and two years at a junior college.

"I think school work is taken more seriously (by transfer students) because you only have two years to establish your GPA," Alvila said.

Barbee said the expectations and standards of transfer students are often based on lower academic standards than those at UCLA.

"Transfers have to dump previous expectations," Barbee said.

"For many years, (the transfer student's) goal has been to get into UCLA," Barbee said. He also said transfer students are often unsure of their next step.

Barbee encourages transfers in this situation to adopt new goals for their continuing academic success.

Like most transfer students, Rivera sacrificed much of his free time learning how to take advantage of campus resources.

"You have to work harder to get to the same level as the guy who has been here two years," Rivera said.

"Transfer students tend to slip through the cracks," Barbee said.

Barbee and the transfer students agreed that UCLA could be more accommodating to transfer students.

"The school tends to assume transfers are all the same, when many of their needs relate to where they came from," Barbee said.

Rivera also expressed concern over the closing of Hershey Hall.

"Hershey Hall was a valuable networking opportunity; it gave me a chance to talk to older students,"Rivera said.

Rivera also viewed on-campus housing as a convenient way to keep transfers involved and informed in campus life.

"Living in Hershey was extremely beneficial. I wouldn't give back that experience for anything,"he said.

Getting involved in various campus activities provides an opportunity for transfer students to feel like a part of UCLA and its traditions, Rivera said.

For example, Rivera spent much of his first year attending sporting events, while Palacios said the opportunity to interact with other transfers during orientation helped her to acclimate herself to UCLA.

Rivera said that despite the many obstacles and problems they face, transfers are as much a part of the school and its traditions as those who have been here their entire collegiate career.

"Even though I wasn't here freshman year, I have been rooting for the Bruins since I was a little kid," Rivera said.

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