transfer planning
10 Tips for a Successful Transfer
- Meet with your counselor early and often to discuss your transfer plans
- Meet with representatives from your target institutions to ensure that the institution will be the right fit for you.
- Decide on your major as soon as possible. Utilize the Counseling Office to help you with the process.
- Visit your target institutions even if they are right down the road. Is it a good fit for you? Is your major offered at the campus?
- Meet with a Counselor to learn how to arrange your educational plan to best maximize your time and successfully transfer
- Take Math and English courses early. Don’t wait until the last minute to take these core courses.
- Do well in your courses. GPAs are easy to bring down, but difficult to bring up.
- Know how to use the college catalog – course descriptions, prerequisites, and policies are information you will need to plan your time here
- Talk to faculty, students, administrators, and staff about their experiences in college so that you will have an understanding of what to expect
- Use the services of the Transfer Center. We are here to support you with your transfer goals!
Making Your Decisions
Career Objective
Your career objective will determine the type of degree you need and your choices for selecting a major.
A College Major & (Optional) Minor
Your Major: A major is a field of study that you select for your degree. You are required to major in specific academic subject to demonstrate sustained high level work in one field. Most institutions require that you declare a major for transfer.
Your Minor: A minor is an optional field of study that you select in conjunction with your major. The coursework for a minor may not be as intense as for the major. Generally you declare you minor once you transfer to a university.
How To Select A Major
1) Understand yourself and how your personality relates to skills, abilities, and career interest. This can be done by using the services of the Career Center and working with a counselor.
2) Determine your career objective. Your career objective will determine the type of degree you need and your choices for selecting a major.
3) Select your major. Selecting your major will help you determine the courses you need to take.
Developing Your Educational Plan
Major Preparation
Preparation for the Major Courses (or Prep for Major Courses) are lower-division courses that are required or recommended to be admitted to a major upon transfer. Many majors require or recommend introductory or prerequisite courses, most of which are offered in California Community Colleges.
The following resources can aid in identifying the preparation for major courses.
- ASSIST: Displays articulation reports of how course credits earned at Los Angeles Southwest College meet the requirements for preparation for major, general education, and transferability of courses to the UC and CSU systems. You can also utilize ASSIST to explore majors offered at the UCs and CSUs. Visit ASSIST at http://www.assist.org/
- LASC Articulation Agreements: LASC has a number of articulation agreements with local private universities, including information on preparation for major. Please view these agreements under the Articulation page by clicking here.
- AICCU: Displays transfer information for private colleges and universities of California. Visit the AICCU website at http://www.aiccu.edu.
- HBCU Mentor: Assists students in researching Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Visit http://www.hbcumentor.org/
Application Assistance
You may complete your UC or CSU application online in the Transfer Center. Learn how to properly complete a UC or CSU application. We review the information you need to gather to prepare your application, explain what the questions mean, and answer your questions about the application and transfer process. You can call the Transfer Center at (323) 241-5392 to schedule an appointment.