One common concern for potential transfer students is whether or not the courses they took at their previous academic institution will transfer, or if they’ll have to retake (and pay for) a class for credit.
To ease students’ minds, K-State’s Office of Admissions has unveiled a new tool to be used before enrolling in class. The transfer equivalency web tool allows students to enter courses they have taken or plan to take at other schools and see how K-State has evaluated that course.
According to a news release from K-State, students then have the option of emailing a PDF version of their report to an adviser, a K-State transfer representative or themselves.
For students like Janelle Sparkman, junior in communication sciences and disorders, who transferred from Washburn University, having to retake a class when she transferred was her main concern.
“I actually had two classes from last semester from Washburn that didn’t transfer but I only had to retake one of them because the other was not needed for my major,” Sparkman said.
“The new site has some unique features that allow us to better serve not only transfer students, but anyone who has questions about transfer credit.” – William Disberger
Sparkman said that the transfer equivalency page would have helped ease the stress and anxiety a little. While Kate Smith, senior in life sciences, didn’t have any problems transferring classes when she transferred from Fort Scott Community College, she said she understands the worry.
“I think it could have been easier because I transferred credits within the state, not from outside,” Smith said. “The tool could have helped me double-check about which classes would transfer or not.”
The site uses an automated algorithm based on course data that was collected from colleges and universities all across the country. According to William Disberger, assistant director and transfer coordinator at K-State, about 70 percent of students at K-State started with some amount of transfer credit, including freshmen.
“The new site has some unique features that allow us to better serve not only transfer students, but anyone who has questions about transfer credit,” said Disberger, who served as a lead subject matter expert for the transfer equivalency project. “For a transfer student to have access to self-service is a big plus for both students and advisers because it answers the question, ‘What should I take?'”
The site helps streamline the process of transferring schools, which can already be a stressful process for countless students.
“Every school is different when it comes to teaching styles and class workloads, so a big challenge has been trying to adapt and learn how to learn again,” Sparkman said. “When you transfer, it’s kind of like being a freshman all over again.”
Students can find the new tool online through K-State’s website.
