College of the Desert Helps Students Navigate University Transfer Applications

As the new school year approaches, many college students are preparing for transfer application season, and College of the Desert is helping students navigate the path from community college to university.

For many Coachella Valley students, the journey toward a four-year university does not begin on a university campus. It starts at College of the Desert, where counselors help students plan their academic path and prepare competitive applications.

“We accept 100% of the applicants that come to College of the Desert,” said Scott Cooper, a transfer counselor at COD. “Students can come back here and, again, change their whole entire course of their life.”

Cooper advises students to first understand where they currently stand academically and where they want to go next. From there, counselors help students work backward to create an educational plan that meets transfer requirements.

“Figure out where you are and then where you want to go,” Cooper said. “And the reason why we look at where we want to go is we work backwards with your educational plan.”

Student Andres Medina said working with transfer counselors helped him better understand which courses he needed to prioritize, especially as a STEM major.

“It actually helped me a lot to actually figure out that I need to actually do my major requirements first,” Medina said.

As he prepares to apply for transfer next year, Medina said students should pay close attention to application deadlines.

“I know a lot of people forget about deadlines,” he said.

Cooper says transfer counselors can also help students strengthen their applications by focusing on major requirements and preparing personal insight questions, which are often part of the admissions process.

“Number one, answer the question. Number two, show, not tell,” Cooper said when discussing personal insight questions.

The Transfer Center also helps students build confidence throughout the process. Thomas Cortes, a College of the Desert alum and now a transfer counselor, says support from mentors and counselors helped shape his own educational journey.

Through academic planning, application guidance and personal support, College of the Desert counselors say their goal is to help students believe in their ability to reach their university goals.

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