Schools such as Cal State University, Fullerton, Cal State University, Long Beach and Azusa Pacific University were on hand to talk to students about transferring March 15 in the Campus Center Mall.
Students had the opportunity to speak with representatives from about 30 colleges and universities.
Notable schools not in attendance were University of California, Los Angeles and University of Southern California, but students were still able able to learn more about less-known schools.
Citrus student Elizabeth Stokely said Grand Canyon University representative Tyler Small helped answer questions about programs at GCU, as well as other schools’ programs.
“It was really great to hear they are not just trying to sell their school, they are trying to help you succeed,” Stokely said.
GCU, located in Phoenix, Ariz., has participated in the transfer fair at Citrus the past couple years, transfer specialist Small said.
Being a private school, Small said GCU students benefit from smaller classroom sizes and more one-on-one experience with the campus environment. GCU also provides a lower price point for students.
“With housing and everything included, right now it is $25,000 a year,” Small said. “That includes housing, books, tuition and fees for in-state and out-of-state students.”
There is guaranteed housing for out-of-state students and none of GCU’s programs are impacted, Small said. Small said the STEM Department is a “big selling point” at GCU.
“The biology, the nursing, the engineering programs, those are becoming very popular,” Small said.
Citrus student Fabian Diaz, theatre major, said he used the transfer fair to learn about schools that offered construction management programs, another interest he had.
“It’s a time to ask schools if they have that major you’re looking into,” Diaz said. “This is really useful to see which schools have that field.”
California Baptist University was one of the schools Diaz said interested him, being a Christian school with a construction program.
APU, the neighboring university of Citrus, participated in the transfer fair, offering students an idea of the programs available next door. APU international enrollment coordinator Joshua Choi said the transfer fair for students is “an opportunity to see the options they have.”
With the expansion of Citrus the past few years, Choi said students have more of a variety in interests. With those interests, APU may not necessarily be the school they are looking for, Choi said.
With APU having its own conservatory, Choi said the music department is one of the programs that does attract students looking to transfer.
“You have that one-on-one attention that you would in a conservatory where you have a professor sit down and instruct you for two to three hours if you’re a performance major,” Choi said.
The nursing program also attracts students to APU and is “nationally renowned,” Choi said. The nursing program is a cohort system in which 45 to 50 nursing students per year begin the program. Those 45 to 50 students will go through four years of training together, Choi said.
“That really is able to give them that practical training, instruction and relationship between the instructors and the nursing students,” Choi said.
With the advancement of the education department, Choi said students can earn their bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and doctoral degree under one roof.
“We really are a school that believes in the individual student’s ability to be successful,” Choi said. “If they have the right attitude and they want to work hard, there is an avenue we make sure to give them.”
