A. Prioritizing academics
B. Learning a New System
C. Ability to handle coursework
D. Relationships with faculty and teaching assistants

A. General comments
B. Challenges faced
C. Orientation
D. Being a transfer student
E. Students' suggestions for transfer student support

Appendixes:
Appendix A. Journal prompts
Appendix B. Interview protocols
Appendix C. Focus group interview protocol

• Transfer-student participants overwhelmingly prioritize academics over out-of-class activities and believe this is the reason they came to UCLA.
• Students noted the importance of meeting with an academic counselor as early as possible in order to develop an educational plan and get assistance with opportunities such as study abroad, honors, and graduate school applications.
• Although students had a hard time adjusting to the quarter system, most of them preferred the fast pace when compared to the semester system.
• Learning about how things work (“the system”) at UCLA was also a challenge for transfer students in their first quarter.
• Although students were not completely surprised by the amount of work required by UCLA faculty, most found that it is more rigorous than they had initially anticipated.
• Students were overwhelmingly dissatisfied with the grades they were receiving on exams and/or papers throughout the quarter. Some blamed their lack of preparation for the rigors of a UCLA education while others attributed their “failure” to a mismanagement of their time or their procrastination when it came to studying for their exams and/or papers.
• Students generally reported minimal relationships with faculty during their first quarter.

Social/Personal Experiences

• The transfer-student participants who did join out-of-class activities were interested in them to make friends, for personal or educational development, or for community service. They were generally satisfied with their decision to become involved.
• Student who did not participate in out-of-class activities were either uninterested or unable to join, for a variety of reasons, including the need to study; schedule conflicts with work and/or family responsibilities; commuting; lack of awareness of campus activities and groups and of ways to learn about them; desire to get settled academically before getting involved in extra-curricular activities.
• Most of the students felt that it was difficult to make friends in their classes and several mentioned that they had trouble finding friends of similar ages and/or academic backgrounds. Not surprisingly, students who said they had made friends on campus were also those who were involved in out-of-class activities and could find a group of people to whom they could relate.

Transition Experiences

• The majority of the participants in the study felt proud and privileged to be part of the UCLA community even though some still felt intimidated by a sense of doubt in their academic abilities.
• These transfer students pointed to a number of challenges they had confronted during their transition into UCLA, including:
• External factors such as working to pay for college or support a family; a long commute because they could not afford to or were unable to move closer to campus; or family obligations.
• UCLA-specific challenges such as navigating the campus, both geographically and administratively.
• The majority of the students in this study were dissatisfied with Orientation either because they felt that they didn't learn anything new or were frustrated by the way registration for classes was handled.
• Although some students did not feel as though faculty and other students treated them differently because they were transfer students, others expressed an annoyance with the perception that transfer students are seen as not as well prepared for the rigors of a UCLA education.
• Students noted both advantages and disadvantages of being a transfer student. The main advantage was that they had already been to college and knew what was required of them. They felt that as older students, they came not only with more employment and life experiences but that they were more goal oriented than their first year direct counterparts. The disadvantages that participants noted included not feeling like an insider because of the short amount of time they would be at UCLA; feeling that more was expected of them given that they have already been to college; and the sense that they missed out on a superior education by not being at UCLA all four years.

Student suggestions for institutional support of the transition experience

Many of the students noted that UCLA cannot do more than is being done. They felt that it is up to the student to take initiative and to find the information they need. However, two recommendations stood out:

• Some kind of mentor, buddy, hot line, or office to whom they could go with questions about everything and anything during their first quarter. Along similar lines, they suggested a central source (e.g., a manual or website) that lists all the services and resources available to students, including information on academic or peer counseling, more navigable maps, where departments are located, etc.

• Encouragement for incoming transfer students to prepare for the transition ahead of time, either by taking courses on coping or time management skills or by enrolling in summer school before coming to UCLA so as to get a feel for the courses offered here.

Transfer students make up a large proportion of UCLA's undergraduate population most of them transferring from California community colleges. Analysis of recent surveys of UCLA undergraduates – UCUES 2004 and the 2005 Senior Survey – indicate that these students have qualitatively different experiences compared to students who entered UCLA directly from high school. In an effort to explore these differences, the Student Affairs Information and Research Office ( SAIRO ) conducted a qualitative study that followed twenty incoming transfer students through the Fall and early Winter of 2005-2006. “The Transition Study,” which drew on online journals, one-on-one interviews, and focus groups, examined how transfer students were making the transition to UCLA as it happened, rather than months after the students had become acclimated to their classes, the campus, its services, and the student body. We were interested in how new students viewed their transfer experiences, as well as how they were introduced to and able to navigate the campus in the first few months after arriving.

It is important to note that qualitative studies such as this one are not intended to provide data that can be generalized to the transfer population as a a whole, as we can from quantitative data collection like SAIRO's 2005 Transfer Student Survey. Instead, the purpose of this study is to do what a survey cannot: to explore the experiences of transfer students in greater depth, to more closely examine what challenges they faced upon entering UCLA, and to understand this transition from their point of view. The insights gleaned from these qualitative data can be especially informative to administrative decision-making.

Methods

Communicating via email on a weekly basis, SAIRO asked participants to journal about a variety of topics, including their general impressions of the campus, their ability to handle course material, and how they interacted with faculty, teaching assistants and classmates. We asked them to write about their involvement in out-of-class activities, their jobs, their experiences living on/near campus or commuting to UCLA. Some weeks, we left the journal topic open and to their discretion, asking simply if they had any updates from that week, if anything went particularly well or badly. In all, nine journal prompts were sent to the participants and one hundred forty-four journals were returned by the twenty participants. See Appendix A, for a listing of journal prompts.

In addition to the weekly online journals, SAIRO arranged for two face-to-face individual interviews with most of the participants in the study. The first round of interviews was held at around the midpoint of the fall quarter and the second round of interviews was scheduled for the end of the quarter. In all, thirty-three interviews were conducted, each lasting between forty minutes to a little over one hour. In these interviews, participants were asked to elaborate on their journal responses, and to give us a sense of who they were, where they lived, where they worked, and what they thought about their transition to UCLA. It was in these interviews, too, that we solicited their advice to future transfer students as well as suggestions to UCLA for how to improve our services for this particular undergraduate population. Interview guidelines are attached in Appendix B.

The following findings are also drawn from two focus group interviews conduced in early winter quarter. Twelve participants were able to attend the scheduled focus groups. These group interviews enabled participants to reflect back on their first quarter at UCLA as well as bounce ideas off of one another as to what their experiences had been and where they stood after having survived their first quarter. The focus group protocol is in Appendix C.

___________________
Participant recruitment and selection, journal requests and one-on-one interviews were conducted by Artineh Samkian. Judith Richlin-Klonsky and Jennifer Keup assisted with conducting the focus groups.

A request was made to the Registrar's Office for the names and contact information of a randomly sampled subset of the incoming transfer students. Because we wanted to represent different perspectives in our study, we requested that one hundred names be provided in each of the following categories: White male, White female, Chicano/Latino male, Chicano/Latino female, African American male, African American female, Asian male, and Asian female. Recognizing the diversity within the Asian category, we asked the Registrar's Office to provide twenty names from the following subgroups for each gender: Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Filipino, and Vietnamese. After all the names and contact information had been obtained from the Registrar's Office, SAIRO sent an initial letter of invitation to all randomly selected students and offered a $25 gift certificate to the UCLA Store as an incentive for those who participated in the study throughout the quarter and in the first few weeks of the winter quarter. When students expressed an interest in participating, we called them individually to assess their level of commitment as well as to ask some questions in order to further assure diversity of our sample based on characteristics, including on- versus off-campus residence, major, and expectations for engaging in out-of-class activities while at UCLA.

In the end, we recruited twenty participants with the following personal characteristics:

Prioritizing Academics

Academics are the first priority for all of the students in the study. When asked during the focus group interviews whether their first priority is “to focus on and excel in academics and to finish school as soon as possible” or “to explore social and extracurricular activities during my education at UCLA,” the overwhelming majority of the focus group participants chose the first option, saying that academics are the main reason for choosing to come to UCLA. The lack of time they have to complete their undergraduate degrees contributes to this focus. As one of the students noted, “it seems like it's really important now because for those of us who transferred in, we have two years left, you know you have a certain number of requirements that you need to get in and there are things you need to take” (FG 1, p. 3). Another participant agreed, echoing, “we don't have time to waste” (FG 1, p. 3). Even the students who first came hoping to be actively involved in other activities in addition to taking a heavy course load realized that they would need to prioritize academics, leaving much less time, if any, for other activities. Academics and out-of-class activities were not compatible in many of their minds. As one student said, “if you do well in school it's hard to find time to do extracurricular activities” (Int. 9a, p. 1).

Particularly because students feel as though they have little time to complete their degrees, many point to the need to see an academic counselor as soon as possible. One student said “it's a little confusing over what I need to take and how to specialize in something. I'm interested in doing honors… but I don't know what exactly the purpose of that is” (Int. 14a, p. 1). Likewise, ten other participants noted the need to visit with a counselor because of uncertainty over what courses needed to be taken, or were simply hoping to speak to someone face-to-face in order to verify that they understand the requirements for their major or for honors. Even though some noted that the information is online, they still wanted to see a counselor to make sure their educational path was planned correctly. One student explained that, because of their limited time at UCLA: “counseling [for transfers] needs to be emphasized and available right away” (FG 2, p. 5). This need to see a counselor is especially true for students who are considering graduate school because, even though they just arrived at UCLA, the time is quickly approaching for them to think about exams and applications again.

Participants' references to “the system” at UCLA had two meanings – either the switch to the quarter system or the culture of instruction, grading, etc. Many noted that it was a challenge to adjust to the pace of the quarter system. Out of fifty-nine times that the quarter system was mentioned, eighteen were references to the adjustment as a challenge. However, only five of these instances were participants complaining about it or expressing a dislike for the pace. In contrast, eleven comments were made about students' positive feelings about the quarter system. Thus, although many of the students saw the adjustment to the quarter system as one that would involve a lot of work, more students expressed their preference for rather than dislike of the pace: “I love the quarter system. I think it's great… to have it dragged out, it's just way too much for me… get in, get out, move on. But it does take a lot of discipline, a lot of time management, a lot of reading” (Int. 10a, p. 2).

Some of the students also noted that it is important to learn and adjust to the way things are done here: the system. These include the practice of “shopping for classes”; learning to skim readings , ; figuring out which books are necessary to purchase and which ones students can do without; and how important it is to talk to the teaching assistants when they are the ones grading student work. In the last instance, one student reported concluding that it is important to always go to the TAs for help because “they're like the Cliff Notes to the class” (Int. 11b, p. 2). An interesting example is one student's perception that the TAs provide different kinds of information to their discussion sections and that some TAs are better than others at communicating the course material. Because he was enrolled in the section with a less helpful teaching assistant, he decided to attend both discussion sections so as not to miss the information the other TA offered. By the time we met for our second round of interviews, toward the end of Fall Quarter, most of the students had figured out the system. As one student who had been overwhelmed by the amount of reading in our first interview explained, “finally I figured out which classes I really, really need to read for and which classes I kind of can skim” (Int. 24b, p. 1).

Ability to handle coursework

The amount of reading or studying required of students was also a common topic of conversation. Although many came to UCLA expecting more work than they were used to doing, they found that it was even more than they had anticipated. As one student noted, “I wouldn't say that I'm particularly surprised by the workload, although it is one thing to expect it and a whole other thing to experience it” (Journal 9-8). Another student, when asked to give advice to future transfer students wrote, “READ, READ, READ, AND READ ahead of time because the reading load is absurdly enormous” (Journal 11-5). Only one student seemed to think that the work load was the same as the work he was assigned at his community college and that it was easy to handle.

After midterms or finals were completed, I asked participants how they felt they had done. Overwhelmingly, students said they had expected to get better grades than they had received. One student said “my goal for each of my classes was to receive A's, but I think I'll be getting B's and C's [in light of] the way I have done so far in my exams. I feel like a failure” (Journal 11-5). Although a few students were frustrated by what they perceived as an inconsistency among the grading practices of teaching assistants, the majority of students felt that low grades reflected either their lack of abilities or the insufficient amount of time they spent studying. One student said “my grades are not what I would want them to be, and since I feel that I am doing the best that I can, I'm stressed about my overall ability to perform as well as I'd like to” (Journal 23-7). Another blamed his study habits, saying “I think I could have done a little more studying to make [my midterm grades] better” (Journal 20-5). In the end, most students recognized that they would need to study more in the future in order to perform better. As one student said, “much like everything else I've discovered in life, it's as difficult as you make it. If you stay on top of things and you read the assigned reading… you take it seriously and make it a priority… I expect to get as close to straight A's as possible” (Int. 9a, p. 1).

Students' level of preparation for the work expected of them at UCLA varied. Some students felt that their community college did not prepare them for UCLA, or at least that the work they were used to doing there wasn't the same as that which is expected here. Nine of the students felt ill-prepared at some point in their first quarter. One student said “my midterms turned out to be much tougher than I expected. At the other schools that I have attended I was able to find success in the strategy of cramming shortly before the exam. Here,… I've discovered that I cannot do that if I want to do well” (Journal 1-5). Nine others felt that their community college had sufficiently prepared them as illustrated by the following comment: “Since I am not a first-year student in the college system and mainly a product of community college, I can handle most of what the UC system has to dish out as ‘hard work.' I believe community colleges and UC systems are all in the same” (Journal 11-8).

The possibility of different majors presenting different challenges was brought up by several of the students. Although some students didn't want to go so far as to say that certain majors are “easier” than others, they noted that certain majors may be more stressful because they are more competitive than others. For example, one student heard that some South Campus majors are competitive, but he doesn't think that Humanities, which is his area, is as competitive (Int. 13, p. 2).

Relationships with Faculty and Teaching Assistants

Interaction between these students and their professors was generally minimal. Even when students really enjoyed a professor's teaching style or felt he or she was approachable, there was still very little interaction. Some students believe this is so because the classes are so large that “it is a little more difficult to make yourself known when there are so many other students in the class” (Journal 20-3). Others note that they are not able to make their professors' office hours because their schedules conflict. Besides these external reasons for not being able to interact with professors, though, students themselves don't always care to go to professors' office hours. As one student said, “I just haven't had any burning questions that I need to go see them about” (Int. 201, pg. 2). Although this may be influenced for some students by the vibe they receive from the professor – a “do you have a specific question to talk about, otherwise don't waste my time” attitude (Int. 23a, pg. 1) – at least eight of the other students were clear that it was their choice alone that shaped their decision to visit or not visit with their professors.

Two of the participants in the study voiced concerns about their professors' inability to effectively communicate course material to their students. One of these students said “the truth is most of the professors in UCLA are just too smart. They don't know what to teach and how to” (Journal 17-2). A few others also noted that their professors did not seem approachable: “one thing that's become apparently clear is the DISTANCE one feels from the professors, and TAs too. They're all just somewhat out of reach. I went to a professor's office hours and he was short and uninterested” (Journal 23-2).

When asked about their teaching assistants, the students in the study had slightly more positive than negative comments to share. In response to a request to give advice to future transfer students, one student who was particularly pleased with her experiences with TAs said, “go to your TAs because they are better in explaining the lecture and do a nice job of giving you the main themes” (Journal 11-5). Fourteen [JR-K: how can the number of students who were satisfied by fourteen and the number of students who saw them as not helpful be eleven? That's more than the total of participants, right??] The majority of of the students expressed their satisfaction with their TAs. On the other hand, eleven students a few said that their TAs were not helpful. The two main reasons given were that either they were hands off and did not really play a central role in the course or they were ill-prepared for their job. It was clear from our discussions that the students concluded that there is inconsistency between TAs; that some are better than others.

Engagement in out-of-class activities

More than half of the participants were already actively involved in a few clubs or organizations, whether to make friends, to seek academic or personal development, or to become involved in community service. Eleven students said they had participated in some kind of out-of-class activity, two of whom had done community service. Regarding making friends, a participant commented, “I've never been a person that participated in anything else except for school… but coming here, considering it's a totally new school and totally new people, I kind of felt like I should do something so I could meet other people” (Int. 20a, pg. 2). Consequently, he was very pleased with the social group he had found among other students in the Nikkei Student Union. Many of the students were also involved in organizations that focused on their academic or personal development. For example, students joined the philosophy class or the Mock Trial or the Pre-Law society. Although each of these organizations would indirectly facilitate friendships between members, the purpose for joining is primarily intellectual or career development. .

However, as noted above, many of the participants in the study either were not interested in or were unable to join out-of-class activities. In light of the value of co-curricular engagement to college success, we were interested in exploring the reasons they gave for their lack of engagement. The majority of the participants (twelve out of twenty) said that a lack of time was the main determinant for not becoming more involved in campus activities. For these students, work and school took up the majority of their time. As one student noted after a long list of things she does to keep up with his classes, “the hours all add up pretty quickly and then my free time seems to disappear. I don't know when I could make it to an extracurricular activity” (Journal 13-5). Another student, busy with his academic program and working at least twenty-four hours a week explained, “all the other activities, they all seemed great before when I was first here, but now I'm just too busy to get involved” (Int. 10b, p. 2). In addition to not having enough time, eight students explained that most of the activities are in the evening and either they can't or they won't return to campus in order just to attend them. As one student who is a mother explained, “I can't be involved in any out-of-class activities because I don't have adequate child care in the evenings and everything that I would like to be involved in takes place in the evening or meets in the evening” (Journal 5-3). Others, because they live far from UCLA and commute to campus, are also constrained by their short on-campus schedules. One vanpooler explained that she had to catch her van and another commuter who drives his own car said “I don't want to be stuck on the freeway all day” (Int. 14b, pg. 3) so leaving campus before traffic has increased is the best option for him.

Another reason students articulated for not becoming more engaged in out-of-class activities was a lack of interest. Seven of these students noted their age as a factor for their disinterest. As one older student said, “I think the extra-curriculars are geared for the young people who need a social life and all that. I'm not at that inch (AS: I guess she was trying to say she's not at that END or PART … should we translate for her or keep her words?) [ par t] of the social aspect of this” (Int. 16a, pg. 2). Another echoed this sentiment saying “there's a lot going on and a lot of people feel very excited about participating… it's not very interesting to me… I think I'm probably older than most undergraduates here so their college experience is quite different than mine” (Int. 23b, pg. 3). The transfer students who expressed that they were not interested in out-of-class activities because of their age were students with spouses or girlfriends and with an established social life outside of the university. They were also the students who repeatedly emphasized characterized their status as “non-traditional” (AS: should we change non-traditional throughout the report ? I highlighted all of them ) students when compared to the other participants. In other words, although some of the other participants were older students as well, this group's heightened sense of being “non-traditional” may have affected their subsequent feelings about the activities available for students on a university campus.

A final reason given for not participating in out-of-class activities was students' desire to “test the water before diving in.” Seven of the students said they wanted to see how their first quarter went before deciding on whether or not to pursue additional activities. One student said it best: “I've been focusing mainly on trying to get through the first quarter to see how I'm doing academically” (Int. 24a, pg. 3). A few others mentioned wanting to get accustomed to the new environment and the quarter system.

When we questioned students about their participation in out-of-class activities, we also asked how they found out about the events. Students reported that most of their information was through word of mouth, email announcements or flyers handed out on Bruin Walk. Students didn't seem to know – at least initially – that there are websites listing the clubs and organizations on campus or that there are calendars of events online. One student said that it would have been helpful to have a resource to research the clubs and organizations on campus. So far, he has found out about them by asking around, luck, seeing things posted, and people passing out flyers: “I'm not aware of… a central place with all the clubs listed” (Int. 1a, pg. 3). Eight comments were made about Bruin Walk as a place for recruitment and only one of these comments was positive. The other students were frustrated by the “traumatic experience” (Int. 4a, pg. 4) and tried at all costs to avoid this path. The majority of comments made about recruitment followed the above mentioned patterns although one student also noted that he didn't like the competitive nature of some of the clubs; that students have to audition to become a member (Int. 18a, pg. 4).

Making new friends

There were varied responses about participants' abilities to make new friends or to relate to others at UCLA. Some students found UCLA to be an unfriendly place while others met many people who were friendly and helpful. For a few of the students, age seemed to be the determining factor in not being able to make many friends upon arrival on campus. Five of the participants mentioned their status as an older student as one obstacle to making friends or finding people with whom to relate. As one student explained, being an older, transfer non-traditional student makes it hard to get involved and to find friends who themselves are older, transfer non-traditional students because it's not usually something that comes up in the course of a conversation. Making friends who are younger than he is is also hard because they tend to talk about different things and have different issues (Int. 1a, pg. 3). Another student said “I'm having a harder time adjusting, not knowing many people, I feel like I am on my own! I have a friend who is also older and she feels the same way too” (Journal 16-3).

With the exception of one of the participants who, as a student in the Nurse Practitioner Program, came in with a cohort and took the same classes with the same students, many of the participants in the study also felt that it was hard to make friends in class. Although some of them made acquaintances with a few classmates and even had one or two study sessions with them, it was rare for students to exchange numbers and to hang out with one another on solely a social basis: “I've met and have had brief discussions with a few of my classmates in the context of the classroom but have not, as of yet, extended those meetings to any sort of social interaction beyond that” (Journal 1-3). A few of the students believed the large classes were a big factor in this lack of friendship formation while others attributed their inabilities to make new friends to their own behaviors. For a few others, the problem was mainly with the realization that cliques are formed, making it more difficult to join in. Comparing her experiences to that of direct-entry students, one participant said, “It seems like when you're a new student as a freshman, there's this whole effort to really get them to bond… it's this whole new cool thing. And talking to a lot of the people now who have been here since Freshman year, there's all these things they've done and they're so close… it seems like they have a lot more of an opportunity to be welcome than transfer students” (FG 2, p. 1-2). Another student explained that if you want to make friends, you have to do it right away because “if one waits too long… it becomes difficult [given that] people make up their minds about who they choose to associate with and are less interested in making new friends since they found their comfort group” (Journal 18-7).

Not surprisingly, the students who didn't feel as lonely were those who had joined clubs or organizations. Two students did say that they met friends at Orientation or on the vanpool but more students were excited about meeting and relating to people in out-of-class activities on campus. One student said that he anticipates having a really good time at UCLA because he joined organizations and opened up to students rather than isolating himself and concentrating only on courses (Int. 19b, pg. 3). For a few of the students too, the process of making friends was an ongoing process, many of them becoming more involved -- and thus having an easier time finding friends -- as the quarter progressed.

Learning to balance everything

With so many things going on in their lives, the participants of the study had to continually learn how to better balance work, school, family and social life. Seven of the students were used to cramming for exams but quickly learned that this strategy is unsuccessful at UCLA. By the end of the quarter, students had a better idea of how best to study and concluded that putting off readings and assignments would only add to one's stress later and that it is imperative to avoid procrastination. It doesn't help the situation that there are so many opportunities on campus for students to get involved. Comparing the experience to his community college, one student said that at UCLA there are so many things outside of academics that you have to learn to balance it all whereas, at community college, you just go to campus, go to class and go home (Int. 1b, pg. 3). In addition, many of the students also had to adjust to a new schedule with their friends and families. Many of them noted that they see less of their families and their non-UCLA friends but make efforts to see or talk to them occasionally so as to maintain those relationships.

General comments

The course of transition Some of the participants made general comments about their transition to UCLA. The majority of these participants – seven out of nine – experienced a smooth transition overall. Only two students said they had a particularly hard time adjusting. In addition, three students initially expressed that they were having a hard time but as the quarter came to a close, their ideas on this issue had changed and they believed that generally speaking, the adjustment was not so bad.

Bruin pride Regardless of their general feelings about transitioning, fifteen of the participants expressed pride and privilege in being a UCLA student. One student said “walking around the campus, feeling the intensity of place and opportunity, it's difficult to not feel excited and inspired and motivated by the simple fact that one is here – UCLA – the place where so many simply want to be. It's an honor and it's an indicator of the kind of person one must be in order to be here” (Journal 23-1). In fact, when asked what their greatest achievement is, many of the students simply said being here or getting into UCLA.

For some of these students, being admitted to UCLA meant that they deserved to be here and that they are as smart as direct-entry students. As one student explained, “I guess more than anything, being accepted to UCLA was vindication that I am just as good as my friends who went to college straight out of high school” (Journal 12-6) and another said that if she was going to give any advice to future transfer students, one would be “to remember that you are just as good as everyone else here, period” (Journal 16-6).

Intimidation Coupled with these feelings of pride and sense of accomplishment are also feelings of intimidation. One student joked “for some reason, I still every once in a while walk around going ‘I'm going to UCLA. I wonder when they're going to figure this out and kick me out” (FG 2, pg. 6). This and other comments indicate that for some transfer students there is a sense of doubt about their abilities and whether or not they should be at UCLA and that they “have to keep reminding myself that I earned the right to be here” (Journal 16-2). Some of the students did report that after a quarter of being here, they feel less intimidated. As one student said, “it can be really intimidating at first to transfer because you're coming into a pretty large university. There's a lot of tradition, a lot of history built into where you're coming into… eventually, you get used to it, or you feel more at home when you've gone through one quarter and you've survived it” (Int. 20b, pg. 3). Another student knew that it would be more academically competitive at UCLA compared to his community college and was thus initially intimidated but by midterms he had concluded that his level of success would depend on his level of effort (Int. 9a, pg. 3).

Challenges faced

Although we discussed many challenges that the participants faced in their transition to UCLA, six of them thought it was important to emphasize that these were challenges that had nothing to do with UCLA itself. For example, “driving is not fun but that's not UCLA's fault” (Int. 14a, pg. 2). Another student compared the problems he encountered to any change one goes though. He said it's like any move a person makes: “when you move into a new house, you need some time to get used to the location, the traffic… it's really nothing to do with UCLA” (Int. 17b, pg. 3). Nonetheless, we discussed how these challenges affected their transfer to UCLA.

Work The majority of the students in this study were working part-time. The few who were not working admitted that they felt lucky to be able to concentrate on school and not worry about adding a job to their already busy schedule. At least two of the participants though, enjoyed having to work because “it pulls [her] away” (Int. 15b pg. 2) from school and forces her to get up and start a schedule for herself (Int. 24b, pg. 2). All participants who held a job were also glad to report that their bosses were flexible and would work around their school schedules. For many of the participants though, work and financial obligations were a stressor: “I try not to let [work] get in the way of school [but] it does sometimes. I would rather not be working. I think I would be a lot less stressed if I wasn't working and studying a little more” (Int. 10b, pg. 2). As older students who had been working full time before transferring, some of them had to cut back on their hours so as to make time for the rigors of a UCLA education. As one student clearly said, “it puts a strain on the family when nurses have to cut back on their work hours to have sufficient time for schooling” (Journal 10-8). Another explained that he went from working full-time to working part-time and that “going from being almost debt free to taking on a large debt makes me uneasy” (Journal 4-1). Participants also felt that they had more financial stress than their freshman counterparts: “in comparison to first-year traditional students, I believe financial worries are in the least [a] bit of their ‘stress'” (Journal 19-8). One student also mentioned that if freshmen do hold a job, they are usually doing work that does not add to the stress of a lack of time. He explained “I have a lot of responsibility at work” and he would love to work at a coffee shop or a bookstore where the job would not be as hard (Int. 4b, pg. 2).

Commuting Commuting posed another challenge for several of the participants. In fact, for some, commuting and financial stresses were intrinsically connected as some students were forced to commute because they could not afford to live near campus: “there is nothing I can do to remedy that though, since I can't afford to live on my own while I am attending UCLA” (Journal 20-1). Another student complained that he had to increase his hours at work to be able to afford the cost of gas required to get him to and from UCLA (Int. 14a, pg. 2). For others, the time spent commuting was stressful and they tried different scheduling strategies to try and avoid rush hour. As one student explained “I live about fifty-five miles east of UCLA and I am really not enjoying the drive. It only takes about an hour, but that is because I leave my house at five in the morning, even though my classes don't start until 9:30 . If I leave even an hour later traffic is terrible, and I might not get to school on time” (Journal 14-2). This was one reason students were not able to be fully engaged in other campus activities. For example, this same student said “I have to practically run to my car to get on the freeway before traffic, which doesn't leave me a lot of time to explore and socialize” (Journal 14-3). For another student, commuting caused her to feel disconnected from the campus: “I see a lot of people that live around here and it seems like they have more of a community feeling about being in school and I feel like I miss out a little bit. I don't know people very well still” (Int. 7a, pg. 1).

Family obligations In addition to financial and commuting stresses, nine of the students reported family obligations as another challenge they faced. Two of the participants were married, one with two children. Another was a single mother of three and several others were living with significant others. Two of the students reported taking care of older family members who were ill and a third student, as the oldest of six children whose parents live in their native country of Nigeria, was responsible for checking up on her siblings and ensuring their well-being from miles away (Int. 6a, pg. 1). Those who weren't actively involved in taking care of family members reported feeling guilty for not spending as much time with family that had previously depended on their support. For example, one of the older students in the study explained “I worry about leaving my teenage son home alone for extended periods [of time]” (Journal 16-5). Another student mentioned that the reason she decided to live at home with her mom was because her mother had no one else and the student felt bad leaving her to live on her own.

Navigating the campus Another challenge the participants mentioned was the difficulty they initially faced in finding their way around the campus. Students felt that “the campus itself is somewhat intimidating in size” (Journal 4-4). One student said “let's just say I would have been lost so many times on campus if I hadn't met people who helped me with directions” (Journal 6-2). Some of the students attributed this difficulty in navigating the physical spaces on campus to the absence of a map with the full names of buildings and what departments were housed there or what services were offered in each building: “it would be useful to have more helpful maps online” (Int. 14a, pg. 3). One student said “it's not as if I get desperately lost, but on several occasions, I've opted to forget whatever it was I was looking for and just go home. The school is not exactly a maze, but nothing is clearly labeled” (Journal 14-3). Many felt it is important to find your classes before the term begins and that it would be helpful to either explore the campus on one's own or to take a campus tour that would inform the new student of where all the available services are located. Only three students -- one of whom has had a bad knee for several years and is waiting to have an operation this summer -- mentioned the physical strain on getting to and from class. Many others said they didn't have a problem walking but that they needed to allot time for it.

University communications While some students were computer savvy and were able to research the information they needed on the myriad UCLA websites, the majority were not pleased with the way in which information was communicated to new students. For example, one student didn't know that course readers were also sold off campus and another mentioned that he was not aware of any database that listed the student clubs and organizations. Putting it succinctly, “after Orientation I felt like well here I am, I'm on my own. Go look at a map, find out where you're going… find out everything” (FG1, pg. 2). Many of the participants felt like they had “been left entirely on my own. I'm sure this information is available and it may be provided at orientation, but it has certainly not been easy to find by myself” (Journal 14-9). The one thing that many of these students learned is that it is imperative to ask others when they need help or information because so much of it is “just word of mouth” (Int. 10a, pg. 3). As one student explained “luckily I have my roommate and she's been here for two years and I can ask her anything. She usually knows a lot of the stuff that I don't know about UCLA” (Int. 11, pg. 3). Luck was what helped some of the students become informed: “a lot of the things I ended up getting involved in or finding out about, I'm so lucky they just kind of fell into my lap. There's no way I would have known if I hadn't gotten lucky ” (FG2, pg. 4). ”

____________________
At the end of the first quarter, this student reported that she and another person in her vanpool had decided to move on campus starting in Spring 2006. She said “everyone encourages me to live closer to campus and I've been really fixated on it. I went to the housing office and filled out an application with a friend who also wants to live here. I went into the financial aid office and found out how much money I will probably need/receive to pay for housing. I think that to succeed here, you really have to place your studies above everything else” (Journal 7-7).

Orientation

In journal responses and interviews, Orientation was also a topic of interest, although not a major topic of discussion. Although three of the participants were satisfied with their transfer Orientation sessions, the majority of the other students who discussed Orientation were dissatisfied. Five of these students felt that it was a waste of time and/or money because as one student explained, “I didn't really feel like I learned anything new” (Int. 12b, pg. 3).

Also, although it's a procedure established in academic administration, students associate with Orientation their frustrations with the registration procedure for incoming transfer students. These transfers did not think it was fair that they were the last to register, much less that their registration date depended on their Orientation date: “[When I registered for Fall Quarter],I was new and did not have a priority number. That is one frustrating part of transferring: lack of available classes to new students” and “this current quarter my choices were extremely limited as my Orientation/enrollment date was late in the summer” (Journal 1-5). Also, some of the students complained that registering in their Orientation counselor's dorm room with a group of other transfer students waiting their turn did not allow them to make the best choices. One student said “you need time to look at what the classes are, the description” and felt pressure to hurry in that situation. A few other students complained that their Orientation counselor only advised them to choose classes that didn't have final exam schedule conflicts and that they were not encouraged to choose their classes carefully so as to fulfill their major requirements.

Being a transfer student

Another interest in this study was to gauge whether students feel different than direct-entry students or thought less of by faculty or staff because they are transfer students. Eight of the participants reported not feeling different or being treated differently. Four of these students felt that this was because there are a lot of other transfer students who have experienced and are experiencing the transition just like they are. As one student noted, “it's not like there is a shortage of transfer students. I talk to a lot of people who are transfer students” (Int. 20a, pg. 3). Another reason that students reported for not feeling different or being treated differently is that no one can tell who is or is not a transfer student: “People here don't know that I'm a transfer student. It's not written on my forehead” (Int. 17a, pg. 3). As such, these students did not feel that their treatment was any different if compared to other students at UCLA. However, five of the other students in the study did feel that they were seen or treated differently. As one student noted, “I think there is a sentiment that exists that transfer students have not been adequately prepared for the expectations here at UCLA” (Int. 23b, pg. 3).

We were also interested in asking participants their opinions about what advantages and disadvantages there are to being a transfer student as opposed to entering UCLA directly from high school. The majority of the comments on advantages (11 out of 29 total) related to a feeling that, as students who have already attended college, they are more experienced in this business of college-going. One student explained that “being a transfer student can seem hard. But you have the added advantage of having some college experience as compared to freshman… at least when you attend junior college first, you have a little more experience in college life and understand that it is your own responsibility to get the work done. For transfer students, particularly transferring from a junior college, the transition from high school to university is taken in stages” (Journal 20-7). Some solely emphasized the level of academic preparation they felt they were afforded by going to community college first: “I guess my point is that community college prepares you better than high school, obviously, and people coming from community college are probably less likely to become overwhelmed than students coming from high school” (Journal 14-8).

Another advantage noted by some of the participants was the fact that their age enabled them to come to UCLA with more life and work experiences. As one student said “I feel like I bring with me my experience. I'm a parent and I've worked already. I worked thirty years” (Int. 16a, pg. 2). This is an advantage because it gives her perspective. Talking about his choice of a major, another participant said he was able to choose a major that really interested him: “I think you learn that through experience and being yourself for 25 years versus 18 years. There's a lot more time to figure out who I am” (Int. 9a, pg. 2).

A sense of maturity and urgency also enabled them to see their education in a different light, according to some of the students. Reflecting on the reasons for coming back to school after years of post-high school employment, one student said “I don't think I would have done as well if I had gone back to school earlier. I did well in high school but I didn't care really… I couldn't imagine coming here at age 17 or 18” (Int. 4a, pg. 4). Some of these students also believed that they value their education more because they are older, have made the conscious choice to return to school and are paying for it, which taken together makes them more invested in it. In the case of students who come from low socioeconomic status, it is believed by one student that they value their time here because they realize what a great opportunity they have and “it drives them to be more hungry and competitive” (Int. 19a, pg. 4). For two students, too, saving money by going to community college first was also seen as an advantage.

Slightly more students mentioned disadvantages to being a transfer student than identified advantages, but the difference was not substantial. However, many of the transfer students believed that the compressed time to finish at UCLA was an added disadvantage for them. Related to this lack of time at UCLA is the feeling that transfer students are outsiders because they have not shared the same experiences with students who have been here from the beginning. As one student explained, “I don't feel included because there are two years of experience at UCLA that my colleagues have which I will never share. I am an outsider in that I am a third year who has the experience of a freshman, but it's not a hostile feeling. It's just an awkward, frustrating feeling to never really know what the heck anyone is talking about” (Journal 12-4). Another student explained that he felt like he was playing “catch-up” because “we have to think about many things that weren't given to us versus freshman and sophomore students already at UCLA” (Journal 19-2). Related to this issue of not knowing the ins and outs of the campus and not having the same extended experiences is the concern that transfer students feel there is more expected of them. One student said “freshman are expected not to know what's going on because they're just going in from high school but juniors, you come in and you're expected to know what's going on because you've already been at college for two years, but you don't because it's a huge university” (Int. 15a, p. 3).

Another disadvantage, according to two of the students, was that they felt they missed out on “a more superior education” (Int. 1a, pg. 4). As one student explained, “I feel that it's possible I've missed out on taking classes that are better quality and being on campus for the last two years” (Int. 14a, pg. 4). In addition to academics too, a few students noted their lack of involvement in other campus activities as a disadvantage of being a transfer student. One student explained that had he been at UCLA for a longer period of time, he may have been more motivated to join extracurricular activities: “I guess I don't feel like I can and am motivated to participate in more of what's offered” (Int. 4a, pg. 4). There is just too much to do and too little time.

Although many of the students had something to say about either advantages or disadvantages of being a transfer student, five of the participants believed that the experience is neither good nor bad, but just different than the experiences of first year direct students. One student explained, “there is a difference but it's more of a necessary difference. When you come directly from high school you're a different person than the people who come from community college” (Int. 9b, pg. 3). As a result, one's experiences are necessarily shaped differently if he or she is coming to UCLA from different entry points.

Students' suggestions for institutional support for transfer students

The service most transfer students suggested might help in their transition is for UCLA to provide a mentor for each new student. Throughout the journal responses and interviews, students made this suggestion independently. And during our first focus group interview, when they realized others had the same idea, they spontaneously set out to work together to start a student organization to provide just such a service. It was clear that students felt strongly about the need for some person to mentor new transfer students throughout the first quarter. A transfer Orientation session was not enough to answer all the questions that came up in students' first quarter at UCLA. Put bluntly, “it feels like there should be more resources or more people that I can go to for help” (Int. 23b, pg. 2). More specifically, a student said “an easier form of transition for future transfer students has to be some type of mentor who has been there, done that and knows the ins and outs of UCLA. Luckily, I have a roommate who has assisted me in knowing UCLA and this includes traditions, where ATM machines are located, and such questions. Though it may seem trivial, my roommate was able to pass on knowledge she has gained from being in UCLA and her knowledge has become beneficial” (Journal 11-9).

A similar suggestion given by the participants in the study was that it might be helpful to have a manual or some other kind of quick information that list where different resources are on campus and what online services there are. One student said “UCLA should mail or email new students some sort of basic information packet that spells out explicitly that URSA is for x, My.UCLA is for y , etc. This information could include info on paying fees, which I still don't have” (Journal 14-9). Other suggestions for things to include in the manual or information packet would be “counseling services, peer counseling, study groups, maps, a list of offices for where departments are located on campus, places to eat, ATM locations, descriptions of some of the clubs that are available on campus” (Journal 15-9). One student also suggested some kind of information booth or resource center where students could drop in on an as-needed basis in order to ask questions about the campus and the myriad resources available to students.

Three students suggested that it might be a good idea to recommend that transfer students complete a course that informs them on coping skills, time management issues, and so on. One of the participants in the study was enrolled in an Education course on the undergraduate experience and found the class to be very useful to his transition. Others suggested courses or workshops that might help transfer students learn more about graduate school entrance exams and other informational resources such as this. Somewhat related to this, some students suggested that students should be encouraged to take summer school before coming to UCLA so as to have a better handle on the UCLA college experience. Students who participated in the TSP found the experience helpful: “my first week of the regular quarter went very well. Being here all summer helped me in getting familiar with the buildings and the policies and practices of the campus, as well as meeting a few new people” (Journal 5-1). And, it was suggested, summer school helped students become acclimated to the campus, while allowing them to gauge the expectations of UCLA faculty sooner, even before arriving for their regular quarter.

Despite these suggestions, many of the students, when asked what UCLA could do to better serve their needs, explained that there is not much UCLA can do or should be expected to do. Many of the participants in the study explained that it is up to the student to take initiative and to find the information he or she needs. For a large number of these students, it is also important to do this early, before their first quarter has begun. One student said “the resources that can help students survive and excel here are plentiful. It is really only a matter of one seeking them out whether that might be AAP, career services, of the office hours of TAs and professors” (Journal 1-4). Another said “it's really up to the student to take initiative. There's only so much the university can do to get you to [figure out] what you understand and what you don't. Even though I had a lot of problems like that, seeking out help myself seems a lot more successful than having it spoon fed to you” (Int. 12b, pgs. 4-5). And several note that it was just a matter of time until they independently figured it all out. One student said “though I am learning more and more about the University every day, it will take me a while to completely be familiar with everything and truly feel that I “access” everything” (Journal 15-4). Another student said “it seems like one of those things that you just kind of have to figure it out as you go” (Int. 23a, pg. 2).

It is important to note that all the participants in this study managed to survive, both personally and academically. They were more comfortable at the end of the first quarter than they had been when they first started. Looking back, the majority felt that in general, the transition was smooth.

Also, few if any of the observations and suggestions made by study participants are “news.” Similar concerns and obstacles have been noted by staff and faculty who work with transfer students and have been documented in recent years, such as from participants in the Undergraduate Student “Fis h b h owl” Discussions. Nonetheless, their comments and experiences provide insight into the transition experience.

Participants in this study wished for an easier way to get to know the campus layout and administrative structure. Since most of the web sites and directories they described already exist, there seems to be a need to improve incoming students' awareness of these resources. Along these lines, it might be helpful to rethink our current model of Orientation from a one-time system to a more continuous, quarter long program with a range of programs and resources, including workshops, mentoring programs, and a “one-stop” information office or hotline.

In regards to academics, students made clear how important it is for transfer students to develop a clear educational path as soon as possible, since they have less time at UCLA and many will quickly need to think about graduate school or career opportunities. Even students who recognized the need to see a counselor as quickly as possible found it challenging to find the time and make an appointment. A system that facilitates this interaction as soon as possible – during the summer or in the first week of classes -- would help these students get on track right away. It would also be helpful for incoming transfer students to have the same level of priority for access to the upper-division classes they need that direct-entry juniors do.

In the long run, promoting co-curricular engagement among transfer students will require that special obstacles -- such as the way commuting, work, and family responsibilities limit transfer students' availability for out-of-class activities – be addressed. In the short run, it would be helpful to increase efforts to familiarize transfer students with available opportunities, through increasing their awareness of on-line access to existing groups and programs. Also, since participants indicated that transfer students are interested in meeting other transfer students, it might be possible to organize more social activities specifically geared for them. In addition, perhaps campus clubs can be encouraged not to schedule all activities in the evenings when most commuting transfer students are unable to attend.

Many of the participants in this study felt as though their transition to UCLA was a sink or swim situation. If we hope to maximize the experiences of UCLA transfer students, we have to be more proactive in reaching them as they arrive on campus.

Appendix A: Journal Prompts

Thank you again for volunteering to participate in our study on transfer experiences.  Your participation is greatly appreciated and we look forward to getting to know you. 

Please take 10 to 15 minutes to share your thoughts as the fall quarter begins.  Email me your responses no later than Monday October 10.  As always, we will be keeping your correspondence confidential.  Feel free also to talk about things that are not asked about.  Remember: this is NOT a test!  There are no “right” or “wrong” answers.  We're just interested in how you see things.

1.         Tell me about your first week as a UCLA student.        

2.         Why did you choose to come to UCLA?  Was UCLA your first choice?

3.         Are there any obstacles that you anticipate facing at UCLA?  Explain.

Here are just a few short answer questions:

4.         Age: _________

5.         Race/ethnicity (how would you identify yourself?): ____________________

6.         Foreign born or US born: __________________

7.         Transfer from a community college or a 4 year college or university: ________________

8.         Are you a) commuting (driving or taking the bus), b) living on campus, or c) living off campus but in walking distance from campus? ____________________

9.         What is you major?______________________

Thank you for your contribution!  Write back if you have any questions.

Thank you for your first journal response!

For this journal, we have one more specific question and the second is a more general question:

1. If you are living on campus, how was it to make the move? How are you feeling about your living space? Your roommate(s)? If you're living off campus, how has walking/driving/taking the bus been this past week? Is the commute longer or shorter than you expected? How are you feeling about your living space?
   
2. How are other aspects of the transition? What things are different than you expected (was there anything that surprised you?)? What is exactly as you expected it to be? Are there certain things that are similar to and different than the school from which you transferred? Include any and all relevant aspects of life at UCLA (i.e. classes, social life, making new friends, finding your way around, clubs and organizations etc.)

Please take 10-15 minutes to share your thoughts. Email me your response no later than Monday, October 17. Also, at the end of the email, please let me know your current phone number and any email address changes.

I look forward to hearing from you.

How has the last week been for you?

Let me know whether anything went especially well...or if there were any major difficulties. Specific examples help a lot to illustrate your observations. Email me your response no later than Monday, October 24.

Also, it's about that time to begin scheduling our first interview. Could you please send me your availability for the next two weeks (before November 3 rd )? If you are available on Mondays and Wednesdays, that is ideal for me as I am on campus on those days but if there is no way to schedule it on those days, I can work around it.

Hope all is well with you!

For this journal, please take 10-15 minutes to explore whether the campus is:

•  Cooperative or competitive
•  Encouraging or intimidating
•  Accessible or complex
•  Inclusive or hostile to differences

Please give specific and detailed examples to explain why you feel the way you feel. Don't forget that it could be both (these are not strict binaries) but which is relatively more accurate in your experience? Feel free to give examples of experiences you have had with BOTH cooperativeness and competitiveness, for example.

Please respond by Wednesday morning, Nov. 2 nd . Thanks so much. I'm looking forward to meeting you soon.

How are things looking to you now that you're halfway through fall quarter?

Academically…
•  How did things turn out for you in your midterms? Looking back, what suggestions would you have for a first year student facing that first round of exams?
•  What are you most proud of to this point? What is your greatest concern?
•  What are you thinking about your classes for next quarter? How are you going about selecting them?

Outside class…
•  Are you involved in any out-of-class activities?
•  What's happening with your relationships with family and friends?
•  Have you sought services from any University offices? How did that go? Is there any help you need but you don't know where or how to get it?

Please take 10 to 15 minutes to reflect on the changes you have experienced in the last 5 weeks. Please reply by next Wednesday, November 9 th .

Thank you so much. It has been a pleasure meeting you and talking to you.

For this journal, think about your experiences from the time you were accepted to UCLA to today. If you were to be contacted by a community college student who will be transferring to UCLA next quarter, what advice would you give him/her about the different aspects of the transition? What stories/experiences would you share about how you transitioned into this campus and whether they should follow your lead or do something(s) differently?

Take 10 to 15 minutes to journal and please respond by next Wednesday, November 16 th . Thanks so much and I hope your week is going well.

How is it going?  Is anything particularly good or bad, encouraging or discouraging etc. happening?  For Journal 7, please journal about whatever you want related to being a transfer student at UCLA.

Please take 10 to 15 minutes to journal and respond by Monday November 21, 2005 .

In addition to whatever news you have to share this week, it would be interesting to hear how your personal experiences and your observations of life at UCLA compare to the following survey findings of a national survey of first year students a few years ago.

(1) Almost a third of the respondents reported, “I am frequently overwhelmed by all that I have to do.” Does this fit for you? If so, what overwhelms you, and when? Does the high level of stress seem to be occurring for other transfer students you know? How do you think this stress level compares to first year direct students?

(2) Do you think that stress is more of a problem for some groups than others (for example, for students in certain majors, of certain racial, ethnic or religious groups, etc)? Along these lines, the study noted that women first year students reported even higher stress levels than the men did. Does this seem to be the case for the UCLA students you know or observe? If so, why do you think it is?

Have a wonderful holiday.

For this journal, please reflect on your first quarter at UCLA and tell us what you would have done differently if you knew when you started here what you know now. This can be anything from issues related to academics, work load, social life, interactions with professors/TAs, accessing information on campus, seeking services and offices that could have helped etc.

Also, how would you rate your transition to UCLA? Was it smooth, rocky etc and then tell us one thing you think UCLA should do to make the transition easier for TRANSFER students.

Please respond by Monday December 12 th by noon .

Background information

Expectations

A. Academics (e.g., major)
B. Extracurricular activities
C. Work
D. Family and friends away from UCLA
E. Long-term academic/work career plans

A. Ability to handle the class material
B. Favorite class
C. Least favorite class
D. Greatest achievement so far
E. Biggest problem encountered
F. ** what resources used to cope with difficulties

Work (as applicable)

Service or assistance from any UCLA offices

A.  Examples:

B. How did you find out about it?
C. Did you get the help you needed?

What suggestions do you have for UCLA about how to help transfer students “learn the ropes” on campus?
A. What kinds of information or services would have helped you get settled more easily in the last month?
B. What do you wish you had learned earlier?

What are some daily hassles of being a UCLA student?

What are some daily pleasures of being a UCLA student?

What are your perceptions of campus and student life?

Do you think you are treated differently because you're a transfer student?

Academics

a. Ability to handle the class material
b. Favorite class
c. Least favorite class
d. Greatest achievement so far
e. Biggest problem encountered
f.  ** what resources used to cope with difficulties

Relations with professors, TAs

a. In-class interactions
b. What kind of interaction with professors? (office hours? Talk after lecture? Email?)
c.Feel at home academically?

Out of class activities

a. Participation in: student organizations (clubs, teams, student government), rec. program (classes, intramural sports), etc.?

b. Attendance at campus events: sports, movies, lectures, etc.?

Work (as applicable)

Family and Friends
a. Contact with family
b.Visits home
c.Visits from family
d. Contact with non-UCLA friends

Service or assistance from any UCLA offices
a. Examples:

b. How did you find out about it?

c. Did you get the help you needed?

What suggestions do you have for UCLA about how to help transfer students “learn the ropes” on campus?
a. What kinds of information or services would have helped you get settled more easily in the last month?
b. What do you wish you had learned earlier?

What are some daily hassles of being a UCLA student?

What are some daily pleasures of being a UCLA student?

What are your perceptions of campus and student life?

Do you think you are treated differently because you're a transfer student?

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for coming today. Today's discussion is hosted by the Student Affairs Information & Research Office, a UCLA research office that gathers information from students in order to help administrators better understand student experiences. We very much appreciate the time you've spent letting Artineh know about your first quarter at UCLA.

I want to remind you that as we reflect on what you've shared, summarize it, and report about it, we will never, ever share information that would allow you to be identified.

The purpose of today's discussion is to hear your thoughts on the transition to UCLA for transfer students – what it's like both inside and outside the classroom. Not everyone will necessarily have something to say about every topic we discuss. Feel free to respond to each other, so that if someone says something that you agree with, disagree with, or that triggers a new idea – just let me or Artineh know and we'll be sure you get a chance to comment. Because we have a limited amount of time, Artineh will be helping us stay focused and on track.

We're interested in getting your individual perspective on what it's like to be a student here -- both what has gone well for you and your friends, and any changes you would

recommend. (i.e., not just a chance to dump…). Please remember that what's said inside this room today must stay here. It's important that you respect the privacy of other participants.

Any questions?

Let's begin by having each of you briefly introduce yourself, tell where you come from, and your current or planned major.

GENERAL

Thinking about UCLA, give us three adjectives that you feel describe UCLA.

If you were asked to rate your perceptions of UCLA culture, where would it fall along the following scales. Would it be…

**FALL QUARTER
Thinking back on last quarter, what stands out the most for you?

• What are you most likely to remember?
• What was the high point ?
• What was the low point?
• What came as the biggest surprise to you?
• What was the biggest hurdle?
• How could the University have made your first quarter better?
• What would you have done differently, if anything, to make your first quarter better?
• What single additional service would have made the most difference to students?

• What's the area in which you've most changed?

Was there a specific moment or point in the quarter when you began to truly feel like a “Bruin?”

ORIENTATION
Which of the following statements more closely characterizes how you feel as a student:

• My first priority is to focus on and excel in academics and to finish school as soon as possible.

OR

• I want to explore social and extracurricular activities during my education at UCLA

Has that orientation changed since you've actually been here?

Your best advice
If you were giving a campus tour to a group of community college students, what would you tell them? Would you recommend that they come to UCLA? What should they do in preparation? What's the most important thing they need to know or do before they come?

If one of those community college students did apply to UCLA, was accepted, and decided to come here: what one suggestion would you give him/her about how best to survive his/her first quarter?

It's very likely that the information from this study will be shared – again, only without any information that would identify you – with the Chancellor and other high-level administrators. What would you suggest to them?