Transfer Fair Helps Students Decide

By Joey Mongno

“When you buy a car, you do research and test-drive it,” said Paul Michaud, director of Transfer and Career Services at Raritan Valley Community College. “Deciding on a college is a much bigger decision; more time and energy is needed to find the right school.”

On Nov. 9, about 50 colleges from throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond attended a transfer fair hosted by RVCC. Representatives from Columbia and Penn State University attended the fair, along with military recruiters. Other schools participation includes the College of New Jersey, Rider University, Caldwell College, Bloomfield College, New York Institute of Technology, and Drew University.   

This workshop’s main focus is to teach students about the transfer process and tell them which schools in particular are more “transfer friendly.” The process of transferring can be a “bewildering experience,” said Michaud, and the fair was designed to help mitigate that.

Colleges have a lot to offer both culturally and academically, and many students miss out on learning about those factors by not doing enough research. People looking at colleges tend to only concentrate on the price rather than other important features.

Those attending learned about cultural differences in each school and had the opportunity to directly ask questions to college administrators. Michaud said personal contact with administrators is important. “Direct contact will help the process of admission rather than a mailed-out paper,” he said. “By direct contact, the student will stick out to the administrators.”

But fairs like these have other benefits, he said. “Many students don’t realize that the schools attending give out prepaid application fees,” he said. Those can help for those looking to apply to many schools. 

RVCC has also had transfer fairs for part-time students in the evening, and hopes to hold an upcoming workshop on how to evaluate transfer options. For information, visit www.raritanval.edu or call Paul Michaud at (908) 526-1200 ext. 8333.