This qualitative study explored the experiences of female transfer students majoring in STEM areas at a midwestern university by highlighting the role of Transfer Student Capital in their academic and social adjustment. The authors further deconstructed the notion of Transfer Student Capital by looking at how cultural and social capital intersect…

The United States is experiencing a dire need for individuals who possess training and expertise in areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). With over half of the nation's students entering university environments via community colleges coupled with a large portion of this population majoring in STEM areas, the successful…

Community colleges play a critical role in the pathway to a baccalaureate degree for millions of students, especially among women and ethnic minorities. This study investigates the complexity of the transfer experience among students who began their postsecondary education at a 2-year college and transferred to a large 4-year university.…

The movement of students from community colleges to 4-year colleges or universities has been an area of inquiry that has received attention from researchers and policy makers. A plethora of research has focused on the academic outcomes of transfer students at senior institutions. Specifically, the concept of "transfer shock" has been…

Describes a study investigating the academic performance and adjustment of students who transferred from California community colleges to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in fall 1993. Reviews student characteristics and community college and UCLA experiences. Highlights the special needs of college transfer students. (16…

The experience of community college transfer students at four-year institutions has been well documented by studies characterizing their adjustment process as "transfer shock." A popular paradigm, the transfer shock concept only describes the cognitive outcome of students' academic adjustment as measured by GPA. Numerous researchers have utilized…

This study examined the adjustment process of 727 students who transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in fall 1994 or fall 1995. The Transfer Students' Questionnaire (TSQ) was organized into three main sections: social demographics, perceptions of the community college experience, and perception of the UCLA experience. The…

This study compared the outcomes and experiences of 275 older and 442 younger liberal arts students who had transferred from California community colleges to a research I California university in fall 1994 and spring 1995. The study's conceptual perspective was that of "quality of effort," which considers both what the institution offers…

In fall 1995, a study was conducted of students who transferred from California community colleges to the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) to determine their academic performance and to explore the nature of their adjustment. Two transfer populations were examined: students enrolled in the Transfer Alliance Program (TAP), a program…

The Transfer Alliance Program (TAP), run by the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), allows state community college students to pursue an honors program while completing prerequisites for transfer. A study was conducted to compare the characteristics, experiences, and academic performance of TAP and non-TAP transfers to UCLA, with…