About 60 colleges and universities gathered at MCCC on Thursday, March 5, to recruit students during a transfer fair. The event, held on both floors of the Student Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., provided a hub for students to meet with admissions directors and explore academic opportunities.
Each of the roughly 60 colleges that came to the transfer fair on March 5, had its own booth. PHOTO | ELIJAH SHEPHERD
The fair featured several New Jersey and Pennsylvania institutions, along with out-of-state schools looking to diversify their student populations.
Admissions staff focused on answering questions about credits, discussing scholarship eligibility, and easing the transition anxiety many community college students face.
Jen Cook, associate director of transfer admission at Rider University and a former transfer adviser at Mercer, said, “I think transfer students bring over a really unique perspective.”
“They’re also a very diverse group … they generally know what they want to do and are very focused,” Cook added.
Cook noted a shift in application trends this year, observing a slight decrease in business and technology applications at Rider, with a rise in liberal arts and humanities interests.
Other recruiters saw a different trend.
Sunita Bhargava, director of transfer and continuing education at Drew University, said business is a big draw, along with psychology, which remains the primary interest for incoming transfer students.
For students in attendance, concerns such as affordability and career placement are important. Valentina Gomez, a Mercer student eyeing engineering programs at Rutgers and NJIT, said her search is driven by institutional support.
“The main factors I’m focusing on are the cost of the school, the scholarships they might offer, and the help they have for students, such as labs and internships,” Gomez said.
While goals vary, recruiters emphasized that the key to a successful transfer begins before the application deadline. Staff members from various institutions highlighted fit and academic rigor as the primary keys to admission.
“I would say [students] wait too long to start thinking about the process,” Cook said. “They’re coming in, have a goal in mind, and they talk to their advisers, and they have a plan. That makes the process a lot smoother.”
Erin Barnard of The College of New Jersey agreed on the importance of early research. “I think a lot of students get caught up in names. It’s really about fit,” Barnard said.
Recruiters also stressed the importance of a strong GPA. “Understand that having a strong GPA will result in excellent scholarships,” Bhargava said. “If you want more doors to open to you, try to be a strong student academically.”
The event concluded in the late afternoon. Transfer fairs aim to bridge the gap between associate degrees and future careers.
As Barnard noted, “Our main goal is to make the process as seamless as possible,” to ensure students leave the Student Center with a clearer path toward their next chapter.
