Paralleling its namesake, the first City College Transfer Jam was a loud, somewhat chaotic scene with students trying to maneuver through the transfer application process while advisors and staff were on hand for guidance.
The event, held Wednesday Nov. 17 in the Learning Resource Center, was designed to help students through what can be a confusing process.
As students sat at computers filling out their applications, members of the counseling office, transfer center and Associated Students Government, who sponsored the event, were on hand to answer any questions they may have had.
“Most of the students participating are at various stages of applying,” said Marya Edgar, ASG vice president.
English major David Patacsil was about midway through his application before attending the event. Explaining why he was there Jam, Patacsil said, “I had a few specific questions about my personal essay and certain logistics about the application, like waiving the fee.”
Dean of Student Affaris Denise Whisenhunt said she felt that events like these are very beneficial to students.
“I think this is huge. It’s an opportunity for students to complete their application. Some people . don’t have guidance when they fill it out so this is a student led initiative to help people with that process,” Whisenhunt said.
Jesus Cabeza de Baca, a Philosophy major, shared this sentiment.
“When I try to do it on my own, I’ll run into a situation where I don’t know what to do. I figure that if I go to this I don’t have an excuse for not knowing what to do,” he said.
While it was advertised that there would be representatives from both the CSU and UC systems, there was only one representative from UCSD on hand. This caused for frustration in some students.
Marissa Gonzalez, a Nursing major, said she felt the event was unorganized and that she didn’t get the help she was expecting. When asked what could be done to improve the next event, Gonzalez said, “They could probably use some more staff.”
ASG Public Events Coordinator Kindal Langager addressed this issue. She said that while she wasn’t directly in charge of securing who would be present, she would definitely like to see more presence from universities and possibly some private schools next year.
