As a fellow community college student you understand that everything, even transfer, doesn’t always go as planned. If you live in California the University of California system has created programs to help guide you throughout the semester while providing essential information and tips about transferring. In this post I will be focusing on the program I participated in, UCLA’s year long California Community College Partnership (CCCP) Scholar’s Program. That being said there are several other similar programs, such as UC Berkeley’s Pathways, UC SanDiego’s Summer Training Academy for Research Success (STARS), UC Irvine’s SummerScholars Transfer Institute (SSTI) and Transfer Leadership Collaborative (TLC), and UC Davis’sTransfer Opportunity Program (TOP).

As stated by the UCLA CCCP website, “The goal of the program is to motivate, inform and prepare students to transfer from a California community college to selective Top Tier Research institutions such as UCLA. Students in the program have access to our summer and year-long academic preparatory transfer programs which guide students through the community college experience, the application and admissions process, research and pre-graduate opportunities,and career exploration. CCCP Scholars have a higher rate of admission to selective institution sand are eligible for special scholarships. The program is grounded on academic excellence,social justice, critical race theory and educational equity.”

Within this program are twelve subprograms, majority of them residential, that help to cater specifically to your needs. Whether you are a parent, a STEM major, a man of color, or a foster child, these programs help students learn to navigate the community college system to transfer successfully to a UC. While on campus there is an introduction to research, university writing,and support programs. Each subprogram focuses on the history, educational pipeline and resources available to that specific subgroup.

Each scholar receives a peer mentor, a student who transferred from a community college to UCLA. Monthly contact with your mentor is mandatory, so you always have someone to lean on for answers to any questions and be there for you even if you just need a pep talk. While the three Saturday academies full of workshops provide you with helpful information on the transfer timeline, nothing compares to guidance from someone who has set the same goal as you and achieved their dreams.

Although we may not hear of many opportunities and resources for community college students there are several programs created to help us succeed. Overall, if your goal is to transfer I truly recommend UCLA CCCP and programs like it.