International Students: Transferring Between Universities Is Not Fun

Once upon a time I was a student at a university in Western Canada. I had a decent GPA, and the classes that I had taken were specifically chosen for the fact that they met the vast majority of standards at other universities in Canada and the United States. If I ever wanted to transfer it would simply be a matter of obtaining credit for the classes that I had already taken and continue where I had left off.

Well, no, as I would soon find out, it’s not quite that simple. After speaking with a counselor about transferability (and being assured that the classes that I had taken were comparable to classes offered at my new university) I would be dropped a jumbo-XL bomb: I wasn’t to receive credit for over half of my classes. The reasoning? There was no way to determine that the classes that I had taken were comparable (or identical) to the classes that was offered by the new university.

Or, in layman’s terms, they wanted more money. I can think of no other justification, cause, or reasons for the admissions office to deny credit to classes that I would later learn are nearly identical. If you’re planning on transferring universities (to either a domestic or international one), here are a few things that you can do to make your life a little easier:

1. Work your class load out in advance – Speak with admission counselors from both universities and make sure that you determine (in writing) which classes will transfer and which wont. If you are fortunate enough to know that you’ll be transferring in advance of the actual transfer date it would be wise to base your entire course load around what will transfer.

Essentially, give yourself as much notice as possible so that you aren’t caught in a lose-lose situation.

2. Work out your new schedule in advance – When you are working with the admissions counselors of your new university make sure that you get your new semester (or year) schedule before you arrive. Check to ensure that the classes that you selected are there and that they are not mirror classes of what you’ve already taken.

What you’re looking for are applicable classes based on your current standing. If you’re transferring for the beginning of third year, for example, you’ll want to make sure that you’re taking third year classes and that your new schedule reflects that.

3. Plan your work and work your plan – How applicable is this to just about everything in life? Plan out your move, how you’re going to make it as time effective as possible, and make sure that there are no loose ends or strings that can nail you. There’s nothing worse than making the move, getting yourself all set up, and then finding out that you won’t receive credit for the classes that you’ve already taken at another university.

When you are making the move it is going to be important that you have all of your bases covered. Get as much as possible in writing so that once you arrive there is little that can be contested. Good luck- a little bit of planning and forward thinking will make the process painless and exciting!