Transfer to USU  - The Process

Spring 2023 - Fall 2024

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Hello!

If you're here to learn about the experience of applying as a transfer student to USU Honors, you're in the right place.

Each of these elements below I expand on in the REFLECTION section.

Below this all is a comparison of a SAMPLE Honors Requirement Checklist at USU with SLCC Program requirements. You can see how they are different and how they are similar. 

It was difficult for me, so hopefully it will be less difficult for you!

Special Thanks to Kathy Tran-Peters, Amanda Addison, Katie Kraus, Lacie Peterson, Manette Perez, Jevahjire France, Jack Bohun, Aylin Guttierez and the SLCC honors students for all the guidance, support and unflagging leadership!

Here is a brief timeline to supplement the graphic above:

1. Talking to Advisors at USU and SLCC

2. Do I want to study in their program?

3. What is the campus like? Can I visit?

4. I enrolled in pre-requisites while at SLCC

5. Depending on your program, the requirements at SLCC may not match up to the choices which will set you up for success at USU. Apply for a curriculum exception if the program pre-requisites at USU differ from your program requirements at SLCC.

   1. Curriculum Exception

6. Whoever your faculty mentor is, work with them and identify them on the curriculum exception as someone who vouches for you. As advisors are often disconnected from the day-to-day minutiae of being a student, it is important to have an advocate on your side.

7. Speaking to faculty and admin within the chosen program at USU.

8. The Honors Program at USU has a Faculty Advisor for (almost) each program. I recommend scheduling a meeting with the Honors advisor for your specific program.

9. Kathy Tran-Peter's Transfer Presentation (needs link)

10. USU Transfer Agreement

11. I suggest doing as much research as possible. I will recommend reading all the pages on the USU Honors website that you can and taking notes.

12. What questions do you have?

    1. Who can answer them for you?

13. Things I had to consider when adding a new chapter to my life:

    1. Friends and Family

    2. Job!

    3. Is there a required internship for my program?

       1. Is it paid?

    4. Do the advisors in the program or do the faculty know about any off-campus job opportunities?

    5. Car

    6. Savings

    7. Credit Card

    8. Housing

    9. How to pay for it all?

       1. Scholarships

       2. Utah State also uses Scholarship Universe (accessible upon admission and receiving A-Number.

Reflection: 

Graduating SLCC feels like a huge milestone! It's been three years of the grind at the Community College, and moving on is both daunting and exciting. The skills in research/study and time management I learned during my time at SLCC have been invaluable. Something I am bringing to SLCC from outside is my project management breakdown and communication abilities.

Take a look here for the long process of my USU application process.

SPOILER: You have to talk to other people face-to-face :)

1. Talking to Advisors at USU and SLCC

2. Very early on, when I was figuring out which school I wanted to attend, I began reaching out to people who worked in the field (in my case, Nutrition & Dietetics), to interview them about their professional careers and the university trajectories they took. This helped me to understand what would be required of me to jump through the various hoops and be best prepared to take advantage of all scholarships and financial aid. I did this as early as two years before graduation at SLCC.

3. These conversations gave me more information to go on, and I was able to think of next steps. This included speaking to people in the scholarship office, admissions office, housing office, and the specific advisor for the Dietetics program; all at USU's Logan campus.

4. Some handy tools to access:

   1. Transfer Guide (searchable tool)

   2. Admissions portal

   3. USU Scholarship Guide

   4. List of USU Degrees and Programs

   5. Honors Program

5. My experience in doing an Honors Advising appointment had some takeaways:

   1. Read over the website first and write down any questions you have. They expected me to be very familiar with the website (I was not).

   2. Know about the SLCC transfer guidelines, and make sure you ask them questions about honors transfers.

   3. Talk to Kathy about your experience so the team can better help other students in their transfer experience.

6. Once you've thought over who you want to talk to, make a few meetings with various people and show up ready to ask questions! If you don't yet have any questions, it's still worth scheduling a meeting with an advisor for your program!

7. ***NOTE: If you're unsure of your academic career, it's never a bad time to do some self-reflection and think about what you want.

8. Speaking to faculty and administration within my chosen program:

   1. I made appointments with faculty in the Dietetics program at USU to learn about them and begin to form relationships with these instructors and administrators before I begin. I will be the teacher's pet forever. I will always consider it networking, and it has so far been the most valuable, as the instructors are the most up-to-date on industry lingo/info/jobs/resources.

9. USU Honors requirements are different than SLCC's, and are more formalized while offering the same kinds of learning outcomes In particular, the focus on High Impact Practices (Called "Honors In Practice" at USU) which require making mentor relationships with faculty outside of class. By creating mentor relationships within SLCC, you will be well-prepared to engage in the more structured requirements within the Honors In Practice as well as the Required Honors Capstone at USU.

10. Kathy Tran-Peters has a great Transfer Presentation.

    1. This helps you to get started on your transfer process, but again, start early, and work with your multiple university choices to examine your options. This requires talking to people over email/face-to-face/over Zoom. The Transfer Presentation gets you started by highlighting what documentation you will need, but does not include specifics as to what to expect at your future institution.

11. Things to consider when adding a new chapter to your life:

    1. Friends and Family

       1. Knowing the SLCC family, we are all very invested in our communities. If you are transferring away from that community, it can be very hard on both yourself and them. Taking care to communicate about your move, ways to stay connected, and how you can help each other during the new chapter in your life can save not only a lot of headaches, but whole relationships. 

    2. Job!

       1. University is expensive. Moving is expensive! If you can secure a job near your chosen transfer university, you will be set to be paid before you start the semester. If not before, USU also utilizes Handshake (USU-specific openings can be viewed once you're admitted as a student).

    3. Car/transportation

    4. Savings

    5. Credit Card

    6. On Campus Housing

       1. USU has many housing options, but not all are the same. Check out the dorms available--and I would also suggest making a day-trip to Logan, UT and driving around to look at housing options located near campus. These aren't always listed on rental apps and some have a better price. 

       2. There are meal plans and a food pantry available on campus!

    7. Scholarships or How to Pay For it All? (see above)

Honors Requirements at SLCC --> Points System at USU