Interview with Joe Waranyuwat, Part II

This is a continuation of the correspondence I have had with Kulapan (Joe) Waranyuwat, Academic Advisor and Coordinator of Transfer Programs at UIUC, about his work with engineering transfer students. He was kind enough to answer some of my follow up questions.

Scott Spitze (SS): How much do you track students once they have transferred here? Is it the same as other students, or do you pay closer attention to them? Are you quicker to intervene if transfer students seem to be struggling? 

Joe Waranyuwat (JW): 
Post-transfer:

We track the transfer students once they have transferred here, but no more than what we do with the other students. Because transfer students do just as well (as measured by GPA) as the non-transfer students, we decided not to provide more support or resources for the transfer students than we do for the non-transfer students and to put our resources elsewhere (pre-transfer).

Pre-transfer:

I should mention that we have two groups of transfers: Pathways and non-Pathways. We do not provide resources for the non-Pathways prospective transfer students beyond what you’d typically see in a college office: advising and admissions counseling. Most of our resources are put into the Engineering Pathways program: http://pathways.engineering.illinois.edu.

SS: What does the University do to help transfer students adjust socially, or is that something you have to let happen naturally? For the students who struggle here, do problems seem to be more social or more academic?

JW: The problems seem to be more social. We have social events spread across the first semester. The first semester is usually the hardest so we try to get them connected then. After that first semester, most of them are OK. We also have an orientation course that really helps them make the transition. Topics include: study skills, expectations, time and stress management, campus resources, etc.

SS: I do not know how much you take high school performance into account, but if you do, about what percentage of students could have been accepted to the University if they had applied as freshman, and what percent probably would not have been accepted, but their college career makes them qualified? 

JW: I have not measured this so I cannot say conclusively. But my hunch tells me that most of them would not have been admitted as a freshmen. For the majority of them, their college career makes them qualified.

Here’s my personal opinion with the caveat that I do know much about this area so I’m commenting purely out of observation:

To be admitted as a freshmen, you have to be really good at taking standardized tests since most of our admitted students fall in the top 1% of the country in terms of test scores. These tests have merit but major flaws too. They measure processing speed (how fast you can crunch out those math problems, and it’s not about whether you have the capability to think abstractly which is what is often required for advanced undergraduate study), knowledge base (the better the high school you go to, the better your knowledge base), and income level (if you’re really low income, you can’t afford to take these tests). So the students that miss out on admission might be slower thinkers (and thus can’t score in the top 1%) but has an ability to do complex mathematics and reasoning, or students who have potential to learn but didn’t attend the most resourced high schools, and those who simply cannot afford the exams.

We see many transfer students who fall into these categories.

Discussion with Kulapan (Joe) Waranyuwat, Academic Advisor and Coordinator of Transfer Programs at UIUC

I was privileged to be in contact with Joe Waranyuwat, Academic Advisor and Coordinator of Transfer Programs at UIUC. He mainly works with engineering studetns, and was gracious enough to answer some of my questions about engineering transfer students at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

General Statement:
"Transfer process is straightforward. Students apply through the Admissions site, and we select them primarily based on their college GPA. A big chunk of the students transfer from community colleges but a decent number transfer from 4-year institutions as well. We have programming set up for students before they transfer to Illinois and after they transfer."

"The programming is different for each group since each group has different needs. For the former, it's mostly advising and teaching. For the ones who have successfully transferred over to Illinois, programming revolves mostly around orientation classes and social activities. Success rates, as measured by the Illinois GPA, between the regular students and the transfer students are more or less the same."

Q & A:

Scott Spitze (SS): Are there any differences in background between the average transfer student and the average student who started here?

Joe Waranyuwat (JW): It depends what you mean. But yes, I’d say so. We see more older students among the transfer population, perhaps more low-income students too, and some of them were less prepared for a 4-year school right out of high school.

SS: About what percentage of desired transfers do you accept?

JW: We admit approximately 300 applicants out of 1,000. There is no exact percentage or number. We just want to admit qualified students.

SS: Are there any common problems experienced by transfer students?

JW:  Transition to a new campus, courses, and social life.

SS: What are the most important steps to assure smooth transitions for transfer students?

JW: Addressing #3 (previous question).  We do this primarily through advising, teaching an orientation class, and providing opportunities for students to engage with each other and the larger campus community.

SS: Would you advise a potential student wanting to go to a school like uiuc to apply directly, or to take classes at a cheaper school before transferring?

JW: This really depends on the student’s individual circumstances and needs. I certainly recommend some to apply directly and others to start at a community college first.

I have asked some more questions about transfer students and am waiting for a response to them, so this post will be updated when I hear back.