Where to begin?  Well, maybe I’ll take a page out of the Sound of Music, and start at the very beginning (it is, after all, a very good place to start). 

I am Megan Hoinkes, a transfer admission counselor in the Office of Admission at North Central College.  I transferred to North Central my sophomore year and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature in 2006. [Note:  If there are any typos in the course of my blogging, please do not blame my education, blame my typing.  Thank you.]  In addition to working with students transferring to North Central, I am also taking graduate classes in the Liberal Studies program.  I love films and books, and I am a little bit of a pop culture fanatic.

And did I mention that I am super-excited to be writing a blog about me and the wonderful world of transfer admission?  I didn’t? Oh, well, remind to tell you that later. Throughout the course of my blogging, in addition to writing about me, I hope to discuss some issues that transfer students face, and show you why I think North Central is the bee’s knees.

So that is a very, very, very, brief look at me.  But let’s get down to the brass tacks, and talk about what I do, which is work with transfer students.  Actually, probably one of the most common questions I get from students/parents/random passerby is “What is a transfer student?” 

Here’s the answer:  If you have attended any community college, college, or university after you have graduated from high school and do not already have a bachelor’s degree, then you are a transfer student.  If you have taken 60 credit hours at a community college and completed your associate of arts or science, you are a transfer student.  If you’ve taken 2 credit hours at a college ten years ago, you are a transfer student too.  If that is you, congratulations! You are a transfer student!

And, I should probably let you know that you are certainly not alone.  Transfer students make up a third of our incoming class each year.  In the year I graduated North Central, 2006, fifty percent of the graduating seniors transferred in from another institution.  Neat, eh?

At North Central, we have five intelligent, extraordinary, and incredibly brilliant admission counselors dedicated working with transfer students.  And don’t think I’m sucking up to my coworkers with all the nice words; believe me when I say that praise is earned.  Over the next few weeks, I’ll introduce them to you, but in the meantime, if you would like to find out who your transfer admission counselor is, I have a whole bunch of fun links at the bottom of my blog that will point you in the right direction.  Just go to the “Meet Your Admission Counselor” page and find your school, and then your counselor.

I think that is enough for now, but I just have two more things.  First, I want to invite you to ask me any questions about North Central or about transferring to North Central.  Just submit a comment to my blog, and if I like it, I’ll answer it in my blog.

The last thing I want to do is let you know that North Central visits community colleges all over the state of Illinois.  Here’s where you can find a transfer admission counselor this coming week:

Monday, February 4, 2008
Oakton Community College: 10:00am-1:00pm (cafeteria)

Tuesday, February 5, 2008
College of DuPage: 10:00am-1:00pm (second floor of SRC near the library)
Joliet Junior College: 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (C-Concourse)
Waubonsee Community College: 9:30am-12:30pm (Bodie Hall Lobby)

Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Kankakee Community College: 10:00am-1:00pm

If you are around, be sure to drop in. 

Okay, that’s definitely enough for now.  Have a great weekend!
Megan

Fabulous Links:
Community College Course Substitution Guides 
How to Apply to North Central
Majors, Minors, and Programs at North Central
Meet Your Admission Counselor
Transfer Visit Programs