Students weigh academic options Transfer uncertainty

BY RYAN FLEISHER

Many students have had to reevaluate and change their educational plans this year because of the pandemic.

The current experience of a four-year university is not what most transfer students would have pictured with the limitations and guidelines that have been placed at colleges across the country.

Pierce College students who are eligible to transfer are having to make the difficult decision of whether or not it best suits them to stay another year or transfer to a four-year university.

Pierce student Alex Baumgartner has had to weigh his options when it came to applying to universities this semester.

“In my head I was all set to transfer next fall, but with Covid and the uncertainties surrounding it I am not sure if it is worth it,” Baumgartner said in a phone interview. Baumgartner is in his sixth semester at Pierce, and although he talked about enjoying his time on campus, he shared what he was most looking forward to in the idea of transferring.

“I would have liked to have had a change of scenery and experience something new, for example to live in a new city and attend classes in large lecture halls, but with the lockdowns that are taking place, none of that is realistic,” Baumgartner said. Going to a university prepandemic was already a big financial investment for families and students.

With most universities having online classes, students are faced with the dilemma of whether or not to pay for the full university experience without being able to experience it at all.

“I know the clock is ticking to turn in applications but I am just still having an internal debate of whether it is worth it financially to spend a lot of money to just stay home and learn,” Baumgartner said.

As Baumgartner is still deciding what his next step is for his education, his younger brother Kenny Baumgartner, who is also a Pierce student, has decided to transfer in fall 2021.

Kenny is in his fifth semester at Pierce and plays for the school’s baseball team. Athletes gain an extra year of eligibility, so Kenny decided to hold off on transferring to give himself another year to get better on the field and in the classroom.

“I would have transferred by now, but having the extra year for athletics gives me more time to get more classes done and give myself more opportunities for the future,” Kenny said.

Kenny said he had been hoping to receive a college experience.

“I always imagined dorming on campus somewhere as well as being able to play and attend sporting events while representing my school, and I hope I am able to next fall when the coronavirus hopefully slows down,” Kenny said.

One major factor students are having to examine is whether classes will be online or in person. With the daily number of COVID-19 cases rising, it is a reminder of health concerns being a factor involved with making the decision to transfer.

Yulina Gonzalez is a Pierce student who has made the decision not to transfer next fall because of the health concerns brought by the pandemic.

“I do not feel comfortable with the idea of making a major decision like transferring in these times because, as we have seen over the last few months, things in life can change drastically overnight,” Gonzalez said.

the kids can’t play with each other anymore,” Penaloza said. “I could tell that kind of took a toll on my daughter, but overall safety outweighs everything else.”

Kaitlyn Day, another parent from the CDC, also found the center’s services useful.

Day said in a phone interview that she and her daughter have also been attending both the large group meetings and the smaller group meetings, much like Penaloza and her daughter.

“My daughter likes it and there is somewhat of the aspect of socialization with the teachers and the other kids, so it’s still normal,” Day said. “It’s less of the isolation.”

Day, who had been using the CDC’s services since 2017, said that she appreciated the center’s flexibility. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, she said that it’s been nice to have