» By TIFFANY HALL – thall29@my.apsu.edu
APSU and Motlow State Community College signed an agreement on Monday, Oct. 17, to offer a way for students to transfer from Motlow to APSU more easily. The agreement is part of an existing program called the “Austin Peay Guarantee.”
“This program allows for a smooth transition between the two-year and four-year degrees,” said Amy Deaton, Interim Director of Admissions for APSU.
Being a transfer student has a lot of responsibility. All the necessary paperwork, grades and recommendations have to be submitted in time to be considered a transfer student. This program is designed for students to start their transfer process to APSU, while still taking classes at Motlow.
“Transferring for me was terrible. I was in the office several times a week just making sure my paperwork was in the office. I felt like I was forcing them to do my paperwork for me,” said junior Michael Shepherd, who transferred to APSU from the Art Institute of Nashville.
“Transferring was just a hopeless process. Every day it was something different. Some of my classes were not okay to transfer. Even worse, some classes did not count towards my credit hours, so I went from being classified as a junior, back to being a sophomore. I actually ended up not transferring at all,” said Amanda McElyea, a current senior at UT Martin.
To help ease the process, there are members of the staff on Motlow’s campus who are helping students plan further than a two-year degree at their community college.
It helps the students focus on their current studies, while planning for the future.
“We work with students planning on going to APSU, to make sure the classes they take will be accepted. We want it to be as easy as possible for them to transfer, so they can continue their education,” said Sherry Mason, assistant director of Student Services at Motlow.
“If someone had been on campus to help me figure out what I needed to transfer, such as paperwork and grades, I would have easily transferred. It was just too much of a headache. Now, I’m a senior and it’s too late,” McElyea said.
While the paperwork process of transferring is now made easier, transfer students must still meet the general requirements to be admitted. Transfer students must be in good standing with the previous institution. They must meet specific GPA requirements and certain ACT or SAT score requirements, in addition to not being on academic suspension.
The on-campus staff at Motlow is capable of figuring out which areas are not met and which areas need to be met.
“We do not have specific scholarships for students involved in the guarantee, but we do have Community College Scholarships to all TBR and Hopkinsville Community College transfer students who meet the scholarship qualifications,” Deaton said.
In the past year, there have been additional institutions added to the list. The Austin Peay Guarantee not only applies to transfers from Motlow, but also Nashville State Technical Community College, Volunteer State Community College, Columbia State Community College and Hopkinsville Community College.
“More schools should do this, make it easier for students, and overall, we would have more successful students,” Mason said. TAS
