10 Tips for You, Junior Transfer!
“Welcome to UCR, fellow transfer! I too was once a junior transfer. In light of this exciting new season, here are 10 tips from one transfer to another!” - Neil Wang
Rest
It’s vital that you prioritize rest and get into a healthy sleep cycle so that you can adjust to busier seasons without compromising the health of your mind and body. Start this even before you transfer to UCR so that you don’t have to adjust when the quarter starts and you’re adjusting to new schedules.
Learn with People
Don’t solo it! Make study friends, sign up for tutoring or attend TA office hours - get comfortable asking questions to your TA’s! Along with that, it helps to teach others information you are learning so take up any opportunity to help explain something to someone if they have a question you can help with.
Hobbies
Develop some hobbies that you enjoy that contribute to a healthy lifestyle. Could be exercising, reading, keeping up with/learning a new instrument, drawing or painting, etc.
Find your Resume
Complete your resume and LinkedIn early. Set yourself an early deadline such as the end of the first week. Even if your resume is somewhat unfilled, at least get the format together so you can painlessly update it as your career advances.
Connect
Check-in with your academic advisor as you register for classes to make sure you’re on track to graduate on time. Along with that, get to know classmates/discussion groups during midterms and finals weeks to study.
Before the Final
Make a study plan for each test. This will guarantee you learn everything you need to know before the test. Try taking 1-3 practice tests as a part of this study plan, they can improve your performance by whole letter grades.
Community
Check out different clubs and communities so that you can start to feel at home here. Find a community of friends to hang out with, study with, eat with, live with, and explore life at UCR with.
Landing the Internship
Find something to talk about with recruiters and interviewers. For example, work on an interesting side project you feel excited about and put it on your resume! Also, ask for referrals. If you know someone that might be able to refer you, just ask, Utah and see! Referrals are a particularly important source of internship opportunities as they often guarantee an interview.
Habits
Habits will guide your life, especially when the quarter gets tough and your calendar is filling up with various priorities. That’s when the habits you’ve built early on and been faithful to pull you through challenges coming your way. So, take stock of the habits you have. Establish the (mental, physical, emotional, spiritual) habits you want to have and work on one or a few habits at a time, day by day.
Reflection
Reflection provides a unique opportunity. It lets us see where we’ve been and where we’re heading, offering us a chance to thoughtfully adjust our life’s trajectory. Reflecting on your day or week or month by simply journaling regularly is a great habit to build!
Hope this helps! If you’d like to connect or have questions, feel free to reach out and if you’d like further information, be on the lookout on more helpful webinars a2f will be rolling out!
Neil Wang (Business admin - information systems.)
Neil Wang was a UCR junior transfer who barely graduated high school with a 2.2 GPA, studied super hard at JC, transferred to UCR, & graduated in 2013 with a 3.4 in Business Admin - Information Studies. Neil now does professional online marketing, is an a2f campus mentor, & loves eating late night ramen before bed.