TESTIMONY
Testimony by Jared Martino, New York Youth Advisory Board Member of Young Invincibles, on college transfer process challenges
2:03:24
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3 min
Jared Martino, a graduate student and coordinator at Bond College of Aeronautics And Technology, testifies about the challenges in the college transfer process. He emphasizes that transfer students often face similar challenges as new college students but with minimal support and resources.
- Martino recommends expanding transfer resources on campus and funding to better serve students in the CUNY transfer system.
- He suggests modeling transfer resources after programs like the HCAP transfer pipeline program at Hunter College, which supports Asian American first-semester transfer students.
- The testimony highlights the importance of direct peer mentor programs and community development events for improving student retention.
Jared Martino
2:03:24
Hello, everyone.
2:03:25
Thank you for joining us.
2:03:27
My name is Jared Martino, and I'm a graduate student in the Higher Education Administration at SUNY Stony Brook University.
2:03:32
And the coordinator of activities and engagement at Bond College of Aeronautics And Technology.
2:03:37
I want to thank everyone from the New York City Council especially the committee on higher education for the opportunity to testify in today's hearing.
2:03:45
I am here to share my thoughts and experiences on the key transfer process on behalf of myself and as a New York youth advisory board member at the, you know, young invincibles.
2:03:54
I began my collegiate journey in 2016 as a Sumi student, and by the end of the fall semester in 28 keen.
2:04:00
I had begun my transfer process into the tuning system.
2:04:03
From the beginning of my collegiate career in the SUNY system, I felt encumbered and capable due to the wealth of resources available and clear understanding of what my degree progression would look like.
2:04:13
While I recognize that the transfer process itself comes with many challenges.
2:04:18
There are considerable opportunities for Quni to improve this process and increase transfer student retention and persistence.
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Upon my experience at CUNY, I struggled with a lack of outreach to transfer students and a number of fellow transfer students I met confirmed that they shared this experience.
2:04:32
Anecdotally, the most successful transfer students I noticed in my time were CUNY associate to CUNY Bachelor transfer students who had already networked with CUNY current CUNY students.
2:04:42
And were able to learn more about the upcoming challenges they were to face from peers.
2:04:47
My own transfer exclamation process was based on applying the new student experience I had recently had at SUNY and challenging the limits of a Google search.
2:04:56
Then I faced the largest challenge the academic credit approval process.
2:05:00
The time it took to have my credits evaluated by Q And A City College was significant, and it took weeks before I had concrete knowledge of what I ever seemed credit for.
2:05:09
Ultimately, a majority of my courses I had taken from Tsumi were only accepted as elective credits despite being for the same major and nonsensically covered a range diverse range of course levels.
2:05:21
Much of my time was spent retaking intro level courses that were identical to content in intro level courses that I took assuming leaving me without the opportunity to apply my knowledge and expand my studies in higher level courses and electives.
2:05:33
Since graduating from Quni, I spent a year supporting 1st generation college students towards their degree aspirations.
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I supported many students who elected to transfer into this kidney system, all facing considerable challenges and lack of communication, a lack of understanding of the entry process, and the lack of collegiate cultural capital.
2:05:50
1st generation power students in particular are at a risk of this pitfall, as the considerable amount of rent to keep and formal policy required to maintain matriculation at universities can be dizzying.
2:06:01
The Quni Transfer process has struggled to bridge the gap between where aspiring college students are and where they need to be to succeed.
2:06:09
We often consider the transfer process as a leftover, treating these students as an afterthought whose educational aspirations motivate them to succeed regardless of any challenge.
2:06:18
Yet many transfer students struggle with the same challenges, new college students face, yet are given minimal support and resources to overcome some barriers.
Eric Dinowitz
2:06:26
The campus expired.
Jared Martino
2:06:28
I recommend that the New York City Council And the Committee on Higher Education expands transfer resources on campus and fund 2 better served students and enter the Kiwi transfer system.
2:06:39
I also recommend that Kiwi systems model transfer resources more heavily through programs like the HCAP transfer pipeline program at Hunter College, which supports Asian American 1st semester transfer students with direct peer mentorship and community development events to ease the collegiate transfer process.
2:06:56
These direct peer mentor programs and the community development events are integral in developing lasting impacts on student retention.