Transfer Fair Goes Virtual

On June 18, over 75 students took part in Quinsigamond Community College’s first Virtual Transfer Fair. The online event held on a Zoom platform, enabled students to virtually meet with colleges and universities in the region and learn more about transfer opportunities, application requirements and other important information.

Students received an email invitation leading them to a registration link if they had expressed interest in the fair, and Dan de la Torre, coordinator for QCC’s Transfer and Articulation program and Transfer Counselor Beth Fullerton co-hosted the event that began in a group session for all attendees. In this opening session, students were given a quick overview on the distance of each college and university from the Worcester region, a brief recap on QCC programs that meet MassTransfer guidelines, as well as programs that have transfer agreements with private institutions and out-of-state institutions. Then, via the Zoom chat box, students received a link to a page that listed the schools and their individual zoom meeting addresses. Students could then directly connect to schools they were interested in and met directly with transfer admissions representatives.

“This was a brand new venture for us so there was a bit of uncertainty and our 'fingers crossed' so to speak," Mr. de la Torre said.

Assistant Director of Transfer Admissions for UMass Amherst, Kevin Van Develde, said this was the first virtual transfer fair he had attended.

“From our end it was very smooth and we encountered no issues,” he said, adding, “Eight students attended our portion of the event, each with great questions.”

Associate Director of Transfer Admissions for Fitchburg State University, Limari Rivera, also felt the event went well.

“I think the fact that we all met as a group before the actual event and did a practice run helped us figure out the best way to conduct the virtual fair.  We were going to do it a completely different way until we met and decided that would be too intense and confusing.  I think the way it was done was great and flowed nicely,” she said, adding, "We are easily accessible for commuter students and most of our programs align nicely with QCC's programs. We have a great working relationship with the transfer advisors at QCC, which makes the transfer process for the students easier."

Mr. Van Develde noted that since the inception of the MassTransfer program, a good amount of UMass Amherst’s community college transfer students are from QCC, demonstating the strong partnerships QCC has with its four-year partner institutions.

Ms. Fullerton said the feedback QCC has received from student participants has also been positive, with students noting how being able to personally see and chat directly with school representatives makes such a difference.

“I think that it is incredibly important for students to connect with representatives from four-year schools during a fair—students get individual attention and their questions answered about a university’s specific bachelor degrees, admission requirements, and resources,” she said, adding that plans are in the works for a Fall virtual transfer fair.

Other colleges and universities that attended the virtual fair included:

• Anna Maria College
• Becker College
• Fitchburg State University
• Framingham State University
• UMass Amherst
• UMass Boston
• UMass Dartmouth
• UMass Lowell
• Westfield State University
• Worcester State University

For additional information, visit QCC Transfer Department.