The Transfer Center hosted the University Mega Fair, which invited 76 schools to set up booths and give information out to transferring students.

The fair was held on Thursday, Sept. 15 and about 73 universities came to Cerritos College and had many students going around looking for information.

Evelyn Mattison, administrative clerk, said,”Some of the schools got here early so students were actually coming in at 9. It was supposed to start at 10, but because the universities were here early, they were stopping by.”

Schools like Cal State Long Beach, Dominguez Hills, UCLA and UC Irvine were some of the universities being represented at the Mega Fair.

Admissions counselor Maria Rodriguez who represented USC explained what the college is looking for in students.

She said,”At the very minimum, we want students to complete a writing requirement, which is English 101, English 103 or Philosophy 103 and the math requirement is Algebra 2 in high school or Intermediate Algebra here (Cerritos College).

“That makes a student eligible to apply, beyond that, for a student to be more competitive, they want to make sure that they are completing some of our education curriculum, and that they are taking classes to prepare for their major, […], minimum of 12 units, ideally closer to 15.”

She added that the average GPA is a 3.7 and that there was no minimum requirement on that.

Other schools representatives went on to say why students should transfer to their school.

Krandalyn Goodman transfer admissions counselor at UC Santa Barbra said, “Location wise, it’s gorgeous, […], it’s a community based university where we take pride in community and it’s a very collaborative environment.

“You’re not really competing against your peers, you’re actually collaborating with them.”

Goodman recommended that students pick schools that work with the student’s major and will feel like home to them.

Adriana Laureano, communications major, was visiting the UCSB booth and said she visited at least 10 booths near the end of the fair.

“I’m looking forward to going to a school up north, I’m just exploring my options, […], I have a whole lot of pamphlets in my folder,” she said.

Nancy Alderete, assistant director of undergraduate admissions for UC Davis, explained why the college is interested in Cerritos students.

She said, “So Cerritos College has some wonderful students and have transitioned to UC Davis, and have done really well.

“A lot of students are interested in animal science and go on to become veterinarians, and they know Davis has an awesome program,” she said.

Alderete explained that UC Davis is an amazing place in a college town and 70 percent of students do some type of research, so they are exposed to what they want to study before they leave.

The transfer center is looking to continue inviting universities for the 4th Annual Transfer Conference on Friday, Oct. 7.

“I think it was absolutely amazing. It was a huge success, everyone showed up, students came out and one of the universities talked to over 20 students,” Mattison stated.