Study examines transfer experience of Latinos

A recent UCLA study found that a low percentage of Latino students transfer from community colleges to four-year universities, a finding which some experts attribute to a lack of adequate preparation at community colleges, along with a number of other factors.

Martha Rivas, a doctoral student at the UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies and primary author of the study, said the findings are significant because Latinos comprise the largest student population in the state of California and the largest growing population in the country.

The research, which took a full academic year, looked at the Latino transfer experience in postsecondary education across California, including data for all 109 community colleges in California, Rivas said.

“It was the first study of its kind to look at the Latino transfer experience from community college to the doctorate level,” she said.

Rivas said that in the 2002-2003 academic year, 40 percent of Latino community college students said they aspired to transfer to a four-year university while 10 percent actually did.

According to the study, in 2003, Latino students represented 47 percent of those enrolled in K-12 schools statewide, 31 percent of California community college enrollment, 25 percent of California State University students and 14 percent of University of California students.

In general, many Latino students come from big families which they need to support, making it more difficult for them to pursue an education at a four-year university, said Christina Colosimo, a general representative for USAC.

“Universities are very expensive and when you don’t have the money at all and your family needs your help, there’s extra pressure,” Colosimo said.

Daniela Conde, chair of the Latino student group Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán, also known as MEChA, said a large percentage of Latino students who attend community college also work and have other family obligations, so going to school is not the only priority in their lives.

Colosimo said undocumented immigrants who decide to transfer to four-year universities have even more hurdles to overcome because they are not eligible to apply for financial aid.

“A lot of people had the problem with money, and definitely not being able to apply for financial aid is just ridiculous,” Colosimo said. “If I couldn’t have applied (for financial aid), I couldn’t go here right now.”

Latino students also face many of the same difficulties that others report experiencing during the transfer process.

Financial aid problems, difficulty transferring courses and units, and seeking information and guidance are just a few of the issues transfer students said they faced.

Valarie Cortez, a third-year microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics student, said one of the hardest aspects of her transfer experience was that her junior college did not offer all the classes she needed.

“That’s why I had to start off taking lower-division classes here (at UCLA),” Cortez said.

Rivas said she believes community colleges should implement the transfer curriculum as the required curriculum in order to prepare students to transfer to four-year universities.

“Oftentimes, counselors are not providing the accurate information for students to transfer,” Rivas said.

Some said Latino students often face additional obstacles.

Some students said they believe better outreach programs could help solve problems for all transfer students.

La Donna Lewis, a third-year political science student, said she believes there are not enough resources for transfers.

“We don’t exactly know what’s going on so we have to actually go out and search for it,” she said.

Conde also said she believes universities should play a more active role in making community college transfer students aware of the support available to them.

Certain programs at UCLA attempt to build alliances with faculty administrators and students at community colleges, including the UCLA Center for Community College Partnerships, which guides students with transfer requirements, Rivas said.

But Rivas said she believes there still needs to be more statewide support of prioritizing the transfer function of community colleges.

To highlight the importance of supporting transfer students and community colleges, Rivas cited a 2005 study that found that 23 percent of Chicano doctors started at the community college level.

She added that she believes there is not enough data which focuses on the transfer experience of Latino students.

“We need to continue research to document the experiences of Latino students at all segments of postsecondary education,” Rivas said.

The study was conducted by students at the UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies and Daniel Solorzano, a professor of education and associate director of the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center.