Pre- and Post-Transfer Academic Advising: What Students Say Are the Similarities and Differences

To better understand the role of academic advising in the challenges faced by students who transfer from community colleges to 4-year institutions, we examined advising experiences of two groups: (a) from two community colleges students who intended to transfer to 4-year institutions and (b) from five universities students who had transferred from one of those community colleges. Results showed that pre-transfer students were more satisfied than post-transfer students with the advising they received, but both groups were less satisfied with advising than with their overall educational experience. Qualitative analysis of student comments helps explain these findings.