Seize Your Superpower
As a transfer student, you bring a source of knowledge, experience, and wisdom to your career development journey at UCSB. When you first arrive, develop an achievable timeline for yourself; as you acclimate to your new environment and the fast-paced quarter system, take advantage of campus resources available to help you accomplish the goals you strive to achieve.
While your time as a transfer student may be short but sweet, thinking about your academic and career possibilities throughout your studies will support your integration into life at UCSB. From internships, to graduate school planning, to working on-campus, to achieving your post-graduation goals, we encourage you to engage early and often with Career Services. Read on to learn more.
Key Campus Resources @ UCSB
Gain Experience: Transfer Students
For complete information on internships, student jobs, research opportunities, extracurriculars, and more, review our starter tips to Gain Experience in all careers as well as the specialized tips on this page.
Overview
It is understandable that your main focus may be placed on completing your academic coursework and remaining on schedule to graduate on time. However, being intentional to gain relevant, hands-on experience is just as important while you are at UCSB. When you apply for jobs or graduate school, employers and admissions panels will want to see what kind of experience you engaged in outside of the classroom.
As a transfer student, becoming involved during the fall or winter quarter of your first year on campus is ideal to allow you to maximize your time as much as possible. Additionally, if you are considering professional school (e.g., law school or medical school), engage in organizations and extracurriculars early on, as your involvement will highlight qualities about you which your transcript does not.
Most importantly, do not overwork yourself. If you need time to make the enormous adjustment from a community college to a research university, definitely do so. You probably have at least two full years at UCSB.
Do not discount your community college experiences. Whether you worked part-time, joined an organization, or volunteered, these experiences are just as valuable as the ones you will acquire at UCSB.
Types of Experience
Click the items below to see some example ways to gain experience as a transfer student.
Most transfer students carry experiences which provide them with unique knowledge and skill sets to apply to the workforce. Part-time and on-campus jobs are posted year-round on Handshake. Many departments hire most heavily in the fall for open positions. Every fall, Career Services hosts the On-Campus Job Fair where campus departments meet with prospective student employees. Keep in mind that many academic, year-long student jobs typically hire in the winter or spring quarter of the year before. Thus if you are an incoming transfer student, you should consider this option for your second and third years on campus. Also, consider transfer-specific positions such as Transfer Student Center Peer Educator.
Learn More
To find out more about working on campus and utilizing your work-study, visit our Student Jobs page.
Landing an internship during your junior or senior year is a great way to gain experience in an industry of interest, especially since most require little to no prior experience in the field. For internships during the school year, start researching a few months before you plan to apply. For summer internships, plan ahead and search early to follow the timeline of your industry. For instance, fall recruitment typically entails Accounting, Engineering, Finance, and Government organizations whereas winter recruitment occurs for the other industries, which include Marketing and Entertainment.
Incoming Economics and Accounting Majors:
Transfer students planning to major in Economics and Accounting need to prepare exceptionally early in order to be competitive for an internship between junior and senior year. It is recommended to begin preparing your resume and researching accounting firms even before you set foot on campus. Meet the Firms, the largest recruiting event for accounting, typically happens in early Fall Quarter. Read our tips about the Accounting career path for more information.
Learn More
Navigate to our Internships page for more details about this general topic.
If you would like to become involved in research, start by getting to know your professors and looking for research opportunities early on. Keep in mind that obtaining research positions can be more difficult as a fourth-year student than as a third-year student because professors often prefer to hire students who can commit to working with them for a longer period of time.
There are specific opportunities designated for transfer students to engage in research on campus. One example is the URCA Research Grant where you can pursue funding to do an independent research project.
Learn More
Check out our Research page for comprehensive career tips about these opportunities.
Oftentimes, being a transfer student can seem isolating and disorienting when you are still learning about campus resources and events. However, becoming involved on campus can help. While connecting you to the UCSB community, campus involvement also serves as an opportunity to learn, and develop skills. UCSB has hundreds of student-run organizations. Consider being a part of organizations that include demographics you identify with, and represent your interests professionally or recreationally. These are great ways to build your knowledge, skills, and to establish connections on and off campus.
Learn More
See our Extracurriculars page for more information regarding how campus involvement can enhance your career.
Yes, you can study abroad as a transfer student! In fact, studying abroad looks great on a resume. Many transfer students take part in study abroad opportunities during the summer or during their senior year. Studying abroad allows you to gain valuable skills, pursue internships, and participate in research while immersing yourself in a new culture. It is also a great way to enhance your education with courses that are not offered at UCSB. If this is something that interests you, we recommend contacting the Education Abroad Program (EAP) or attending an EAP information session. You can also hear directly from transfer students about their abroad experience in this collection of testimonials.
Learn More
Go to our Extracurriculars page for additional context about how studying abroad can enhance your career.
