70 college admissions representatives from colleges all over the country and abroad gathered at the library quad on Wednesday, May 2. Hundreds of Foothill owls skirted from booth to booth, scoping out the prospective campuses to build their next nest.

“We’ve been planning this since December!” said Miloni Gandhi, Director of the International Student Experience. “I hope [the students] are able to learn about options that they have not considered beforehand.”

Some attended the event for building connections with the schools, such as Chelsey Nguyen, a Foothill freshman.

“I want to get connected to schools. I feel like it’s hard to come up with your own research and there is just so much information out there.”

Like many of the students who attend the event as prospective transfers, Chelsey expresses her support, “actually talking to an admissions representative right there really gives you the raw information you need, and it reaffirms your belief that ‘oh your college is right there you can grab it.’”

Some students attended for informative purposes. Jonathan Zhong, a first year foothill student currently maintaining a perfect GPA, dropped by to check out the requirements for specific majors at specific schools. “I just knew that [for] UC Irvine, you cannot TAG for the business [program].” The Transfer Admissions Guarantee (TAG) program offers guaranteed admissions into 6 of the Universities of California, provided the transfer students meet the necessary requirements.

Not all the attendants to the event were prospective transfer students. Weaving through the crowds was Foothill transfer center director and counselor Cleve Freeman, who encouraged students unsure about the transfer process to work with “any counsellor” in lieu of the International Transfer Fair should they feel confused, unsure, or just need more information. Whether it be the “general counselling in the counselling center, or the DRC, or the transfer center, or EOPS… we have the resources for students to research their majors, research their universities.”.

There are abundant resources and opportunities — such as the Transfer Admissions Guarantee program — for proactive Foothill owls to make an informed decision on their next academic endeavor, should they choose to pursue higher academic goals.