ABSTRACT
Four-year university policies and practices typically promote a two-year normative graduation timeline for transfer students, but there is limited information about the ramifications of these expectations. High Impact Practices (HIPs), identified by Kuh (2008, Peer Review, 10(4): 30–31), are evidence-based practices that are associated with college student success. Given the high level of engagement and time associated with most HIPs (e.g. leadership in student organizations, internships, study abroad), there is a possible conflict for transfers engaging in HIPs, while still following a two-year timeline. With many transfer students holding identities that are underrepresented in higher education, this reduced time conflict creates a possible systemic barrier for transfer student HIP engagement and the associated increase in student success. The current mixed methods study sought to understand how perceived graduation timelines influenced student experiences in the university and explored transfer student engagement in HIPs. Our single institution results suggest that the pressure of their compressed timeline was associated with transfer students choosing not to engage in HIPs, with very low rates of engagement in HIPs. Focus group interviews further highlight the pressure of the timeline influencing their active choice not to be involved in HIPs, or explore other academic disciplines, as they felt these opportunities were not feasible as a transfer if they wanted to graduate “on-time.” Transfers also reported that they felt a lack of opportunity to build relationships with professors and other peers which was associated with a lower amount of research experience opportunities, both important aspects of success if choosing a graduate school pathway. While HIPs have been shown to have positive impacts on student success, our data suggest there are external factors constraining students ability to participate in these activities, centered around graduation timeline expectations.
Summary
Transfer students’ concerns center around graduation timeline and financial concerns. Due to pressures of graduating within a two-year timeline, transfer students emphasized that they purposely chose not to participate in certain high impact practices (HIPs).
The pressure of time and getting involved in university life also manifested itself in building relationships, or rather, feelings of not having enough time to build relationships with faculty.
Many students expressed that they would be interested in participating in these HIPs, if they had more time to do so. Common forms of HIPs students referred to were internships, research assistantships, and study abroad.
To foster a truly transfer-receptive culture, universities must reassess timelines and support structures. Normative two-year graduation expectations can limit transfer student engagement. Practitioners should ensure opportunities are accessible and flexible, accounting for work, financial aid, and lived realities of transfer students from all backgrounds.