More than a week before the fall semester at UC Berkeley officially began, 53 eager transfer students arrived on campus Aug. 9 to participate in a new program hosted by the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society (CDSS).
The five-day Transfer Launch program aimed to provide CDSS transfer students a jumpstart in preparing for their courses and finding a lasting community at Berkeley. Problem-solving, course readiness and tutoring sessions at the new Gateway building were paired with intentional social opportunities and peer groups to build new friendships before classes begin.
“I wanted to meet other transfer students, make new friends, and feel more comfortable before starting my first semester at Berkeley,” said Zulzaya Nergui, a data science major who transferred from Laney College in Oakland, Calif. “I also wanted to understand the resources and opportunities available to me as a CDSS student.”
Ongoing resources available to CDSS transfer students include a transfer seminar series, social and career events, and a dedicated Hello World mentorship cohort, in addition to services and programs available to all CDSS students and other campus resources.
Nearly 250 transfer students are expected to start their academic work at Berkeley in one of CDSS’ three undergraduate majors – computer science, data science, and statistics – that lead to bachelor of arts degrees. This fall, transfer students make up approximately one-third of all incoming CDSS students.
Many CDSS transfer students starting at Berkeley this fall attended a California Community College before transferring. The Transfer Launch program included students transferring from 30 community colleges located throughout the state.
Computer science major Christian Quigley said the Transfer Launch program’s outing in San Francisco was his favorite experience during the week. “The best part was talking with other students outside the classroom,” he said. “The conversations felt natural because we were all exploring the city together, and it gave me a chance to get to know people better.” Quigley transferred to Berkeley from Mt. San Jacinto College in Riverside County, Calif.
Abby O’Neill and Rose Niousha, Ph.D. students in computer science at Berkeley, helped design and deliver the curriculum for the Transfer Launch program to preview topics students may encounter in their courses and how they fit together.
O'Neill fondly remembers her welcome to Berkeley as a new undergraduate student during a summer bridge program and wanted to pay that inclusion forward. “It's where I met some of my closest friends and got my introduction to computer science,” she said. “I hope students in this program feel even more energized about what's ahead of them, and know they've already got people here.”
The CDSS Transfer Launch program is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation for a research project exploring how institutions can better serve community college transfer students in computing fields. Narges Norouzi, associate dean for students at CDSS and an associate teaching professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (EECS) is the principal investigator on the NSF project, which aims to develop a scalable foundation for strengthening computing transfer pathways nationwide.
