Business management major, Joann Mejia meets with a representative from Fitchburg State University.

The majority of students who enroll at Northern Essex plan to transfer on for a bachelor’s degree. That’s why Northern Essex plans Transfer Days each semester, one in Haverhill and one in Lawrence, where students can meet with representatives from 30-plus public and private colleges and universities and discuss programs, financial aid, and other topics.

When students arrive at Transfer Day, they are greeted by academic advising, where they can get questions answered about their academic paths and pick up a bag to carry all the items collected from visiting schools.

The fall 2019 Transfer Day was held in Haverhill on October 9, and in Lawrence on October 17.

At the Haverhill event on October 9, music major Mirabella Platt said she was grateful to receive support from academic advising before the event. Platt was most excited to meet with Grand Canyon University, a private university in Arizona, and was pleased to find out that the college credit classes she took in high school would be recognized by the university as applicable credits towards her bachelor’s degree. What’s so special about the event? “Connection, the ability to talk face to face instead of do my own research, it’s a lot more helpful” said Platt.

James Andrews another music major who attended the Haverhill event, met with his “dream school”, University of New Hampshire where he said he wants to pursue a future as an audio engineer. The transfer event, he said, helped him feel more confident about transferring and enrolling there, despite feeling timid about participating at first.

Assistant Director of Transfer Admissions at UMass Amherst, Amanda Haskins, had a table at the Haverhill Transfer Day. “This is one of my favorite types of events to come to, just because it’s a lot easier for us to come to students,” said Haskins. Haskins wants students to leave the event knowing that there are many options for continued education and that that there are people who can support them with the options, she said.

Jacklyn Haas, Salem State director of undergraduate admissions, was quick to remind students of the MassTransfer Pathways program agreement that partners Northern Essex with other public colleges in Massachusetts and allows  students to save significantly on the cost of receiving their bachelor’s. “Ideally the students are gaining the opportunity to figure out what’s going to be a good academic and financial fit for them,” said Haas.

Paula Richards, English professor at NECC, brought her English Composition 1 class to the Haverhill Transfer Day. She’s having her students write a source-based paper about pursuing a professional and personal goal and she said that most of her class plans on transferring. “This is a chance to network, and to find out where they might want to transfer,” said Richards.

“The students are getting a very nice treat because we have an array of colleges here who are eager to meet them and tell them all about the journey or at least the next step in their academic journeys,” said NECC’s Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs, Dr. Jennifer Mezquita.

Transfer Day allows Northern Essex students to think about their futures beyond NECC, “the sky is the limit,” says Noemi Custodia-Lora vice president of the Lawrence campus and community relations.

To learn more about starting at Northern Essex and Transferring, visit the NECC transfer information site.