Palo Alto is great for now, but in less than two years it will be time to start thinking about transferring.

Transferring issues range from what college or university to attend to how to pay for it, to what major to choose. The whole process can be a hassle unless you plan ahead and take charge.

There is help to ease into the transfer mode. The Counseling and Support Service Center is a great place to begin. Located in their new building across from the Palomino Center, the 11-member staff, including a few work study students, offers advice to help students face any challenge.

Scheduling an appointment with a counselor is the first step in the transfer process. From there, the counselors can help you decide where to attend and even what major to choose. They will help students take a personal look at what they are interested in and try to advise them on where and what will best suit them.

Many students choose schools based on location, majors, financial status and the right fit. There are many colleges and universities to pick from, but it takes time to research each school.

“I want to get out of Palo Alto as soon as I can,” said Laurie Walter, a freshman Biology major. “I need more of a challenge that major universities offer.”

After working with the Counseling and Support Service Center, the Transfer Advisement Center is the next step. The center is located at the end of the Palomino Center and houses a team of three. Mary Apolinar, a counselor, coordinates the center. Steve Williams, the University of Texas at San Antonio adviser, and Charley Garcia, an education specialist, rounds out the team. There are over 40 university handbooks or college catalogs located in the Transfer Advisement Center. There is also a wide range of admission applications for most of the Texas' colleges and universities. In addition the World Wide Web provides an unlimited resource for students who are searching for an institution of higher learning.

“Transferring is not hard, if you do your homework,” said Apolinar.

The next step is to pick out a major. The Transfer Advisement Center, the Counseling and Support Service Center, and the Career Resource Center can help students with this decision. For every major, there is a degree plan. This plan maps out the classes and path each student needs to take in order to graduate.

The most common universities that Palominos transfer to are The University of Texas at San Antonio, The University of Texas at Austin, Texas A & M-Kingsville, Texas A & M-College Station, Southwest Texas State University and most private universities around San Antonio.

Making appointments with either the Counseling and Support Service Center or Transfer Advisement Center or both can help the transfer process begin. The real help is planning ahead. It is advised that students start planning for a transfer at least one year in advance. This is helpful because students have time to research universities and decide which one is best for them. Starting one year in advance also helps inform students when certain deadlines must be met. There are deadlines for admissions, financial aid and priority deadlines.

Deadlines for admissions usually occur during the middle of the semester preceding the enrollment semester. For instance, if a student wants to transfer at the Spring semester, the deadline is the middle of the Fall semester. A helpful hint for financial aid deadlines is to turn the financial aid application in immediately after a letter of acceptance is received. Priority or early admission deadlines are the earliest deadlines.

Most universities recommend that applications for admission be filed online. The benefits of online registration are that the application is processed faster and there is less opportunity for human error. It also takes less time to send it to the universities, and their response is quicker.

It is a good idea to sit down with any of the counselors to review the degree plan, check off classes that have been taken and identify classes that need to be taken.

After the appointments are scheduled, the college or university picked, a major selected and applications sent out, the next step is to wait to be accepted. Until then, rest easy knowing you've done all you can to launch the next phase of your education.