Student Advice: How to Prepare for an Academic Advising Appointment with a AA or AS Transfer Advisor at the Palmer Campus

Do you want to earn a Bachelors of Arts or Bachelors of Science at a four-year college or university? Trident Technical College provides clear pathways to transfer to a four-year school and achieve your goals. To help you, we provide transfer advisers to work with you throughout the process. You were assigned an adviser when you came through orientation.

To get the most out of your advising appointments, you should work through the following steps before you arrive. If you have problems with any of the steps, come into the Transfer Information Resource Center in Palmer 102 for assistance. Demetria Wright can answer questions and help you move through the steps of pre-advising. Some questions might need to wait for your adviser, but having a list of those questions will help you get the most information from your adviser. 

Step 1: Make an appointment with your adviser.

You were assigned an adviser when you came through orientation. If you don't remember who that is, or you have changed your goals, you can go back to the Orientation Center in room 226J, and Ms. Jamella Jaglal can help. 

The best way to reach your adviser is to send an email. Click on your advisor's name below to send them an email to request an appointment. If you don't get a response within a few days, then you can contact Demetria Wright (Palmer 102) or Dr. Amy Hudock (Palmer 123) so they can arrange an appointment for you with another adviser until your adviser is available. We can also provide pre-advising in the Transfer Information Resource Center in Palmer 102. In the meantime, follow the steps in this pre-advising guide, so you will be ready.

• Associate in Arts
• Dr. Amy Hudock at amy.hudock@tridenttech.edu
• Dr. Susan Williams at susan.williams@tridenttech.edu 
• Dr. Kevin Wolfe at kevin.wolfe@tridenttech.edu 
• Dr. Lee Baginski at lee.baginksi@tridenttech.edu 
• Dr. Mary Ann Kohli at maryann.kohli@tridenttech.edu
• Dr. Wendy Barry at wendy.barry@tridenttech.edu 
• Associate in Science
• Ms. Michelle Lee at michelle.lee@tridenttech.edu 
• Dr. Maureen Whitehurst at maureen.whitehurst@tridenttech.edu 
• Ms. Jane Simkovich at jane.simkovich@tridenttech.edu 
• Dr. Jane West at jane.west@tridenttech.edu 

Step 2: Make sure you have your student ID number. If you know your ID number, skip this step:

• Log into the TTC Student Portal. Aren't sure how to do that? For help with the portal, go here.
• Click on Degree Seeking Student
• Click on My Profile
• Write down your student ID number, or put it in your phone, if you don’t already have it available 

Step 3: Set your transfer goals. If you already know where you will transfer, skip this step:

• Decide on your probable area of study.
• If unsure, go with “General Education.”
• Decide on your target four-year college
• Go to search what schools have the program you want to pursue.
• Go to the South Carolina Transfer and Articulation Center to further explore where credits transfer. 
• Go to the Transfer Information Resource Center in room 102 where resources can help you with this decision.
• Decide how long you want to be with us
• Target transfer colleges usually want the equivalent of an academic year behind you as a minimum
• Two years with us to allow you complete all your general education requirements is the most cost effective. And allows you to be credentialed.
• Target transfer colleges often will not accept more than 60 hours of credit from another institution, so after two years of full-time courses, it's usually time to leave TTC. 
• Go to the website of your target college to view the transfer requirements through Where Credits Transfer.

Step 4: If you are planning on also getting an Associate in Arts degree from TTC (you can get both an Associate degree from us and your Bachelor degree from your transfer college). If not, skip this step:

• Log into the TTC Portal. Aren't sure how to do that? For help with the portal, go here.
• Click on "For Credit Students" in the column on the left.
• Click on "Profile."
• Click on “Program Evaluation” – this will show the requirements for your program and what you have taken so far to meet those requirements. It will also who you what courses you still need to take.
• Print and bring with you to your advising appointment. 
• Get all the credentials you can. If you are looking for a job, internship, or scholarship while you are at your four-year college, you having an associate degree looks better on your resume than "some college courses."

Step 5: Locate your target college transfer guide

• Go to Where Credits Transfer to find your transfer guide for your intended major.
• View and print the general education curriculum guide for your field of study.  It will show you the courses your target college would like you to take with us. This guide will be your program of study here at TTC.

Step 6: Make your ideal schedule

• Go to Course Search on the TTC homepage for the most updated schedule. 
• Search to see what courses are available in the term for which you want to enroll.
• Make a list that includes the courses you are interested in taking by term, department, course number, and section number (for example: Summer 2, ENG 101.W02).
• You can check to see if these courses transfer to your target college at the South Carolina Transfer and Articulation Center.

Step 7: Show up with your work to meet with your adviser

Follow these steps, and you’ll be ready! If you have any questions or problems, you can work on this on a computer in the Transfer Information Resource Center where we can answer questions for you. Or your adviser can help you through these steps, too. But the more you have done before you come, the quicker your appointment will go!