The Trouble with Transfers

By Jeffrey Berner

PLNU is home to around 2,600 students all sharing one thing in common, annual tuition costs. The approximate annual cost of tuition for PLNU is $32,900 and the funding is used towards expenses such a courses and facilities.

Students who transfer to another school often expect the university will aid them in a timely graduation and in taking worthwhile courses. However, some transfer students say PLNU isn’t doing enough to ensure that they are earning their degrees efficiently.

“When I came to PLNU I started with 33.5 units of electives, most of which were classes that didn’t transfer over,” said PLNU alumnus and transfer student, Elizabeth Pode. When a class is counted as an elective, it means that PLNU felt it couldn’t match a corresponding course requirement and is of little use in helping students graduate.

“I felt PE (physical education) was unnecessary… at the school I transferred from there wasn’t a foreign language requirement if you got it done in high school. Also there was only one religious course, not three,” said Pode who didn’t major in PE, a foreign language or theology.

“PLNU accepted all of my junior college credits as electives,” said Ben Kallish, a current PLNU transfer student, “Almost nothing counted towards my major and general education with the exception of a science class and a PE class. But I still have to take another PE class.”

“One class out of 35 units was transferred as non-elective,” said Ombretta Di Dio, another PLNU transfer student who has already obtained a law degree in Italy. “I had to spend extra money on summer classes so I could graduate.”

Pode now works at Pepperdine University helping transfer students and knows what can be done to work towards more successful transitions for transfer students like she once was.

“At Pepperdine we have a form that transfers fill out which provides us with the course descriptions of the classes that are being counted as electives,” said Pode. “We can then evaluate them further to see if we can waive general education or major courses for them. If there is such a form at Point Loma, it is not communicated to the transfer students.”