"We put a lot of resources into counseling," Nannini said. "It's absolutely integral to students' understanding the process, and getting the right information so they're eligible for transfer, and also for confidence purposes."
In recent years, both Cal State and UC have tried to improve the transfer pipeline, accepting higher numbers of community college students through priority admissions and contracts in which the requirements for transfer are spelled out.
Susan Wilbur, UC's systemwide director of admissions, said UC President Mark G. Yudof has ordered a study of how to smooth the transfer route. "It's incumbent on us . . . to make sure these students are not lost during this difficult time," she said. Cal State Chancellor Charles B. Reed also has made the issue a focus.
But "will there be enough slots?" asked Stephen Handel, director of community college initiatives for the New York-based College Board. "If California continues in rough shape, obviously all bets are off."
Increasingly, such schools as Los Angeles Trade-Tech Community College are telling students that four-year degrees are necessary, even for technical jobs.
On a recent afternoon, David Esparza, Trade-Tech's transfer center director, counseled Rochelle Bullette, 45, a culinary arts student who wants to attend Cal State to become a dietitian. "She came here for culinary arts and decided it wasn't enough," Esparza explained.
Bullette, dressed in a white chef's jacket, laughed, rubbing imaginary bills between the fingers of both hands. "You decided you want more money?" she was asked. Bullette nodded yes. "I'm going to keep it real," she said.
Like many community college students, Bullette has hopscotched around community colleges in the Los Angeles area. "I started off with business, accounting," she said. "Then I went to Southwest [Los Angeles College]. I don't know what I was doing at Southwest. Then I came here and it stuck."
Campus-shopping will increase as students shut out of classes at one location sign up at another, complicating their journey, experts said.
Esparza studied a printout of Bullette's academic record. "You're going to have a big block to transfer," he said.
"Is that good?" she asked. Esparza assured her it was. "Yay! Yay! Yay!" she said, punctuating each cheer with a fist pump.
The transfer center director said it is not unusual to see students who don't realize they are close to accumulating enough units to be able to transfer.
