Spring 2019 was my last semester at BMCC, and I was so excited to know which college would be next for me! Making my plan early so I can prepare was something I learned in the ASAP program, so I began my transfer application process early — in January 2019, months before graduation. Despite the advance planning, I still found the process of transferring within CUNY really confusing. For instance, in one of my applications, I made a mistake and listed the wrong college. Instead of being able to quickly change the application online, I had to go to an in-person office to fix it. Later that April, as I was preparing to complete my degree at BMCC, my adviser asked me which college I was accepted to. I still had no answer from where I was accepted. This presented a lot of challenges for me — including the fact I still needed to take summer classes, and still had no idea what school I’d be attending in the fall.
Zaret Cortorreal is a junior at Lehman College, CUNY, and a member of Young Invincibles’ Spring 2020 Young Advocates Program.