DAVIS — Contra Costa College students interested in transferring to UC Davis visited the colossal campus on the Career/Transfer Center’s Get on the Bus Tour on Feb. 21.

Students met up with Career/Transfer Center counselor Andrea Phillips on the bus before they departed.

Get on the Bus was its own event, but it was tied to UC Davis’ gathering entitled Discover UC Davis, specifically for transfer students from all over the state.

Though the event was targeted primarily to transfer students, any CCC student could attend, as long as they registered beforehand.

When community colleges from all over California arrived at the campus at 9 a.m., they were greeted with the UC Davis marching band right outside the Mondavi Center.

Phillips said everything was prearranged for the event — she only had to coordinate the bus.

Just about every Monday, UC Davis Transfer Opportunity Program (TOP) Bay Area representative Renelle Johnson visits the campus and is available to help students with questions about transferring, the UC system and specifically UC Davis.

Because of this, Phillips said CCC was invited to Discover UC Davis since this campus is one of the districts the UC tends to.

According to Phillips, Discover UC Davis is one of the biggest transfer events the college holds and over 500 students attended the event.

Students shuffled inside the lobby of the Mondavi Center where they went to check in and have breakfast.

Shortly after, students were led to the Mondavi Center’s performing arts venue, Jackson Hall.

Students were greeted by Ebony E. Lewis, executive director of admissions at Davis, before Chancellor Gary S. May gave his welcome address.

May spoke about the many achievements of the campus, mentioning that UC Davis is the fifth best university in the country and there are approximately 39,000 students who attend it.

He continued to speak about the growing diversity on campus, saying, “Diversity is one of our greatest strengths.”

After he spoke, the group of students split — those who were current fall 2020 applicants would stay in Jackson Hall, and those who were future applicants went to the Alumni Center, learning about transfer basics.

In Jackson Hall, current transfer applicants were given information and next step suggestions, learning what they should be currently doing until April.

Johnson, a familiar face to CCC applicants, took the stage and led the audience through a presentation about financial aid, housing and the unfamiliar quarter system.

Johnson said there are over 800 student clubs on campus, so students have every opportunity to get involved.

Assistant Director of the Internship and Career Center Luis Esparza then gave a presentation on how to have a successful university experience.

To begin his presentation, he asked students to stand up from their seats, and say hi to someone sitting near them who they didn’t know.

After the students met some new faces, Esparza emphasized that having a successful university experience is all about that — meeting new people, building relationships and developing a community.

He continued to speak about organizations, internships and studying abroad.

A student panel was then held and all students met again in Jackson Hall.

Davis students answered many of the transfer students’ burning questions, such as, “What was it like adjusting to the quarter system?” and “How do you develop a relationship with your professor when there are over 100 students in a class?”

The UC Davis students provided valuable insight and a student point of view.

At 11:35 a.m., lunch was provided and the resource fair began.

Students were able to eat and also visit a variety of student resources and departments, such as the LGBTQIA Resource Center, the McNair Scholars Program, the College of Letters and Science and the Transfer and Reentry Center.

Each resource had fliers, stickers, prizes to be won and pens offered to the attending students.

After the resource fair, afternoon sessions were offered, such as campus tours, financial aid workshops and money-saving tips.

By the end of the day, the buses departed at around 3 p.m. and everyone headed home.

Phillips said she was glad so many students signed up for this Get on the Bus trip, and she expressed her admiration for Chancellor May.

She said he is very interested in helping students who are low income, first generation college students, African American students and especially those students interested in STEM fields.

CCC’s Career/Transfer Center is offering three more Get on the Bus tours in April, and Johnson visits every Monday as a valuable resource to students.

Those interested in attending can visit the Career/Transfer Center in SA-227 or call them at 510-215-6874.