Community colleges are typically an affordable two-year institution which provides a pathway to a four-year institution. Specifically, meta majors and guided pathways give Skyline students who have previously decided their majors a clear plan to transfer in a timely manner. These new methods to get students in, through, and out of Skyline College on time should be taken advantage of.

Guided Pathways, a program that aligns students up with services tailored to their educational goals, integrates learning commons and instruction to create a cohesive student experience. So we can try to work with students as they explore different aspects of college for the student to understand what is their educational goal. A Meta Major is a grouping of related fields of study designed to simplify the process of selecting a major.

The National Center for Education Statistics showed that Skyline College as of August of 2010 only has a transfer rate of 17 percent and a graduation rate of 23 percent. This low number is partly due to perhaps the failure of the old system that we are stuck in at Skyline College.

in the 2016-17 school year, 10 percent of Skyline college students transfer to in- and out-of-state colleges and university.

The National Center Education Statistics showed that Skyline College has a retention rate of 85 percent. In addition, students are doing well with their educational goals here at Skyline College considering they continue to return Skyline College.

Even though there are other elements to why students are not transferring at higher rate besides of those seeking certifications provided from for example cosmetology program or automotive and or massage therapy etc.

However, the majority of students at Skyline come through these doors with the goal of getting general education done and perhaps some major preparation is done for when they transfer to a four-year institution.

The issue regarding Meta Majors and Guided Pathways lie with students who enter Skyline without an intended major. As some students view community colleges as a way to discover what their true interests are and prospective career interests. Meta Majors forces students with an array of interests to choose only one field. Meta Majors are only ideal for students who have some idea or career interest.

The question is how we can overall help students transfer in a timely and effective manner. As Skyline is currently trying to revamp the Meta Majors with Guided Pathways as a program that is going to be used as a tool, hopefully, the Guide Pathways will address these lower transfer rates.

Skyline is trying to address the issue of low transfer rates by utilizing Guided Pathways for students in Meta Majors; this will enable students to thrive throughout their community college experience and fulfill their educational goals.