Successfully navigating a large university like UIC can be difficult for any student. To help make the transition to a 4-year university as smooth as possible, L@S GANAS Transition Coaches work with students at select high schools and 2-year colleges who are interested in pursuing a bachelor’s degree.

Benefits for Students in High School and 2-year Colleges

Our Transition Coaches serve as personal guides on the college application process and help demystify the college experience. Students at partner high schools and 2-year colleges will receive coaching and mentoring support on:

• Completing university applications
• Identifying potential majors and areas of study
• Filling out the FAFSA
• Finding and applying to local, state, and national scholarships
• Interpreting university financial aid forms

Benefits for UIC students

Once students decide to enroll at UIC, our Transition Coaches will work with them on:

• Identifying academic, financial, and student life resources on campus
• Connecting with other students who have similar interests
• Staying updated on important deadlines
• Keeping informed on the latest internship and scholarship opportunities
• Building strong academic skills
• Setting goals for your time at UIC and your future career goals
• Creating a professional network on campus
• Expanding your knowledge on research and post-bacc opportunities

If you are a student interested in transition coaching, please submit our interest form here. 

If your school or community organization would like to connect with our Transition Coaches, email us at lasganas@uic.edu

L@S GANAS Transition Coaching Workshops

Are you a CPS High School or local community college and want to request a transition coach presentation for your students?

Transition Coach, Sophia Silva offers four different presentations:

The difference between High School and College

This hour-long presentation covers what to expect in college, and begins to familiarize students with “college knowledge” including certain verbiage, college schedules and study skills.

Transfer process: How to start and what to expect

This 30 minute presentation goes over:

• Timeline to transfer to UIC
• Transferology, a resource to help you know which credits will transfer
• Transfer pathways: each college/university may be different but at UIC we have GAT (Guaranteed Admissions Transfer)
• Application assistance: Personal essays, application fee waivers, selecting letters of recommendation

30 minutes of Question and Answer to follow.

What it is like to be a Latinx Science Student at UIC

This 30 minute presentation covers information on: Academic course load for science students, academic support and programs at UIC to support your journey as a Latinx science student. Current students’ perspective is shared in this presentation and you will learn how online/hybrid learning has changed the day to day of students at UIC.

Careers in the Science field

This presentation introduces students to the various career opportunities that a degree in science can help them attain. We will be discussing entry-level jobs,  professional school options such as medical school and careers in research.  Students will also learn about what they can do during their time in college to prepare for these careers.