For anyone who has never walked it, the path from a state college to a major university appears straight and smooth. It’s assumed to go like this: a student earns a two-year degree at a state school, moves onto a university campus for years three and four, and finishes up the requirements for a bachelor’s degree. Easy as that.

Reality, however, isn’t always so simple.

“It can be a real struggle when you’re in that gap,” says Esteban Baez Sola, referring to the transfer process. The gap for him loomed large after he’d completed his associate’s degree from Valencia College in April 2023.

“I found myself suddenly facing a lot of questions. … It was kind of overwhelming until I found DirectConnect to UCF.” — Esteban Baez Sola, transfer student

“I found myself suddenly facing a lot of questions,” says Baez Sola, an integrative general studies major. Where could I go from there and feel humanized and not like a number? Would my credits transfer? What would I major in? Where would I live? It was kind of overwhelming until I found DirectConnect to UCF.”

Baez Sola will soon become a UCF alumnus, joining graduates around the world who are grateful for the DirectConnect to UCF program and how it streamlined their transfer process, guiding them along the path to earning a UCF degree. The program, launched in 2006, guarantees admission to UCF for any student with an A.A. or A.S. from one of six partner state colleges, consistent with university policy. However, with approximately 4,200 degrees awarded each year to DirectConnect to UCF students say it’s much more than the guaranteed admission. It’s the simplification of the life transition. It’s the peace of mind knowing the journey to graduation will be more focused and less time-consuming. Perhaps most important of all are the academic success coaches who come alongside each student when they need it most.

Beth Ganz is one of those coaches in the UCF Transfer Center.

“I can’t tell you how many students every week tell me, ‘I don’t know what to do next,’ ” Ganz says. “You never know what they might be going through. What they need most is a person to make the transition less intimidating so they can graduate in a timely manner.”

Ganz knows first-hand what it’s like. She prefaces conversations by saying, “My own path is different.”

“A lot of universities try to emulate our DirectConnect program, but it works here because students and coaches see it as more than a process. It’s also personal.” — Beth Ganz, academic success coach

After high school, she attended Palm Beach State College and then transferred once, twice, three times, eventually earning a bachelor’s degree from Florida Atlantic University. Ganz never forgot what it was like to be a transfer student. It’s why she accepted a position as an academic success coach shortly after DirectConnect to UCF welcomed its first students. Since then, she’s advised thousands of transfer students, including her own son.

“I bring a ‘mom’ element into this because it’s who I am,” Ganz says. “With each transfer student, I think about how I’d want my own children to be counseled through the obstacles they’re facing.”

There’s a misperception that the obstacles are always related to academics when, in fact, they’re often related to life. Ganz is among a handful coaches who help transfer students navigate housing, paperwork, language barriers, selecting a major, even general fear. They’ve helped those same students thrive and go on to careers as doctors, nurses, executives in hospitality, engineers in the space program, business owners, and researchers and developers in the tech sector.

“A lot of universities try to emulate our DirectConnect program,” Ganz says, “but it works here because students and coaches see it as more than a process. It’s also personal.”

Haileigh Galloway ’23 graduated from UCF with a degree in psychology before landing a position as a clinical research coordinator at Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NCH) in Ohio — the same hospital where she and her brother and sister were treated for medical issues as kids. Galloway sees her research at NCH as a big step closer to medical school and part of “God’s plan for my life.”

Do not believe, however, that the steps have always been perfectly laid out for Galloway.

“Growing up, I thought my path would be more direct,” she says, “but I’ve learned that education doesn’t necessarily work that way.”

Galloway was homeschooled, earning an A.A. while dual enrolled at Eastern Florida. After accepting her high school diploma and her A.A., she entered a small private university to finish her bachelor’s degree.

“I’d considered UCF my dream school for a long time,” she says, “but my parents and I thought it might be too big for an introverted 17-year-old. As it turned out, the smaller college wasn’t for me, so after a lot of praying I took the leap and transferred to UCF.”

“Growing up, I thought my path would be more direct, but I’ve learned that education doesn’t necessarily work that way.” — Haileigh Galloway ’23, alum and former DirectConnect student

Looking back at her steps, Galloway says it was easily the best decision because two things happened. First, she found a research opportunity at UCF. And second, she became a PeerKnight coach.

“I knew from my own experience what it’s like to go from a smaller school to this physically imposing university,” she says. “Being a coach made me a better listener and made me more empathetic because each situation is unique. Sometimes a student just needs to know they aren’t alone before they’re offered solutions. I really believe being a PeerKnight will make me a better doctor.”

Galloway’s story points to the core value propositions of DirectConnect to UCF beyond guaranteed enrollment. Transfer students are given a clear path to graduation and a relationship. You’d never suspect today, for example, that Baez Sola ever wrestled with either of those. Truth is, he was filled with angst. Shortly after enrolling at UCF through DirectConnect, he started working for ConeXiones, a peer-support program within DirectConnect. He also learned hands-on entrepreneurship through UCF’s Blackstone Launchpad and business practices through the university’s Professional Selling Program. He’s now interviewing for jobs well ahead of his projected graduation. He even has a new vision: to create a business and encourage people facing difficult questions on their own academic and life journeys.

“I want to do for others what was done for me through DirectConnect,” Baez Sola says. “The people in this program made me feel important when I needed that. They helped me find a network of friends and colleagues. They steered me onto a path of success. And I’m sure I speak for thousands of others when I say they made me excited about my future.”