It’s old news: The California state budget is lacking.

Every newspaper has articles that state how bad our economy is. Budgets everywhere are being cut, and people are being laid off.

So, how will the lack of funding be affecting transfer students to Universities of California or California State Universities?

According to BC’s transfer services counselor, Sue Granger-Dickson, the UC system is considering cutting the upcoming freshman class by 6%.

“They are urging students to attend their local community colleges and complete their first two years of schooling there,” she said.

While they are not cutting the number of transfer students admitted, there will be earlier deadlines to apply.

“CSUB has not announced that they have closed the deadline yet; however, CSU Fresno and CSU Northridge have announced closure on Feb. 15,” Granger-Dickson said. “That’s earlier then I ever remember.”

There is also a chance that all of the application and processing fees may go up as well, Granger-Dickson said.

If one wants to prepare oneself for the transfer system, Granger-Dickson recommends organizing and preparing oneself as soon as possible.

“The earlier you make your decisions, pick out your majors and get all your ducks in a row, the more successful you are going to be,” she said. “Almost every student I have seen can be a successful transfer student, you just have to be organized and have a written educational plan. Transfer is a possibility for all BC students.”

Now that the Cal States have made earlier deadlines, Granger-Dickson suggests getting ahead and filling out the priority application that can be filled out October-November.

“It’s tough to figure out, I know. Look at what you enjoy doing. Come in to the Career Center and make sure you’re getting the right classes done.”

Students may be forced to get more organized or miss out on needed classes because, according to BC president Greg Chamberlain, there is a cut for some summer and fall ’09 classes.

“We have to look carefully at all the courses we are offering and will be forced to give a reduced number of courses available,” he said. “Right now we are trying to be as careful as possible to carry funds over from last year. We can handle this year’s cut, with the money from last year. It’s the upcoming semesters that will suffer.”

Chamberlin said that to better prepare themselves for the cuts, students should know what they need to take ahead of time and register for classes as early as possible.

“This is such a difficult time for everyone, in particular California. We have the largest public education system in the nation. Don’t let the economic times freak you out. We are going to continue to have transfer workshops and invite the UC and CSU for the students to talk to. Just get organized and know what you want,” Granger-Dickson said.

In regard to student welfare at BC, Chamberlain said, “We will do our best to meet the needs of our students with the limited funding we have.”