As a first-generation college student, D’Andre McBride began his college journey at Lawson State Community College. He chose to continue his studies at the UAB Collat School of Business, but he was nervous about covering the cost of tuition at a four-year university.
The UAB Bridge to Business (B2B) Transfer Program helped address his concerns by making McBride aware of scholarship opportunities at UAB, including one specifically for transfer students. The program provided resources for a smooth transition, including meeting the director of Collat's Barefield Entrepreneurship Program, Dr. Patrick Murphy, a year before starting classes at UAB.
“I look at Bridge to Business like you’re paired with a coach,” said McBride, who graduated from UAB in 2024 with his bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship. “Their mission is to get you across the goal line, so you can be successful. It makes it so much easier to achieve your goals when you have someone helping you along your way. If you follow your coach, you will succeed.”
B2B is a no-cost, voluntary program for Alabama community college students focused on ensuring a smooth transition from earning an associate degree at a community college to pursuing a bachelor's degree from the UAB Collat School of Business.
During her visits to community colleges, academic recruiter Sammi Reid encourages those who have any interest in attending Collat to go ahead and sign up for the B2B program. Reid also works with advisors at the community colleges to ensure they know how courses at their institution will transfer to UAB and can help keep students informed.
The B2B program focuses on building relationships with prospective business students to help them feel like they are already a part of Collat. This includes personal tours of the business building. Reid said a visit to the building often influences a student to choose UAB.
Potential students can enroll in the program as early as their senior year of high school, which is what Jorge Garcia, who will transfer to UAB in fall 2026, did.
From the time he was in middle school, Garcia planned to attend UAB. Determined to graduate from college without student loans, Garcia decided to attend community college to cut costs and save money. He attended Jeff State Community College’s Shelby County campus for two years on a full-tuition athletic scholarship before transferring to Collat. A finance major, Garcia said his advisor at Jeff State was aware how his courses lined up with UAB and helped keep him on track.
The B2B program provides students who are at other schools but planning to transfer into a UAB business program with the opportunity to meet with a Collat academic advisor in their sophomore year. The advisor reviews the student’s transcript to determine which classes will transfer and receive UAB credit and develops a personalized plan to help the student graduate two years after they transfer. Reid explained this helps take the guesswork out of course planning for transfer students and gives them realistic expectations of the courses they will need to take once they transfer to UAB. B2B students also can meet with current students and preview a class in their business major.
Garcia said his communication with the Collat team has helped him feel ready to transition to UAB’s campus.
“I like to be prepared for any situation, and UAB is always on the same page,” he said. “They have been very communicative.”
Reid and Garcia agree that the most beneficial resource of the B2B program is the opportunity to attend Collat’s career fairs.
This includes a mock career fair in the fall, during which students experience a trial run before meeting with prospective employers at the school’s Business Career Fair in the spring. The spring event usually features 60 companies looking for interns and employees.
Garcia landed a summer internship with a credit union at the Collat event he attended while a B2B participant at Jeff State.