A Look Into the Life of Transfer Students Adjusting to a New University
Freshmen are not the only students who are new to campus this semester. There are a number of students who have transferred here from other institutions. This means that they have had prior experience with college level work.
“We have had the second largest class with over 340 transfer students this fall and many of them came from two year community colleges and a small percentage are from the west coast” said Jean Dealo, transfer advisor.
One of the biggest differences is that unlike freshmen who are new to college and can go undecided, transfer students generally must have declared a major at the University since they are transferring in a lot of credits. Thus, it is very important to see if the credits transfer to the University long before applying.
“NJ Transfer.org is a great planning tool for students and shows them how many credits can fit with both their general education and major requirements. Certain courses without equivalents count for particular subject areas, especially lab sciences,” added Dealo and Jean Judge, transfer advisor. This prevents students from losing credits and will keep them on track with their general education requirements.
Residential life is also of consideration when planning to transfer to the University as it may be the first time some students are living away from home for an extended period of time. Leah Torres, a junior transfer from Middlesex County College and Resident Assistant in Spruce Hall knows the transition process well. “I was real nervous last year as a [transfer] sophomore moving into the residence halls and did not know what to expect, but I got involved in many different activities and am really enjoying it now.”
Jessica Kimball has also transferred but has lived in a residence hall at her previous college of Ramapo. Having done so, “there was really not much of a difference for me in terms of a significant change in living away from home,” she explained. During the first year, transfer students often room with other transfers which helps make for a smooth transition.
Getting involved prior to coming to the University is of the utmost importance. This is especially true at a community college where joining clubs, a division council or other organizations give a positive contribution to the application and can also make for a strong segue into the major. Judge added, “We look for quality involvement with activities as it helps paint the overall picture of the student.”
Letters of recommendation from previous professors or employees are also of significant value as well. Of most importance is the official college transcript which is used to determine credit equivalents at the University and GPA ranking for scholarships. It is strongly advised that students complete a minimum of 30 credits since any lower number will give them freshman status and more requirements for the application such as SAT scores and high school transcripts. Dealo added, “A few students want to come with fewer and want to explore major options starting undecided at Monmouth. We recommend that they come in with college English [credits] and a college level math class so they do not have to take the math placement test.”
Merit award for academic achievement is also given to transfer students based on their GPA from their previous college and is applicable towards their tuition as long as they maintain a “B” average while being a full time student at the University. Involvement also counts towards this award. The only thing that does not transfer over is the current GPA. Students instead start off with a clean slate of 0.00, but all previous course credits appear with a “T” next to them.
A transfer Facebook group page has been set up for transfer students to connect with other transfers and there is also a transfer club which will be starting up in the late fall or spring.
PHOTO COURTESY of Casey Wolfe
