The Wake

September starts a new school year and brings a new batch of freshman to the university. Among the new kids on the block, there is a group of students that can fall through the cracks and enter quietly into the system—transfer students. These students have previously attended at least one other college in their lifetime and enter the U of M with experience.

Students transfer for many reasons. Some start out at smaller colleges and then move onto larger universities. This is because smaller colleges are less costly than larger universities and other responsibilities such as families, jobs and other time constraints can get in the way of going to a four-year university. Students also are not sure of what they want to major in and take general classes to save money before heading into a larger university.

Every transfer student has their own take on the “transfer experience.” The University of Minnesota has a small section of transfer students that has remained steady over the past few years. According to the Office of Admissions, in the 2005-06 school year, there were 2,606 undergraduate transfer students and five years ago that rate was 2,731. In comparison to the number of new students admitted to the U, last year there were 5,305 freshmen which is about twice as many transfer students.

Marie Gabrielson had a difficult time at first when she transferred to the University of Minnesota from the University of Washington. She found the U to be large and confusing. “It’s like starting as a freshman again, only you don’t feel that same, first, ‘I’m-in-college-now’ feeling,” Gabrielson says. It was hard for her to get excited about coming to the U since she had already gone through that with her first college.

Most of Gabrielson’s troubles came in her upper division courses because she found that a lot of students simply weren’t interested in making friends. She stopped looking for people to talk to in class and decided to direct her search for friends to student groups and activities.

It can be hard to make yourself at home at the U since it is so big and you feel as though you are not as welcomed into the college like the incoming freshman. Gabrielson’s best piece of advice would be to get involved because that is the best way to get to know people and make yourself a part of the community.

There are places to go to get help and web sites made available to specifically help transfer students. MyU.umn.edu is the university’s public portal designed for transfer students. It has links to check your e-mail, personalized news content and a calendar with events going on around campus. It also has a wealth of information about making your first year a success.

Students can also see their advisor for any problems that they have and are encouraged to make an appointment during the first week or two of classes.

The Transfer Student Advisory Board is the only student group on campus that is made up of transfer students for transfer students. It was created a few years ago by Julie Dalbec and two of her roommates who had encountered problems at the U and wanted a place for other students to discuss their problems or to meet other transfer students. They meet once a month to discuss other students’ problems and the group is open to all students enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts. As the vice president of TSAB, Gabielson liked the group’s dynamic and also hearing about other student’s stories about how they came to the U. The group also helps you find your place within the large community and is a good support group on campus. Gabrielson says knowing that there is a group of students who know her is a good feeling.

To avoid getting lost and to help make your first year a success, here are a few tips: be open to new things that are offered to you, seek out help when you need it, go to sporting events located on campus and the various events that are listed on the university’s web site. The most important thing is to get involved in everything you can. Joining groups within your major are helpful because they have people with similar interests. And working toward a goal promotes cohesiveness among others. It is also important to balance your school work with your personal life. Remember: College can be the best time of your life no matter when you start and it is up to you to make it that way.