How would you define a community? How is the community /culture at Amherst different from that of your previous institution(s)? Do you introduce yourself as a transfer student to others? What do you wish more people knew about you? What are ways that transfer students can be better integrated with the general student population?
We reached out to the transfer students community to ask about what their experience has been like, and here are some of the highlights we found and compiled:
“The community of transfer students varies year to year, so there is no one particular culture. How tightly knit the community will be at Amherst highly depends on how tightknit the transfer cohort is.”
“It’s important to acknowledge the fact that you could never really compare Amherst College with a community college. I feel like it’s comparing apples to a watermelon, which are very two different categorizations of higher ed.”
“Community college is more laid-back. However, the students there were entirely focused on completing graduation requirements to get out as soon as possible, which created an atmosphere that discouraged engaging in any conversation. Versus Amherst, where almost everyone wants to learn about each other and want to make friends. Everybody wants to do everything, all the time, nonstop, extra to the fullest… which is the best thing”
“Students here are just so overwhelmed all the time.”
“I don’t remember ever hearing community college students complaining about grades. Here it’s all about grades grades grades grades grades grades grades grades. Unfortunately, it becomes the primary motive for many students to do well.”
“I wish more students chased their ambitions because they wanted to do well, rather than focusing on polishing their transcript and proving to someone that they did well.”
“While it’s an important point for grad school, job, or workforce, at the same time, it’s just a little upsetting that I would expect students here to want to learn as much as they can because they truly want to learn.”
“When I first transferred here to Amherst, I used to declare that I was a transfer student now. Over time, I’ve stopped since I feel like I participate in the culture by adding to the background.I don’t even bother to say I’m a transfer student anymore.”
“It’s really hard to get into as a community college transfers today and it’s even harder to actually get into this college.”
“I don’t think a lot of students realize as a nontraditional student from a TA college, I often feel like I’m actually in a movie.”
“A lot of things that I see here I’ve never really thought people would think or do or say or act. Sometimes, I tell myself this is a very strange place in the world and not many places can replicate Amherst.”
“A lot of students here struggle with mental health because they constantly deal with so many different minds that operate so differently from the minds that they grew up around.”
“The younger environment reminds of my status as the older student. The traditional college age group has a lot of insecurities that I’ve been through already. I’ve reflected on it and realized that my experience was different, despite also having to go through the same insecurities. This is because, at home, I didn’t have all the support that the students have now. As a result, I wonder how that may be affecting me and my development.”
“I will preface this statement by saying that I have had an ultimately wonderful experience as a transfer student thus far. The community I have found here at Amherst is unlike anything I’ve ever been a part of, and I feel like I have been making friends that will last me the rest of my life. Academically, it is fantastic. Most of my courses have piqued my interests, and although the workload is intense I’ve found myself enjoying the content.
That said, the transition hasn’t always been easy. As an older student, I sometimes find myself especially frustrated by the behaviors of some of the traditional students- most specifically the athletes that live in my dorm. I consider myself a patient person, but I have begun to be fed up with the amount of noise and mess that they leave in their wake on a daily basis.
Housing has been another difficult matter. The lack of communication from res-life is frustrating, and although I have my room assignment I do feel like a series of unnecessary hurdles had to be cleared in order to establish Seligmann as the transfer house. The whole ordeal with room draw and the confusion it caused for my friends highlights, I feel, the need for an expansion of the office and a more nuanced approach towards transfers.
Another matter of importance to me is the possibility of study abroad for transfer students. Given our limited window here at Amherst, the stark reality is that most of us will have difficulty in successfully going abroad. Of course we are not barred from the opportunity, but it isn’t something that happens very often. I think a remedy to this situation could be for the school to start crediting summer study abroad. Doing so would open new avenues for funding, and greatly expand the time-frame that we would have. I am actually going to be working with the TSA to address this issue.
As previously mentioned, I love the community here. Before arriving, I hadn’t anticipated that I would befriend almost all of the other transfers in my class, but that is precisely what has happened. And with the addition of the new transfers this semester, that group of friends has widened considerably. I’ve also found it easy to make friends outside of the transfer community, through involvement in WAMH and, most significantly, through the connections made during my LEAP program. I partook in the Creative and Performance Arts LEAP, and had the chance to grow close with a number of like-minded crazy artsy people.
Not everyone has had this experience. Some of my transfer friends have faced more difficulty with branching out, more inter-student drama. A number have, at some point, butted heads with the administration, and while I have had a great experience, I feel like it would be wrong of me to neglect that information when asked about my experience here. Amherst seems to have made strides over the last couple of semesters towards fostering a welcoming environment for transfer students, but there is still a long ways to go.”
As usual, thank you so much for contributing your opinions and sharing your stories with the rest of us.