Welcome to the Ask an Exec series: a series where I ask our UNT Her Campus leadership team questions about their lives and their advice for new students!
Syrana Lee is the co-marketing and public relations director for Her Campus at UNT. She works on student outreach and connects Her Campus to organizations on and off campus with her co-director, Bailee Hoover-Scott. This year, she is majoring in ecology and minoring in business foundations. Syrana has a unique experience as a transfer student to UNT. Originally attending Dallas College in Mesquite, Texas, Syrana came to UNT in August 2024 to pursue the remainder of her bachelor’s degree. Today, I wanted to ask her some questions about what that experience was like, and some of her advice for incoming transfer students.
There are as many reasons to transfer schools as there are transfer students. For Syrana, going to a community college first allowed her to save money on her general education credits. Other students may simply decide another college is a better fit for them. Whatever the reason, a transfer can be a beneficial, but sometimes difficult, transition.
The transition between a community college close to home and a traditional 4-year college in a new area may not seem drastic at first, but it can still be a jarring change. “You don’t really feel it when you’re in the process of moving from a small town to another small town,” Syrana said. After a little bit, though, it starts to sink in. “It feels weird. It’s like you’re away from home, but this is so completely different that you don’t know where to begin or how to navigate. It didn’t hit me until about September or October. That was like, ‘Okay, I’m really by myself. Where do I fit in coming in as a transfer student, where I didn’t get the two-year experience of being an undergrad at the University?’”
Orientation for transfer students is also a different experience. “They pretty much throw everything you can think of at you in that span of maybe eight or less hours–from having your orientation sit down, [to having your] introduction to them, to taking you to your designated area to sign up for classes. You don’t get an actual tour of the campus or the [same] freshman week experience as freshman orientations get,” Syrana said.
One of the most common issues that transfer students run into is credit transfers. Not all schools use the same system for credits, and sometimes trying to transfer your credits from one school to another can cause problems. Syrana ran into this problem when she was transferring. “I’m going for a doctorate in my field of study, so UNT was a good college because I needed more research credit. However, when it comes to trying to get the transfers of credit, it’s under different filing. Some of the classes that they switched over weren’t available to me until I transferred over here, but they still had the fundamentals.”
In order to sort out the problems with her credit transfer, Syrana worked closely with her community college advisor. Once she got to UNT, though, she found it harder to connect to her new advisors. “I never really got the chance to really meet and connect with my advisors,” said Syrana. “It’s kind of hard to know your advisors when you don’t have that rapport built up with them, since you’re meeting them in your junior or senior year.”
Since transfer students are at a disadvantage when it comes to knowing the staff at UNT, Syrana recommends coming to First Flight Week, an introductory week for new students at UNT that is optional for transfer students. “Try to come out during First Flight Week when you’re trying to navigate your living situations, to really put yourself in front of your advisors and faculty members so they can see your face.” This will also give you a chance to navigate campus and find your classes.
While there are a lot of benefits to being a transfer student, it can also be tricky. It’s okay to admit you don’t know something. “Be open-minded and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Sometimes the freshmen may have more opportunities and priority, but sophomores or people who’ve been here longer–ask them for help, because they’ll guide you. [They can] let you know where to go, what’s happening on campus, or how to be involved.” No matter how tricky it may seem at first, being a transfer student can be a really rewarding experience. You’ve got this!