Transfer students: a group of people you may have heard of, but unless someone introduces themselves as such, you might never actually know. Being a transfer student is an experience that is completely unique from person to person. Ask a transfer student why they came here, and there’s a myriad of reasons, a lot that may be similar to a traditional four-year student. However, if you ask them how they got to Winona, you’ll get a different answer every time. Many came from community colleges; others are veterans. Even more still came from a private college.
You can break it down even further from there: where is the community college, and at what point did they transfer? Do they have a degree? Transfer students include all ages, from freshmen who decided a different college halfway through their first year up to graduate students.
Like everything in life, there are good and bad sides to being a transfer student.
Transferring is typically cheaper.
A typical reason that someone transfers is because they chose to go to a community (two-year) college. Two-year colleges are a lot cheaper than going to four-year colleges, which are close to $3,000 a semester. Some people don’t have to worry quite as much about money, but those concerned with finances may choose transferring over going to a university right away.
You already know what college is like.
As a freshman, you don’t really know what to expect from college. Granted, you can read all the articles and ask as many people as you want about what college is like, but until you experience it you don’t really know. As a transfer student, you’ve already been through college. Each college is different, but you know how to manage time between studying, extracurriculars, and social life.
When you first start college, it can become overwhelming to involve yourself in clubs, sports, and get good grades at the same time. This can lead to a slip in one or more of those areas and make your first semester less enjoyable than it should be! Because a transfer student has experienced all of this, coming to a new college isn’t such a crazy jump, and the adjustment period is much smaller than that of a new student.
The school you transfer to is likely a better fit for you.
Being a transfer student means that you’ve already been to at least one college. There’s a huge difference between taking a campus tour and looking at things you think you’ll like versus things you know you want.
For example, if you go to a college with little to no recreational sports and you find yourself wishing you had that, then you’ll know to pick a college that does have intramurals. If you find out you need a lot of space for studying, you’ll look for a college with lots of places to do just that. You have the experience of knowing what you need to be successful and enjoy college to the fullest!
One of the best parts about transferring to Winona specifically is all of the beautiful little areas on and surrounding campus. This is a picture of one of the most gorgeous areas on campus: the fountain outside of Gildemeister Hall!
While being a transfer student is full of incredible and unique experiences and opportunities, it’s not all sunshine and roses. There are some not-so-good things that come with switching colleges as well.
There is a loss of opportunities.
As much as no one wants to admit it, being a transfer student takes away some opportunities that four-year students have. Many club leadership positions come from being involved in the club for two to three years, and if you join the club as a junior, you just don’t have the time needed to put yourself in those roles.
On that same note, less time at the college means less time to explore various clubs you may not have had at your other college. As much as someone may want to be Superwoman and do everything, there’s just not enough time in the world. As a freshman and sophomore you have a lot of time to join tons of different clubs and find out what you really love and want to stick with.
Classes may not transfer properly.
The whole point of being a transfer student coming from a community college is to spend less money on classes that you’ll need anyway. Sometimes the colleges don’t work together properly and classes that you take at the first college may not transfer. That Music Appreciation class you took might have been a waste of time because the college you want to go to doesn’t offer it and doesn’t accept it as a class/credit. On top of that, they might not transfer like you need them to. For instance, a class that you take as a humanity credit may end up being just a general elective elsewhere, meaning you have to take classes you didn’t think you would because you don’t have the proper number of credits for each graduation requirement.
There is a feeling of alienation.
For the most part, college is not like high school at all. Unfortunately, things like cliques still do exist. While people in college are generally much more accepting than their high school counterparts, there are still groups of people that can feel impenetrable to a new student. As a freshman, you have the opportunity to really get to know people in your classes and make friends. That isn’t as much of an option as a junior. The problem becomes even more apparent when you’re stuck taking that one freshman class that didn’t transfer properly and the rest of your year is filled with classes that pertain solely to your major (also known as the really fun stuff).
Similarly, no one wants to be that junior who’s asking questions that are reserved strictly for freshmen. Where is the west campus? Wait, there’s a shuttle? I don’t have to drive there? Is this where the shuttle goes? I definitely asked those questions the first week of school, too. There are just some things that you as a transfer student don’t know, but are kind of unwilling to ask for fear of sounding dumb. People just sort of expect you to know what you’re talking about at this point.
It’s easy as a transfer student to sit by yourself in the Smaug and look out at the groups of people, wishing you had a table of friends to sit by. On the bright side, however, it’s the beginning of the first semester and there are plenty of chances to change that! A great way to combat feeling isolated is to involve yourself in as much as possible and make new friends that way.
One amazing thing about Winona State is that they offer such a great transfer student orientation week, catered specifically for those of us who want to jump in to Winona with as few issues as possible! The picture above is actually me and a bunch of girls I met in my Orientation Group.
I’ve been fortunate with the people I’ve met here at Winona; everyone has been so friendly and willing to help out a doe-eyed junior who can’t figure out how the Smaug really works. And even with the negative aspects of being a transfer student, I wouldn’t trade the experiences I’ve had in my college career for anything.