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The life of a transfer student may be stress and anxiety filled during the first few months. Starting at a new school, learning a new campus and meeting new friends are just a few of the challenges encountered when one transfers from one university to the next. The loss of credit hours of the absence of a major at a new school can also increase the amount of time standing between a student and graduation.
“At ‘Mizz U’ I was a number, and here at West Georgia, the teachers know my name,” said senior mass communications student Melissa Haas, describing her experience when transferring from the University of Missouri to the University of West Georgia.
Here are a few tips to consider when transferring to a new college or university:
1) Do research. Be sure that the school one is transferring to offers the desired major (or something similar) and be sure that credits will also transfer.
2) If one is a financial aid recipient, make sure that aid will transfer as well. Some scholarships are only valid at certain schools or in certain states, i.e. the HOPE scholarship.
3) Compare graduation dates. Some schools have fewer course requirements and it is easier and faster to graduate from them. If one is going to transfer, compare the possible graduation dates between the old school and the new. Sometimes there isn’t a difference – but sometimes the difference is years. Whatever the case may be, ask if this change is worth transferring. If not, consider sticking it out at the current school.
I interviewed Haas, who had many things to say about the transfer process.
The West Georgian: What year did you transfer?
Haas: I transferred my junior year.
TWG: What problems, if any, did you encounter during your transition?
Haas: A lot of my classes got dropped. West Georgia required more core classes than my old school, so I wasn’t able to start my major immediately.
TWG: Because you transferred from a school out of state, were there any problems getting your credits to transfer?
Haas: Well, the one key problem that I had was that because I transferred from Missouri, I didn’t know that as a Georgia student, you are required to take a Georgia history class -- if not the class, then the test. Unfortunately, I didn’t find out about this until about two weeks ago. The university did not inform me of this, nor did my advisor. So, here I am, in my last semester at West Georgia, and I find out I have to take a test that is in less than one week and I have to pass it because they only offer it once a semester. It was stressful!
TWG: Besides your classes, was the overall transition easy?
Haas: Yes, West Georgia allowed me to receive over-the-phone advising…my schedule was made for me, and I didn’t have to worry about registering myself my first semester.
TWG: Do you have any suggestions for the university to help make the process easier for future transfer students?
Haas: No, nothing really. It’s pretty easy to transfer. The only problems that I encountered occurred while I was already a student here at West Georgia.
TWG: If you had it to do all over again, would you?
Haas: Well, nice as it would have been to say that I graduated from a [Division I] school, the staff and friends that I met here have made it worth it.
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