Transfer Students: Helping your Student Adjust at the New School

Of the challenges students face in transferring to a new school, student life can be the most difficult. For the most part, students can actually get a decent handle on their new academic life before they’ve actually enrolled at the university. Student life is a bit different; often times it is not until the student actually gets to school that they understand the social elements of their new school.

It is not uncommon for transfer students to feel isolated or disconnected from the student body at their new school. Some will question if transferring was the right thing to do. Still others will focus on simply getting their degree and graduating, and as a result, they deny themselves of one the most important elements of college life—interaction with peers.

Most schools provide information on transitional issues for transfer students. Colleges have become far more aware of the need and have taken significant steps to reduce some of the anxiety transfer students might feel about transferring.

Most importantly, make sure your student attends the transfer orientation. During orientation, they will get to meet representatives from the university dealing with a variety of student life topics. This is a great opportunity for your student to establish contact and to begin building relationships that will help them make the transition smoother. This is a new environment and having as much information about life there is of critical importance.

Sources:
http://colleges.collegetoolkit.com/guides/transfer/restransfer.aspx
http://www.collegetoolkit.com/pdfguides/ro/transferguide.pdf