Getting Acquainted to Your New School

Minimize the stress of transferring. Look at moving a couple of months before school starts if you will be living off campus to get introduced to the new city, college or university, and to remove the stress of the move from your academics.

Work fewer hours during your first semester and take fewer classes than what you are used to. To do this, you will need to budget your money ahead of time so you can cover your expenses during this first semester.

• Get your books before classes begin and locate where each of your classes will meet.

• Know where all the student services offices are such as Admissions, where you pay your tuition bill, the Registrar, Advising, Career Counseling, and Financial Aid.

• Remember to give yourself extra time for walking to class on large campuses.

Participate in activities for transfer students during orientation. This is an excellent way to get to know your school and to meet other new students. To help in the social transition, get involved in one or two of the many school-related clubs, organizations, or hobby groups.

Learn how the add/drop process works and use it to your advantage. As a transfer student, you will be registering for classes after the previously enrolled students. It is possible you will not get some of the classes you want. Do not get discouraged!

1. Find the professor, ask if they have a waiting list, and ask if you can be added to the waiting list.

2. Follow up with a note or a phone call.

3. Show up for the first class with an add/drop form. Persistence is sometimes rewarded.

Shopping around for classes is common at four-year schools. You may want to sit in on several different ones before you decide which classes, or professors, appeal to you.

Try to balance your course schedule by taking three challenging courses and two that are less demanding. Your workload will be heavier so don't be discouraged if your GPA drops the first semester. This is common and will probably stabilize by the second semester.

Get organized. Be sure to check the dates and times of your final exams. Buy a daily planner and transfer all important dates from your course syllabi. Carry it with you and refer to it often.

Get to know your instructors. Drop by your instructor's offices during office hours and introduce yourself. Come prepared with a question concerning a lecture, ask for clarification or additional information, discuss an assignment or a paper topic, or invent a reason.

We recommend you do this more than once. These contacts are important for your future. Later on you may need recommendations for scholarships, to get a summer job on campus, references for that big job after graduation, or to get into grad school. Who will you ask if you let this opportunity slip by?

Be ready to do a lot more reading and writing in general. Be ready to read extra books/articles that may supplement class discussion.

Be ready for a different type of testing with midterms and finals. Your course may only have two tests to cover all the course information and the first midterm maybe after the withdrawal date.

Use student health services or clinics. At most schools, health services are included in your fees. This means that your visits will be FREE. Check it out. Don't spend money needlessly on doctors and prescriptions.

Visit the career offices and get involved in the career shadowing programs or internships.

Your second semester will be much easier. Remember, you are not alone. The doubts, confusion, and loneliness you are experiencing are shared by many others. These feelings will soon pass. Take one day at a time (some days, especially near the end of the semester, it may be necessary to take it an hour at a time). Soon you can congratulate yourself – you made it through the first semester. The second will be much easier.

Contact the Disability Services office at your new school as soon as possible. Arrange to have documentation of your disability set from the original source to their office. Some sources of disability documentation may be from your school, physicians, and psychologists. Be sure to inquire about priority registration and when you can come in to arrange for needed accommodations.