When we see the signs indicating the upcoming new student orientation, we often think of the thousands of new freshmen coming to Blacksburg in July with their families. However, you don't have to be a freshman to be a new student at Virginia Tech. Just ask one of the over 1,000 transfer students that are expected to enroll this upcoming fall semester.
June 22, 23 and 24 mark the third time that new transfer students can take part in formal one-day orientation sessions. Before summer 2007, transfer students only had the option of attending one afternoon session that was held in August prior to the fall semester.
Today, these transfer student sessions consist of registering for classes, meeting with an academic adviser, getting a Hokie passport and an initial overview of information. This is certainly a lot for one day, but it pales in comparison to the experience that new freshmen face with the July orientation. New freshmen get a full day and a half schedule of sessions, an overnight stay in the residence halls, assigned orientation leaders and much more.
Why the disparity between these two groups of students that are new to the university? While these transfer students may be coming from a community college or another university, they are still new to the institution. Transfer students often find themselves at the margins. I would argue that transfer students are more like freshmen than many would care to admit.
While the assumption is made that these students can cope and adapt more quickly, the truth is that these students face the same issues as brand new freshmen - feelings of being overwhelmed, adapting to a new environment, adjusting to new courses and much more. While the institution places a focus on freshmen, we tend to forget about transfer students who are experiencing related issues.
While the situation has improved with these early sessions, more needs to be done during the academic year to better support these forgotten students. They are often left out of the equation and/or are the last to be considered. For example, while all first-year students are required to live on campus with a few exceptions, transfer students are often at end of the line, and in most cases have to seek other off-campus housing options. If on-campus housing is a valuable experience for new freshmen, why is it not a valuable experience for transfer students?
The change of having a more coordinated orientation for transfer students was a critical and vital step when it took place in summer 2007. However, more needs to be done to ensure that the university community does not forget this important student community - that of transfer students.
Ray Plaza serves as the Special Projects Coordinator in Academic Support Services