JEM 200 Reporting Assignment

HONEYCUTT, Jordan
February 10, 2010
New. Challenges, opportunities

HUGE CHALLENGES, GREAT OPPORTUNITIES FACE
UT TRANSFER STUDENTS

According to University of Tennessee Academic Advisor Betty Bradley transferring from a smaller college, or from another state can be a daunting task for a student in today’s world. There are many things to consider before stepping up to the plate and diving into this new experience.

Students have to be able to adapt to different cultures, new areas, possibly new laws and tougher classes. There are several key steps that can be taken by students to ease this transition period.

From a student’s perspective, the most important thing to do is keep an open mind. Say yes to activities, socials, and any situation where interaction with veteran students occurs. Always keep yourself busy, either by going to some of the aforementioned events or by going to the gym, which both can lead to meeting new people.

“The main issue that I see is that some courses do not transfer to UT and it is hard to deal with the frustration of things not going smoothly. Team Vols and the student success center are great resources offered by UT and transfer students say that they really enjoy the atmosphere and people,” says Bradley.Transfer student Caleb Larson from Houston, Tex. had his own take on the experience. “Meeting people, getting out there and learning to be more independent are the biggest challenges facing transfer students,” Larson said. Larson’s best advice for incoming transfers is to “Get involved in an activity that you enjoy and that you really care about.”

“It is very important for UT to be attractive to transfers and the main reason that I ended up here is that it felt like home when I visited with my family and my Dad graduated from UT,” Larson added.
There are also many great tips available for students on the Web site www.quintcareers.com. Quintcareers.com suggests 25 tips for freshman/transfer students. Everything from getting organized to not feeling pressured into making hasty decisions is mentioned on quintcareers.com. “Be prepared to feel overwhelmed, but the decision that a transfer student makes to continue education away from their home and comfort zone is truly beneficial and rewarding,” said Bradley.