Transfer troubles

Has college life got you down? Are classes rough? Are you having trouble making friends? When you make any big life change – especially one that involves moving to a new place and throwing yourself into a mosh pit of 40,000 students – that can happen.\nSo, suck it up! Stick it out and it should work itself out. And if it doesn’t, then transfer.\nWait, you already did that? You mean you feel like IU just isn’t making you feel welcome?\nA March 29 Indiana Daily Student report revealed that though some orientation programs are geared specifically toward transfer students, some students are not happy with how they were introduced to IU.\nWe hate to break it to transfer students, but these are some of the same complaints incoming freshmen have. They too have to take placement tests. Not everyone is able to make it to all of the orientation events. Freshmen have to put up with the same paperwork and other commitments that keep transfer students from being able to attend all the seminars and table fairs. \nThe University isn’t keeping anything from transfer students. There is no secret to IU survival, and even if there were, certainly it wouldn’t be revealed to freshmen. That’s for them to figure out themselves. It builds character!\nWhen we look back on our own orientation experiences, nothing really stands out as being particularly beneficial. We do, however, recall the central lessons of that day: Drugs are bad. Class is hard. Dorms are kind of shady. And honestly, that’s pretty much it. Transfer students have probably already heard all that at their former, yet obviously inferior, institutions of higher learning. Trust us, you aren’t missing out.\nMany of those who transfer to IU come from smaller institutions. It’s understandable they’re going to feel overwhelmed. No amount of orientation could possibly prepare someone accustomed to small, intimate classes for huge lecture halls or the constant stampede of foot traffic in front of Ballantine. Freshmen feel similarly overwhelmed, no doubt.\nBut if there are issues with the orientation programming at IU (and we aren’t saying there are), adjustments should be made. Basically, transfer students can make great friends and have successful careers at IU. But what transfer students, as all students, take out of their college career is completely rendered by their willingness to put in the effort to learn about the IU and Bloomington community.\nSo, transfer students, the next time you feel a little uneasy, talk to your professors and the students you meet in class, who will be willing to share with you their knowledge of the campus. Besides, there is a silver lining to every cloud. Look on the bright side. Things could be much worse – you could have transferred to Purdue!