Alison Import was in a tough spot last semester.
In her second year at William & Mary, the Charlottesville native decided to switch gears and apply to the University. All semester she anxiously awaited an admissions letter. In the meantime, though, she hadn't arranged housing for the upcoming year at William & Mary, in the event she didn't get into the University.
It wasn't until May when she found out she was University bound. Although happy she was admitted to the University, the wait wasn't all that pleasant.
The Office of Admissions mails acceptance letters to first years by mid April, while transfers do not receive their letters until the end of April or early May, said Melanie Denney, a University admissions officer.
"Going back to William & Mary was not an option for me, so the long wait for my acceptance letter from the University definitely caused me many a sleepless night," Import said.
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This was the first hurdle Import jumped before coming to the University. As a transfer student, she'd face many more.
One of the first was finding her way around.
"As if declaring my major wasn't hellacious enough, it took me an hour to find Garrett Hall," said the third-year College student.
Import is one of nearly 500 transfer students who descended upon Grounds this fall. While they are older than the entering first-year students, their experience is just as hectic and nerve-wracking. Perhaps more so.
James Bakelor transferred from the University of Nebraska last year. Although he's settled into University life, he still has a couple of obstacles in the way: In order to graduate on time, he must take 17 credits per semester from now until graduation.
"Even though I eventually got classes to transfer, I had to jump through a lot of hoops in the process," Bakelor said. "The worst was that it took so long. I was put so far back."
Bakelor's troubles stemmed from the fact that many transfer students have difficulty getting their former school's credits to carry over to the University. In addition to credit woes, their old GPA does not transfer. They miss out on the year of adjustment, and must jump right into a rigid class schedule to fulfill major requirements.
Kate Polito, fourth-year Education student and co-chair of the Transfer Student Peer Advisors (TSPAs), sees non-transferable GPAs as both good and bad.
"It is good for those who want to start fresh but bad for those who worked their tail off only to start from scratch," Polito said.
Pete Mavro was one transfer student who felt slighted after working hard and performing well at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, Pa.
"It was very defeating when my grades went out the window. Starting at the University with the GPA I left Carnegie Mellon with would have been great," Mavro said.
Fourth-year College student Christine Buck transferred from the University of Maryland because she said she wanted to get away from the commuter college atmosphere and into a school with a greater sense of community.
She found this sense of community at the University but was dismayed to encounter problems with transferring classes.
"I had a tough time as a transfer in my department at the beginning when classes that I needed for my major did not transfer," Buck said. "Even though I may have been at an advantage retaking the class, it was still a time commitment that I could have devoted to another class for my major."
To add to transfer students' problems, finding a place to live at the University can leave many transfers without sleep.
With applications for transfer student housing often reaching close to 300, placing transfers can be a juggling act.
"Each year the University holds 150 housing spaces scattered across Grounds for transfer students," Director of Accommodations John Evans said. "It's the only institution that holds spaces for transfer students."
While first years have the comfort of knowing they will be housed no matter what, transfers often add their names to long waiting lists. Evans added that the University managed to pull off placing all 258 transfers who applied for housing this year but not without inconveniencing many of them in the process.
Second-year College student Ameet Habib transferred this year from New York University and looked into on-Grounds housing for accommodations. "I was waitlisted for housing with no hear-by date," Habib said. As summer wore on with still no word from the University, his anxiety grew.
"It was not until two weeks before school began that I received the letter saying there was housing available for me. By that time I had already found [off-Grounds] housing by answering an ad," he said.
Polito agrees the housing situation for transfers can be hard. "Having dorms particularly for transfer students is one possible solution for streamlining the havoc of housing. Space would be guaranteed, and it would give transfers a great chance to meet lots of people in their own situation," Polito said.
But since some transfer students prefer not to be grouped with other transfers upon arrival at the University, Polito concedes some downsides to her proposal.
"It would be better to have them be available but optional," Polito said.
Fourth-year Commerce student Pete Mavro was one such transfer who did not want to live with other transfers. Instead, he chose to join the varsity cheerleading team as a way to acclimate himself to the University.
"I definitely did not want to get stuck in the transfer clique and be labeled a transfer for the rest of my time at the University," said Mavro.
Comparing first-year problems to transfer students' problems plays out academically.
Just as first years must work hard in high school to prove themselves worthy of admission, transfer students must perform exceptionally well at their respective community colleges or universities.
"Just under 3,000 first-year students are currently enrolled in the first-year College class, and 500 transfers are currently enrolled," Director of Institutional studies George Stovall said.
With the slew of hassles accompanying transfers at their matriculation, the Transfer Student Peer Advisor program tries to help iron out these kinks.
Polito explains they begin their work during the summer, providing needed advice and information on housing and scheduling. This support system continues through the school year as well. The TSPA program now has 62 advisors altogether, with 56 regular advisors and six chairpersons, according to Polito.
"Transfers are so overwhelmed with everything that's new about the University that it's hard to take initiative towards any one thing," Polito said. "Attending program events is a great way for them to start. This fall we hosted many events for transfers, such as garden parties, tailgates, apple picking and intramural sport games to make them feel welcome at the University.
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