The Observer, November 3, 2006
Volume XXXIX, Issue 9
Transfer students need help navigating Case's waters
In the fall of 2006, there were 67 new transfer students admitted at Case out of an applicant pool of approximately 150. Similarly, in the fall of 2005, 75 new transfer and binary students were admitted. These new students were introduced to the school with a special orientation for transfer and binary students, as well as an invite to the orientation activities meant for first-year students.
Transfer students work closely with Dean Claudia Anderson, who is devoted to helping them learn about orientation opportunities and the steps required to receive transfer credit. Yet, despite the efforts of orientation leaders, Anderson, and other members of the Case community to ensure a successful transition for transfer students, there are several barriers to transitioning smoothly to Case.
Students can transfer to Case during the fall, spring, or summer semesters. However, only the fall semester transfers are able to benefit from the advantages provided by an orientation. Students who transfer mid-year are left to fend for themselves in terms of becoming "oriented" to the campus.
From simple tasks such as finding one's way into one of the several entrances to the Mather Memorial Building for a class, to taking advantage of on-campus transportation like the Greenie, transfer students are forced to find their own ways to answer questions and concerns, often through trial and error. Thankfully, the administration is aware of these difficulties, and plans to institute an orientation for mid-year transfers within the next few years; how soon remains to be seen.
Those transfer students that do benefit from an orientation continue to face several barriers in terms of adjusting to the academic demands of Case. Case is a prestigious university with high academic expectations. Case is ranked 38th out of 248 national universities and is the only institution in Ohio to remain within the top 50. Thus, transfer students that come from less academically competitive schools may find themselves at a loss with the competitive workload Case students undertake. Whether or not transfers find that Case requires more work than their previous institutions, simply adjusting to a particular type of learning environment comes with its own challenges.
International transfer students may face language barriers or cultural differences in the classroom. Receiving transfer credits is another huge barrier to transfer students' transition to Case. In the last few years, almost all the decision-making responsibility regarding transfer credit falls upon Anderson. This process is a tedious one that requires the student, Anderson, department chairs, and various faculty members to work together to decide whether or not classes that transfers have taken at another accredited university are equivalent to classes offered at Case in terms of the material covered. If the classes are equivalent, then the student will receive transfer credit, but there is no guarantee that the credit received is helpful for the student in terms of aiding in their completion of General Education Requirements (GERs) or the requirements for their major. If the classes taken previously do not have an equivalent here, then students may have to present an argument to either Anderson or faculty to persuade them why transfer credit should be granted. The effort that transfer students must put into ensuring they receive credit where credit is due, only adds to the stress of adjusting to a new campus, learning atmosphere ,and social scene. Transfer student Michael Johnston complained about the difficulties he faced trying to receive transfer credits, saying, "Every other school I applied to processed my transfer credits before I was accepted. But I came to Case anyway since they have an agreement with my previous college to accept all transfer credits. Despite this fact, my
credits were not processed in a timely fashion, I was expected to go to every single teacher and beg them to sign off on each class I took. Even after doing this, I had to go to the transfer office repeatedly for them to actually process the forms."
Johnston's comments suggest that some changes need to take place to make the process of transferring credit easier. However, the administration is currently making headway in helping diminish the difficulties transfer students face in completing general education requirements by relying less on transfer credit and aiding completion of these requirements with the SAGES program. As of the fall of 2007, all transfer students, no matter what year, will be required to enroll in SAGES. Anderson explained that a lot of research has been done on transfer students, including those who enroll in SAGES and those who do not. In addition, Anderson explained that in the end, "the majority of students that participated in SAGES came out ahead."
Meeting new people and finding one's social niche can be particularly challenging for transfer students because they must enter a class in which their peers have already had time to establish groups of friends. For instance, senior biomedical engineering major and transfer student Cathy Ruczko commented that being a transfer student means "you have to catch up on meeting people in your year and in your
major and that can be discouraging. But in time it's very easy to make
new friends." Transfer students who do not participate in the social scene on campus may have a particularly hard time finding their place. Becoming involved in student activities, such as student government, varsity sports, or fraternities/sororities can aid transfer students in their transition. Moreover, transfer students are often placed together in housing or rooming situations, which provides an opportunity for a shared social experience with another transfer student. "Lliving in Tippit was a great way to meet a lot of extremely friendly people and many other transfer students," said transfer student Anupah Shah.
While transfer students at Case may be lost or frustrated, they are not alone. Many of the challenges they face adjusting to a new school are similar to those faced by all new students. To help ease new students into the transition to a new school, Case and its faculty and staff are working hard to establish new policies to help make the transition a little easier.
