The Transfer Effect

With about one in three college students transferring every year (NY Times) chances are you are going to be sitting next to a transfer student in your next lecture. So what is the process like? How can a student adjust and adapt to a completely new environment in such a short amount of time?

I sat down with University of Arizona student Karen Cruz-Orduna about her transfer process from CSU Monterey in northern California to the University of Arizona.

An aspiring journalist and first generation student, Cruz-Orduna decided to take part in a semester transfer in search of new opportunities  and better academic programs.

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“Coming here to the U of A was a very good opportunity for myself in terms of the journalism program,” Cruz-Orduna said. “My home college doesn’t really have a strong journalism program or really a journalism program at all, and I wanted to go somewhere where they do have a strong program.”

Even though the academic benefits were obvious, Cruz-Orduna at first found it difficult to adjust to such a different campus culture and environment.

“Well first let me just start with the school … My campus (CSU Monterey) has 6,ooo students enrolled there and there are over 42,000 students enrolled here,” she said. “That’s seven times bigger than my home college.”

Cruz-Orduna also stated that is wasn’t just the mere size of the school that was hard to adjust to but also the lack of diversity on the University of Arizona Campus.

“I feel that here at the U of A, a majority of the students here are …” she paused as I filled in the obvious blank.

“White, blonde and from California.”

“Correct. Exactly,” she said. “In the beginning it was really hard because I couldn’t really find anyone to connect with … I couldn’t really find anyone of color.”

However, Cruz-Orduna feels that she has met some students with a similar background as her own that she can relate to.

“(I have) one friend I really connected with and we do come from a similar background but the majority of students here have parents that have already gone to college and they are second or third generation students, but it’s different for me.”

As the second semester comes to a close Cruz-Orduna says she feels more comfortable on campus now that she has had time to adapt.

“I’ve really branched out and have met a lot of great individuals they have been really welcoming and sweet,” she said. “I just had to get out there and actually talk to people; otherwise … if I had just stayed closer to myself I wouldn’t feel comfortable at the U of A.”

So would Cruz-Orduna stay?

“Of course!,” she said. “I would mostly stay because of the great journalism program offered here; (I would) get more experience in terms of internships going here.”

With the year ending Cruz-Orduna is planning on returning to CSU Monterey in the fall but she feels here transfer experience will help her take a new perspective and new approach going forward.

“I feel that my whole view point is going to be little different now because of the different atmosphere that I have experienced, especially in my studies, and I can’t wait to share what I have learned here with my peers back home.”