There are over 5,000 transfer students at Iowa State according to the Registrar’s website.

With students transferring from 45 states around the country, and 45 countries throughout the world, transfer students make up 19 percent of the undergraduate population. That is a large amount of students who have found their home at Iowa State, and may often feel forgotten about.

National Transfer Student Week is Monday through Friday, with this year’s theme being “celebrate your transfer story.” The goal of the week is to provide support for transfer students and support students wherever their educational path may take them.

This is the first year that Iowa State is taking part in National Transfer Student Week, and there will be events every day the week on campus. Some of the events include drop-bys throughout buildings on campus where different students within the different colleges can get to know other transfer students in their areas of study.

There are smaller celebrations within colleges and more personal events to help recognize the transfer students at Iowa State. This will help connect transfer students not only to the resources that are available across campus, but to each other. A full list of events for the week can be found on the Registrar’s website.

With this being the inaugural year of Iowa State taking part in the celebration that is spearheaded by the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students, it is a great way to celebrate a part of the Iowa State population that hasn’t had a week like this or opportunities similar before. Hopefully this is the first year of many that Iowa State takes part in celebrating this nationwide initiative. It’s a great opportunity to join a movement across the country and take the time to plan events and make the week special for those on campus.

Every person has a different road map in life, especially in their college journey. Not everyone follows the same direction. Oftentimes college isn’t just a straight line from point A to point B, or from start to finish. Navigating early adulthood is confusing enough, and with a big decision such as a college in the mix it can make things even more confusing and difficult.

It’s important to remember that other people have different experiences than you. Not everyone has experienced college and life the same way you have. If you have had a positive experience with college, that’s great, but not everyone may have.

It often has a lot of zig-zag and up and down and takes some longer than others. Take time to celebrate your journey this week. Even if it was a long path, we’re glad you found a home at Iowa State.