If transfer students are feeling lost in the shuffle, officials from the Transfer Admissions Office said they should get involved on campus.

This semester, almost 25 percent of the undergraduate student population is made up of transfer students. “So one in every four undergraduate students is a transfer,” said Eric Merten, a transfer admissions adviser.

He said of those 25 percent, 1,900 transfer students are new this semester. He said in his experience they are most excited to get involved outside of just the basic courses. With over 850 clubs and organizations, “the opportunity here at Iowa State is endless,” Merten said.

Along with those clubs, there are learning communities and events that transfer students can participate in.

According to Merten, transfer students should get “really excited about the career fairs.”

“They’ve already completed two years of community college,” Merten said. “When they get to Iowa State, they’re ready to get out in two or two-and-a-half years and then go on and get a job.”

Transfer students should also immerse themselves in their academic programs, especially if they do plan on a two-year graduation from Iowa State.

Diann Burright, director of undergraduate programs in the College of Business, said that she’s seen some transfer students have unrealistic expectations or misconceptions of how their credits will transfer into the new curriculum, causing them angst.

“They may or may not have just a few semesters remaining and that can be a bit of a surprise for some students,” Burright said.

Kelly Friesleben, associate director of admissions for transfer relations and recruitment, said that it is best for transfer students to get on top of meeting with academic advisers right away or, if possible, before transferring to Iowa State.

During transfer student orientation, called TRANSFERmation, not only are students set up with a transfer adviser but they also get paired with an academic adviser from their college. Additionally, they’re assigned an upperclassmen transfer student to help guide them to success.

“My academic adviser’s name is Lisa Sharp,” said sophomore transfer student Jessica Ross. “I came to her with a lot of questions before I even knew I was transferring to [Iowa State], and she helped to get me answers.”

Of course the transfer process isn’t perfect. Those transfer students hitting bumps in the road shouldn’t feel alone.

“Transfer students don’t expect to experience an adjustment period when they get to [Iowa State], given they’ve already been in college somewhere else,” Burright said. “But each institution has its own culture, expectations and personality. It takes time to figure it all out.”

Ross said one of her biggest struggles is the technology.

“At DMACC, we never had to use those dang clickers,” she said.

Help from classmates has been encouraging for Ross.

“Here everyone seems like they want to find the answers together, like one big community. I’m glad I’m here,” Ross said. “I feel like I made the right decision transferring to Iowa State.”

Although Iowa State has over 34,000 students this year, Friesleben said students can find smaller communities to become a part of.

“Iowa State does a really nice job of taking this big institution and making it feel small for each student so they can find their niche,” Friesleben said. 

Friesleben said that the sooner transfer students can start being parts of social and academic groups and organizations, the more they are going to enjoy their experience here.

“The sooner you start feeling like a Cyclone, the more successful you’re going to feel,” Frieslaben said.