UP welcomes 23 transfer students into its ranks
By Lisa McMahan
Many students at UP arrive on campus in late August of their freshman year, comforted by the fact that roughly 800 other students are experiencing the same worries and emotions.
There are some, though, who brave The Bluff for the first time in a much smaller group.
This year's spring orientation focused on welcoming 23 new students transferring from another institution or returning to school for a second career, although only 14 were able to attend the event.
The Office of Student Activities organizes the event for non-nursing transfer students.
"Our goal is to make them feel welcome at UP," Student Activities Assistant Director Jillian Smith said.
Some of the most common reasons for transferring to UP from another institution are athletic scholarships and the desire to be closer to home, according to senior Elizabeth Davis, spring orientation coordinator.
Junior Caitlin Cartwright attended spring orientation after receiving her associate degree at Whatcom Community College in Bellingham, Wash.
She chose to attend UP after hearing about its academic programs, and is majoring in history.
"So far my professors have really lived up to my expectations," Cartwright said. "That's primarily why I came here."
Students might also be drawn to the university because it is a private school.
"Maybe they found out that a state school was not for them and they preferred something that was private and not necessarily Catholic, but faith based," Davis said.
Now a junior, Stephanie Fuchs transferred to UP from Portland State University over a year ago.
"I loved the close-knit community, small class sizes, strong academics and competitive tennis team," Fuchs, a member of the women's tennis team, said.
Spring orientation differs from fall orientation not only in size, but also in duration and content.
The welcome program took place on Jan. 8, packing into one day what usually lasts an entire weekend for incoming freshmen.
"We essentially just incorporated the critical aspects," Davis said.
The program included an informative session called UP 101, where students learned about involvement opportunities outside the classroom and a history of the university.
After, the transfer students were able to participate in different panel discussions featuring student services and a group of past transfer students.
Included in this panel was Fuchs, who also served as an orientation assistant for transfer students during fall orientation.
"Transfer students have already attended one orientation and have experienced some college life," Fuchs said. "I have found that it is really helpful to talk to the transfer students one-on-one because they have many focused questions."
After the panel discussions, the students picked up their student ID cards and books and some checked into their residence halls. Then, Davis and some of the students took a tour of downtown Portland, where they went to dinner and visited Powells Book's and Voodoo Doughnut.
"We wanted to show them not just The Bluff community but the Portland community," Davis said.
Davis is enthusiastic about her job in part because of her own experiences as a freshman.
"Coming to Portland was really exciting for me and I want it to be something that they can be really positive and excited about too," she said. "I'm passionate about the transition that they're making."
Students who transfer in for spring semester do not belong to a home base group and most do not live in on-campus housing, according to Davis.
This is why the university provides transfer students with information on how to become involved.
"Unanimously, they're all worried about involvement on campus because clubs and teams have already started," Davis said. "They really have to be self sufficient because they're not immersed into it like they would be as freshmen."
Cartwright is living off campus and finds that it affects her involvement at UP, but ultimately the success of the adjustment is up to her.
"My biggest challenge is finding out where I fit into the student body," Cartwright said.
At 24, she has discovered that it's easier to make friends in her upper-division classes, as opposed to those classes she must take to fulfill UP's core requirements.
"I've been able to meet people with similar interests who are older," she said. "It's only been three weeks and I didn't come here knowing anybody, but so far I've met a lot of really nice people."
Despite the challenges that these new students face, Davis believes that the most difficult part of transferring - making the decision - happens with before even stepping foot on UP's campus.
"Confidence in their decision-making is probably the biggest factor. That's true of most things in your life that are going to be with you for four years," Davis said.
Transfer students vary in age and collegiate experience, but UP tries to tailor its program to meet the needs every new student has in common.
"Every year is something different," Davis said. "There is no typical transfer student at UP."
