More than 300 students transferred to SMU in fall 2019…and for some… the transition has been a huge adjustment. SMU student Michelle Aslam faced some challenges as a transfer student.

“Making friends is the biggest issue because everybody has already found out their sororities, their residence halls,” Aslam said. “Most of the time in your age group you are kind of alone.”

Lauren Rangel transferred to SMU this year. She said that the hardest part of transferring is getting to know new people.

“For me, it was navigating who am I going to fit in with, who do I need to hang out with and just finding my clique,” Rangel said. “That is still something I’m still working on.”

Aslam and Rangel said that transfer students should join as many organizations as they can and be open to talking to new people.

“You just really have to put yourself out there and start asking people how you can get involved,” Aslam said.

There are resources on campus that can help students feel more at home in their new surroundings. Mustang Transfers is one such organization that helps transfer students with their transition into the SMU community. SMU student Natalie Odis Herrera is the president of Mustang Transfers. Herrera had a message for transfers.

We want you to meet people who are going through the same thing that you are because you are not alone,” Herrera said.

SMU’s Academic Advisor DeMarias O’ Banner encourages students to reach out to their academic advisors if they just need someone to talk to. SMU’s academic advisors do not just talk academics—many have degrees in counseling too.

“We can sit and just listen to you and try to make sure that we are [filling] that gap for you so we can get to the place you need to be and make sure that you are successful,” O’Banner said.