Every year SMU welcomes hundreds of transfer looking for a college experience they did not find at their previous schools. Many students go to college looking for the perfect experience, one that they have dreamed about since they made their first college campus visit. But what if the student doesn’t find what he expected and hoped for in the new university? What if the student’s dream school experience turns out to be a nightmare?According to the Princeton Review, the four main reasons college students transfer schools are social, academic, romantic or being newly independent. Ashli Herman transferred to SMU last August. “I transferred from University of San Diego after my freshman year for a number of reasons. But first and foremost, after growing up in Dallas, I quickly realized California was not for me.” Herman also added, “I am very happy to be at SMU. The people are friendlier here than I experienced in California and Dallas is much more fun.” SMU admits more than 400 transfer students a year, and that number continues to rise. About 325 students transfer in the fall semester, while 125 usually transfer in the spring, according to Melissa Garcia of SMU Admissions.
Last year, Garcia said SMU received many students transferring from Louisiana schools after hurricane Katrina hit, and many of those students liked SMU so much that they stayed.Other transfer students come from community colleges around the Dallas area. SMU offers large scholarships to students from these community colleges, according to Garcia, who said, “That seems to be one of the biggest reasons for students transferring to SMU.” Although many students are from the area, many come from outside of Texas. SMU has out-of-state advisors who work with these students to ease their transition into SMU and the Dallas community. SMU tries to make the transition for students go as smoothly as possible. Programs such as SMU’s Week of Welcome, AARO for transfers and SOTA (Students Older Than Average), are available to make sure transfer students feel as welcome as possible. Also, New Student Programs offers special socials. SMU advisors do their best to ensure a swift graduation date.
“Usually transfer students have been around the block, so they know exactly what questions to ask our advisors,” Garcia said. SMU tries to advise transfer students before coming to SMU to take certain classes to get a jump-start on SMU’s required core courses. Issues on transferring credits to SMU from other schools vary from university to university. McKenzie Reese, a transfer student from the New York Film Academy, said she “actually had almost 60 hours from film school alone, but those didn’t count, which is … a little frustrating. Now I have about 19 hours that are transferable.” McKenzie was drawn to SMU because of its size. She had gone to school at Boston University, then to NYFA, and now SMU. Ashli Herman, a transfer from USD, said “I only lost a few credits for a photography course that was not be accepted.” The number of hours transferable to SMU often depends on the student’s major and prior courses taken. In order to help transfer students catch up, SMU offers summer school classes and Study Abroad programs allowing students to take courses elsewhere.