First off, I want to say congratulations and welcome to the family! Whether you transferred from a different four year institution or from a community college, you’re now about to start a new experience here at JMU.
You might be feeling a combination of excitement, nerves, happiness, sadness and a whole string of other emotions you can’t even describe. As a transfer student myself, I have experienced what you’re experiencing now. Transferring is a hectic thing to do and if you’re going to a school where you don’t know that many people, it makes it just that much more intimidating.
I loved my community college and when I say loved it, I REALLY loved it. I had a great group of friends who supported me and encouraged me to be the best version of myself. I got involved and had great grades but I was not prepared for what I was about to go through at university.
Now, I’m not trying to scare you more than you already are! I’m here to tell you that coming to JMU was the best thing I’ve ever done, and I hope you begin to think the same thing. JMU was a whole different ballpark than community college. I only knew a handful of people, I was living on my own with complete strangers, and I have to “adult” without my parents everyday help and advice.
There’s a motto I’ve learned here at JMU (and I’m sure you’ve heard it throughout your whole life): “work hard, play harder.” This mottos fits into all parts of JMU life. Tackle each day head on; do all of your assigned readings, go to office hours and work hard to get the grades you want, and when you’ve achieved all of that go out and have some fun.
The best advice I can give you is to jump in. Go to 1787, because everyone in your transfer group is experiencing everything you’re experiencing, too. I didn’t attend all of 1787 personally, but I made a lot friends in my transfer group, some of which I still see on a daily basis. Befriend your TOPA because they went through what you’re currently going through and can help you with figuring out where classes are, or just being a rock in this new journey. Also, your roommates can be a big help! From my experience, those complete “strangers” are now the individuals I tell everything too, whether about the cute boy I saw across from Dunkin, or how I’m super overwhelmed with my classes.
There’s also a stigma about transfer students, especially if you transferred from a community college. People like to think that community college is just the thirteenth and fourteenth grade, and maybe you thought that or still think that, and that’s okay. You transferred, and just because your college experience is different than others, doesn’t mean it’s not as great as anyone else’s.