I didn’t know anyone here when I decided to transfer to Jefferson after finishing my associate degree at community college. The admission process was easier compared to other schools I considered, thanks to the staff in both financial aid and residential life’s caring personalities. The people I connected with were friendly, happy to help, and patient to answer any questions.
During the transfer process, I never matched with a roommate online. I never got placed with one, so I live alone, which is nice after hearing about some people’s roommate conflicts! However, this completely shifted my expectations of what college life would be like. It certainly made the first few days a bit more lonely and forced me out of my comfort zone to get to know people.
Academically, the classes are a lot different than community college, which I expected them to be. Community college more clearly recognizes that most people have other priorities outside of class, families to take care of, or working full time or multiple jobs. The coursework was very straightforward. Almost all of the classes I took as a Business Administration Major had all required assignments posted and available at the beginning of the year. Also, most of the teachers I had were much more flexible about due dates, the general rule was if you turned it in before the semester was over, you got full or at least partial credit. While at Jefferson, the classes are much more ambiguous. Some of my teachers have said that they don’t post grades in Canvas or use the Canvas Grading system. The majority of my teachers use full partial and no-credit grading systems.
Overall I am happy with the process of transferring to Jefferson. One thing that could be improved for future transfer students would be more welcome week events where we could meet and connect with students like us.