Thursday, January 31, 2019
- If you haven’t already, definitely visit the campus and tour the facilities at Otis College, as well as try to meet some people here before arriving for your first day.
- Double-check your transfer credits! Sometimes they get mixed up and you might be able to transfer more credits than you originally thought. You also might have some credits that transferred from higher-level classes than Foundation ones, which means you might have students a year above or below you in some classes.
- There are so many resources online and physically on campus for students. Don’t be afraid to ask where something is, what something is, or if there is something that does xyz. As transfer students, you don’t have access to the Peer Mentor program that is offered to first-year Foundation students (basically a person who answers all these questions for them). The Student Learning Center (or SLC) in the Millard Sheets Library is a great resource to ask where or what things are on campus.
- A lot of people will already know each other from their Foundation year. And once you get into your major you don’t really have the opportunity to connect with students in other majors besides in your Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) classes. In my opinion, transferring in the first semester of your sophomore year is the best option. There’s so much to take in at Otis, and sophomore year is like a Foundation year for your major—everyone else is essentially on the same page.
- Transferring into Otis puts you at a slight disadvantage for knowing where or what is on campus, as well as being a part of the community. You can definitely feel left out or disconnected, but it doesn’t mean you are left out or have to be. Remember that there are other transfer students like you, and Otis is far more involved in building community and hosting events than most community colleges. Also, clubs and campus and student events are great ways to get connected with people quickly. In my experience, every year gets a little more challenging, but more enjoyable, at Otis.