One student’s journey into gathering information as she prepares to transfer to the U

By Lizzie Babashova

Staff Writer

Patches of students spread throughout the space, tables set up along every wall, smiling eyes and warm faces welcoming you into the daunting room. This was Transfer Week.

Transfer Week was an event at the Coon Rapids campus hosted by the Academic Advising Office from Sept. 12 to Sept. 15. As a second year student, I was very excited for the opportunity to have many of my transfer questions answered in one day. I’m transferring to the University of Minnesota in Fall 2017, and have been feeling nervous about the thought of applying to the College of Liberal Arts. Lucky for me, Sept. 14 was reserved just for the U of M to visit.

I dragged the ever helpful Melody Hoffmann, Anoka-Ramsey professor and U of M graduate, with me to ease my mind and help ask questions. Because a good portion of my questions were specific to the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Melody guided me through its website in order to find useful information and to raise any questions with the CLA representative that I had yet to contemplate.

I signed in at a table set up by academic advisors outside of the Legacy Room and entered equipped with a note pad and pen. Each college within the U of M had their own table set up with informational flyers, packets, cards, etc. Present at each table were representatives from the college, as well as someone who specializes in admission to that college.

I walked over to the the table set up for CLA and got the attention of a representative that was unoccupied, Margaret Rogers. I felt at a loss for words in the beginning. I had so many questions that when the time came to ask them, I didn’t know where to start! Once the conversation started rolling it became easier to think about what to ask, and Melody helped me with things that didn’t come to mind.

Much to my appreciation, Margaret knew quite a bit about both CLA and the School of JMC. I asked her about the type of courses I would be taking before my admittance into the School of JMC, when to apply, requirements of the school, and my study abroad options. She helped answer many of my questions and gave me the contact information of someone I could sit down with and have the rest of my questions answered.

I also spoke with the woman that specializes in admission to CLA and she helped prepare me for what I had to do this year. I asked her about letters of recommendation, application essays, language requirements, and deadlines for CLA admission. She also gave me the piece of mind about my chances of being accepted into CLA.

Everyone I interacted with during the U of M transfer day was friendly, helpful, and overflowing with useful information. There are so many uncertainties that come with transferring to a university and the list of requirements and deadlines can seem never ending. This experience helped me get my worries out in the open, numerous questions answered, and a list of things to look up and people to contact for more help. Transfer Week is all about students getting the knowledge that they need in order to successfully transfer to a four-year institution and I can say with confidence that they succeeded in helping me.