ferrett+cluedraft

**Problem** When you think of how a student chose their college, you may immediately think of a senior high school student filling out applications, searching for different schools and being accepted. Then you picture freshman move-in day with tons of students moving boxes. I found that this scenario is not necessarily the case of how students came to their current school. Some students atBloomsburgUniversity came from other universities in the area. I began to investigate the difference between the first year at this university between a transfer student and someone who came here as a freshman. Then I also looked at what a transfer student does normally that might be different from someone who was a here as a freshman. **Background** In Nathan’s My Freshman Year, she experienced first hand what it was like to be a new student at a new school. She made many observations of the way students interacted and the way they lived. One thing she observed was the bulletin boards in the dorm hallways. The bulletin boards usually would have information on activities that go on in different clubs or groups and also any sporting activity. Because you are a freshman living in the dorms, you are exposed to that portion of the social community. Transfer students may only get the news of different events through email or the website, which isn’t as instantaneous as posters hung up on every other wall. **Method** To answer the question about the different life styles, I interviewed a transfer student and a sophomore about their first year experience at Bloomsburg University. I also used time diaries to compare the daily routine of these individuals. Along with the students, I interviewed two teachers to get their perspective on how students interact in class. **Findings** Looking at my student interviews, I found two questions that really stood out to me because of their different answers. I asked, “What was your first year living situation at Bloomsburg?” The student who came here as a freshman responded by saying she lived in a dorm. The transfer student I interviewed said she lived in an apartment off-campus. She also said because she was a transfer student, she was not allowed to live in the dorms. The second question was about any activities or clubs that they have joined. The non-transfer student listed a few clubs she joined, while the transfer student didn’t have any activities. To me, that one year of living on campus has a major impact on the social life of students. When you live in a dorm, you hear about many more activities than you do off-campus. Also, when you live close to a lot of people you have classes with you get to be around them more and get to know them better. I also interviewed two teachers to see what their intake was on transfer students in the classroom. The first teacher I interviewed stated, “Most times the transfer students will be more hesitant to participate in whole group conversations or ask for clarification from the instructor on some aspects of the class. In my personal opinion I believe this goes back to the level of comfort someone has with their surroundings. When you are in a familiar area with people that you may not personally know but at least recognize from time past, it makes it easier to participate in activities. I also believe that some of the lack of questioning, when unsure, comes from not wanting to appear that they do not know something that perhaps they should be "expected" to know by now in their college career. Students in any stage of life that transfer into new school surroundings need supports to make them feel comfortable and to have the peace of mind that they are not expected to know everything. It is a continual learning process and everyone is different in the way that they adapt to new situations.” I agree that when you come to a new place, it is hard to try and fit in at first. Sometimes it helps if you know someone that is transferring also so that you still have that little piece of home with you. The second professor I interviewed had almost an opposite view on transfer students. I asked whether they thought transfer students interacted differently than non-transfer students. The response I received was, “I noticed that they were both very participatory. In their talk and their writing, they had a lot to say: they talked/wrote about being certain about some things they seemed to have figured out (e.g., that Bloomsburg was the right place for them to live/go to school, or that their chosen major was the right path), and also uncertain--searching, even--about some other things (like whether or not they'd be good enough to succeed at something).” I also agree with the end of this statement, that sometimes as a transfer student you might be uncertain as to what you’re looking for. Both of these statements support my idea that being a transfer student, compared to a non-transfer student, could be harder at times. But the college life is how you make it. Ethnography is “observing, comparing, reflecting, and assessing” (Heath& Street, 2008,p.3) information you are comparing. I decided to observe and compare the school and social life of a transfer student and a non-transfer student. I used interviews from these students and time diaries to compare their daily routines and first year experiences with Bloomsburg University. With the help of some students and teachers, I discovered that sometimes it is a little more difficult for a transfer student to settle in, compared to a non-transfer student. Both transfer and non-transfer students start off their semesters the same. They are in a new place, with new people and have to make new friends. I think it is more complicated for transfer students because they have done all of that before and sometimes it is hard to do that again. They can possibly lose friendships they had with people from their past university. It also takes some time to get use to a new campus and new set of professors. I also came to the conclusion that transfer students don’t seem to be as involved in any club or activity because they are not living on campus where these activities are located. From my time diary evidence, I’ve discovered that transfer students spend their time in class, studying, sleeping and then spend the rest of their time doing what they like back in their apartment. Unlike non-transfer students who spend their time doing all those same things, but their free time includes going to club meetings or hanging out with people they live around. I do believe that my ethnographic information shows that there is a difference between transfer and non-transfer students.
 * Transfer Students**
 * Conclusion**

References: Heath, S.B. & Street, B.V (2008). //On Ethnography.//New York: Teachers College Press.

Back to personal page