As students return to Houghton, they have been met with a few changes around campus. A glittering blanket of snow on the ground, French Vanilla coffee creamer in the cafeteria—and a few new faces in the classroom as well. Each January, Houghton welcomes a group of transfer students who have chosen to enroll in the spring semester rather than the fall.
Students chose this path for a wide variety of reasons, some have taken a gap semester for work or service, some have just finished a two-year degree or military training, and some have delayed their enrollment for personal reasons. The amount of spring semester transfers has varied greatly through the years, from as few as 17 to as many as 32. Most of these students have already taken a significant number of credits at other colleges.
Cindy Austin, Admissions Counselor for transfer students, pointed out that Houghton’s atmosphere is often appealing to incoming students who have spent time at other institutions. “Our transfers come in very aware of the differences between us and a school near a city, or a SUNY (State University of New York) school,” she said. “I think they tend to appreciate those differences more than students might that have come here directly from high school.”
She cited Houghton’s friendly students and faculty, uniquely Christian worldview, and supportive community as qualities that typically attract transfer students to the school. Rachael Cronk ‘18, who transferred to Houghton this January, said the same, “I wanted a college that would allow me to get involved and that had a solid community.”
While spring transfer students do not have the benefit of the Transitions program in the fall, the Center for Academic Success and Advising (CASA) office does operate a special orientation for students who enroll in the spring. This program, while scaled down to accommodate a smaller group of students, aims to give new transfer students the same advantages as students who enroll in the fall. “We want to give students information and awareness of campus resources,“ said Sharon Mulligan, who ran the program for two years. “One of my goals is to help people feel comfortable and connected on campus as soon as possible.”
Even with the assistance of the CASA office, transferring in the spring does present some distinctive challenges. Classes in the spring semester often get off to a brisker start than in the fall, but Austin shared that the Admissions Office makes “a big effort” to remind professors that some of their students are new to Houghton. Most clubs and organizations are already in full swing as well, but transfer students who know how they want to be involved can usually get plugged into extracurricular actives with ease.
However, the social transition isn’t always straightforward. Danielle Bees ’17, who transferred to Houghton in the spring of 2014, said it was sometimes difficult to form new friendships when she arrived. “Everyone had already made their friends and had become adjusted to Houghton, but I was just starting out,” she shared. But she soon found that Houghton students were eager to make connections, “Everyone was really nice and wanted to embrace me as a friend.”
Former transfer students said that students can help make the new students’ transition to Houghton easier by making an effort to reach out.. “Ask them about where they’re from and their experiences at their old college,” Bees suggested. The more friendly and welcoming current students are, the easier it will be for transfer students to make Houghton their home. “It made a big difference to me when people would just stop me and ask if I was new and how everything was going,” said Cronk. “It showed that they noticed that was new and were willing to make an effort to make me feel welcome.”