To:KarisaLinafelter

StudentLifePrograms
From:OliviaDuffus,Studentin
DesigningTechnicalReports
Subject:RecommendationsforimprovingtransferstudentstransitionstoCedarville
Date:May2,2016

CedarvilleUniversitycurrentlyhasover250transferstudents.However,Cedarvilledoes
nothaveanymeasureofhowsatisfiedtransferstudentsarewiththeirtransitionsinto
theschool.Asatransferstudentmyself,Iunderstandtheuniquechallengesthat
transferstudentsface.Thispastmonth,Ihaveconductedresearchregardinghow
satisfiedCedarvilletransferstudentsarewiththeirtransitionintoCedarville.IIsentout
asurveytoallthecurrenttransferstudentsatCedarville.Eightyfourstudents
respondedtothesurvey,andIhaveanalyzedtheirresponsestoformconclusionsand
suggestionsregardingCedarvillestransferprogram.Thisreportrecommendsnew
tacticsthatCedarvilleshouldimplementinordertosmoothenfuturetransferstudents
transitionsandincreasetheiroverallsatisfactionwiththetransferprogram.

Summary
ThesurveyresultsindicatedthatnearlyallCedarvilletransferstudentsweresatisfied
withtheirdecisiontotransfertoCedarville,butoverhalfofthemadmittedthattheir
initialtransitioninwasanythingbutsmooth.Thesestudentsdescribedtheirfirst
semesteraslonely,awkward,andverydifficult.Whenaskedwhatcouldhave
madetheirtransitionsmoother,manyrespondentsofferedsuggestionsregardinghow
Cedarvillecouldaidintheirtransition.Afterevaluatingthesurveyresponses,I
recommendthatCedarvillehostsmoretransfereventsthroughouteachsemester.Ialso
recommendthatCedarvilleimplementsamentorprogramforincomingtransfer
students.

Discussion

TransferEvents
Overtwentytransferstudentssuggestedthatmoretransfereventswouldhave
improvedtheirtransitionintoCedarville.Respondentsrecommendedspecifictypesof
transferevents:

Eventsfortransfersinthesamemajor
Eventsfortransfersfromthesameyear
Generaleventswithalltransfers

Transferstudentsagreedthattheseeventswouldhelpthemmeetmorepeopleandget
toknowotherpeopletheirage,especiallyothertransferstudents.Irecommendthat
Cedarvillehostsoptionaltransfereventsonceamonth,especiallyduringtheFall
semester,whentransferstudentsarenewesttotheCedarvilleenvironment.These
eventscouldbeanythingfromgamenightstomovienights.Theywouldnothaveto
costCedarvilleanymoney,andtheywouldshowtransferstudentsthatCedarvillecares
aboutthem.Onesurveyrespondentcommented,Aftertheonedayorientationatthe
beginningofthesemester,Ineverheardfromanyoneagainaboutmytransitionasa
transferstudent.Itwouldhavesaidalotforsomeonetohavereachedouttomeasking
howIwasdoing,orevenjustaschoolsponsoredsurvey.Transferstudentsneedto
knowthatCedarvillerecognizestheiruniquesituation.Eveniftransferstudentsdecided
nottoattendoneoftheevents,theywouldknowthatCedarvillecaresabouttheir
transitionvaluesthemasstudents,asopposedtofeelinglikeoutsiders.Eventhough
notalltransferstudentsstrugglewiththeirtransitionintoCedarville,theseeventswould
begreatopportunitiesforthemajorityoftransferstudentswhodo.

TransferMentorProgram
Multiplestudentssuggestedthatatypeofmentorprogramfortransferswouldhave
madetheirtransitionssmoother.Thefollowingquotesarefromsurveyrespondentswho
suggestedthiskindofprogram.

Itwouldhavebeennicetohavesomeonewhohadalreadytransferredand
madethattransitiontohelpmealong.
Perhapshavinggroupsofpeoplevolunteertospecificallywelcomeandget
toknowtransferstudents,bringingthemintothefoldsotospeak.Maybe
theyalreadyhavesomethinglikethatbutIneverheardofit.
Haveafewdesignatedpeoplewhotransferscanaskquestionsduringthe
semester.Iwouldfindmyselfnotunderstandingsomeresidenceliferules
thatweredifferenthere,ornotsurehowparkingworkedformesinceIdidn't
belonginAfrica.Itwashardfiguringafewofthosethingsoutonmyown.
Thesequotesarerepresentativeofothersfromthesurveyresponses,andtheyleadme
torecommendthatCedarvilleshouldimplementamentorprogramforincomingtransfer
students.Thiswouldbeanoptionalprogramfortransferstudentstoparticipatein.
Incomingtransferstudentswouldbepairedupwithacurrenttransferstudent.Thepair
couldmeetasoftenorlittleastheywouldlikethepointofthementorshipwouldbeto
connectincomingtransferswithstudentwhohavebeenwheretheyareandcanrelate

totheirnewtransition.Thementorscouldadviseincomingtransfersregardingclasses,
activities,community,oranythingCedarvillerelated.
Furthermore,IsuggestthatcurrenttransfersbetheGettingStartedleadersfor
transfergroups.Cedarvillealreadyhasseparategroupsfortransferstudents
duringGettingStartedweekend,andIthinkthatgettingcurrenttransferstudentsto
leadthemwouldkickstartasmoothtransition.Onesurveyrespondentcommented,
GettingStartedgroupsshouldfocusonalittledifferentwaysoftransitioningto
Cedarvillelife,versuscollegelifeasawhole.IftransferstudentsledGetting
Startedgroups,rightfromthebeginning,transferstudentswouldbeinteracting
withandrelatingtostudentswhohavebeenexactlywheretheyareand
understandtheuniquechallengestheyarefacing.Theleaderscouldfocuson
differenttopicsthatrelatemoretotransitionintoCedarvillespecificallyandlesson
transitioningintocollegeingeneral.Thisideawouldreinforcethementorprogram.
Findingleadersforthesegroupswouldnotbehardbecausesomanystudents
alreadyvolunteertobeGettingStartedleaders.Itisverylikelythatmany(orat
leastafew)ofthosestudentsaretransfers.
Conclusion
IrecommendthatCedarvillehostsmonthlyeventsandimplementsamentor
programforincomingtransferstudents.Basedonsurveyresultsfromeightyfour
transferstudents,Ibelievethesestepswillsmoothentransferstudentstransitions
intoCedarville,andIalsobelievethattheseareactivitiesthattransferswould
support.WhileCedarvillecannotberesponsibleforsatisfyingallstudentsneeds,it
canbeproactiveinlisteningtotheirideasandmakingtheirexperienceaspositive
aspossible.TheseeasytoimplementrecommendationswouldcostCedarville
nothingandwouldrequireverylittleplanning.Lastly,theywouldlikelyincrease
transferstudentsoverallsatisfactionwithCedarville.

Documentation

S
ampling of survey results

What school did you transfer from?

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