I spent my freshman year studying at Loyola University Chicago before taking a gap semester. This spring, I moved to NC State, beginning the semester with hundreds of other transfers and new first-year students.

According to NC State’s undergraduate admissions website, 20% of the University’s students begin college at another institution. While most students go straight from high school to college, some take time off to work or enter the military. Many students also opt to transfer in the middle of their college career.

Transferring or starting school later in life can be a very isolating experience. To promote the success of these unconventional paths, they must first be normalized. Additionally, universities need to have adequate resources for these students.

Community College Collaboration, which launched in 2018, provides North Carolina students with the opportunity for guaranteed transfer admission into NC State after completing an associate degree at any one of 19 different community colleges. The C3 staff provides continued support to these students from admission until graduation.

During her time in college, Martha Harmening, director of NC State’s C3 program, was a transfer student at NC State. She now has over 25 years of experience working in higher education.

“The challenges that transfer students face are real,” Harmening said. 

She added that at a large university like NC State, it can be difficult for individuals to find their niche, and part of the C3 program’s goal is to help students overcome this obstacle.

Members of the C3 team meet with students twice during their first semester at NC State to make sure they are acclimating well, and the organization hosts events throughout the year to help students make connections with faculty and other members of the Pack.

Harmening said there are many aspects of transferring that need to be talked about, from policies around admissions to course registration and general campus involvement.

“I do think it’s important that the University continues to have those conversations and engage faculty so that everyone understands the importance of transfers on this campus,” Harmening said.

C3 students come from many backgrounds, with students ranging from 16-year-olds who graduated high school early to parents in their 50s.

“Our students in terms of their academic journey represent just about every path you could consider,” Harmening said. “It’s a very heterogeneous group of people.”

Jon Westover, associate vice provost and director of admissions, spoke similarly about the range of ways students end up at NC State.

“What we want the broader community to know is that there’s more than one pathway to NC State,” Westover said.

Even students freshly graduated from high school may not begin their college education in a traditional way. NC State’s Spring Connect program allows qualified students who applied for the fall semester but weren’t admitted due to reasons such as a lack of on-campus housing availability to come to NC State in the spring. About 300-350 first-year students began their NC State experience this way this past January.

With connections forming and friend groups being established during the fall semester, transferring in the spring can particularly be a challenge.

“There’s always a transition from one educational environment to the next,” Westover said.

While orientation and welcome week provide students with an opportunity to get used to a new environment, there’s often a sense of lingering uncertainty for new students. Westover believes being able to find the proper on-campus resources is crucial to combating this.

Transfer Student Services and New Student Programs are starting points, but it’s also important to get immersed in the Wolfpack community, which could involve attending club meetings or sporting events. NC State has over 800 clubs and organizations, and I’ve found them to be one of the best ways to meet people and become a part of the school’s culture.

I always imagined I’d go to the same university for all four years of my college education, but I’ve come to realize that there’s no harm in having an indirect path to earning my degree. For me, and many others, transferring is an opportunity. It’s a fresh start.