Hello, my name is Abby, and I am a Junior Communication major with a minor in product development and marketing. I currently work for the marketing department writing blogs here at Clarkson University. I transferred to Clarkson as a Junior from Keuka College, and felt like I could share my success story of my transfer process. I also believe it is helpful to get insight from someone who has gone through the transfer process fairly recently.
The First Step
Transferring to Clarkson was one of the best decisions I made for myself. I thought I was transferring in as a sophomore, but soon found out that because of the amount of credits from high school that I could transfer, I was a junior! That right there made a huge difference for me when comparing Clarkson with some of the other colleges I had been looking at. Clarkson made transferring my credits super easy, and working alongside my transfer advisor, Jon Moser, the process was quick and painless.
The People Who Helped Me
Having an advisor who worked with me via email was also another important part of the transfer process. If not for my transfer advisor, I think it’s easy to say I might not have ended up at Clarkson. My advisor sent me info on two extremely important scholarships that I could apply for and that, in the end, helped lower the cost of attendance. He was also helpful in leading me in the right direction when I was looking to speak with professors before I had chosen to come to Clarkson.
Having a sit-down discussion with a professor in the Department of Communication, Media & Design was inevitably what made me decide to attend Clarkson. I spoke with Eric York, an assistant professor of communication and media. He highlighted the communication major overall for me and told me about all the awesome things to look forward to.
After speaking with Eric, I decided I wanted to visit Clarkson and speak with a few more professors and maybe even some comm students, so I signed up for an accepted students open house for transfer students. That day was super helpful. I had already decided to come to Clarkson, but wanted to learn more about what they had to offer and hear from students who had already transferred into Clarkson. I met with more professors, who were all really cool, and I knew I would have fun in their classes. I heard from students about their experiences and what they did in some of their classes; this got me pumped to come to Clarkson. Attending the transfer day was super helpful because I got to meet as many professors as possible, and they would be able to put a face to my name when I took one of their classes.
What Clarkson Had to Offer
Another thing that set Clarkson apart from other schools was the types of classes they offer and the way their programs are set up. Of course, they offer the general education classes that every student has to sit through, but for me, they offer courses that I didn’t know existed and sounded super interesting. Personally, I wanted to take classes that were exciting and would help me when I start my career. As a prospective comm major, I had a hard time finding a school with a program that wouldn’t be so mainstream and boring. Clarkson’s program was the very opposite. With classes such as Intro to Social Media, or typography and photography classes, I knew where I needed to be. And coming in as a transfer, I had a bit of an advantage: I had already taken the majority of the gen-eds that I needed to satisfy graduation requirements. Therefore, could take as many comm electives that I could fit into my schedule.
Moving to Campus
Now to actually moving onto campus: Clarkson has a day just for transfers to move in. On this day, new transfer students move in, and then there are activities throughout the rest of the day where they can meet other transfers. However, what I found to be the most beneficial and what helped me meet new people was joining as many clubs that interested me as possible. I joined the Society of Professional Women, Women and Wellness and the Make-A-Wish club, all on-campus clubs. Joining clubs that I thought I would like put me in contact with people with the same interests. Clarkson has so many on-campus clubs that there is, without a doubt, a club for everyone.
As for getting comfortable on campus, it was definitely somewhat of a slow transition for me, but everyone was so nice and friendly that I felt very welcome. I have come to absolutely love Clarkson and am very proud to attend. Clarkson has so many important attributes that help set it apart from other schools. For example, twice a year, Clarkson holds a career fair where tons of big-name companies come to hire Clarkson students for internships and co-ops; this was something I was interested in about Clarkson. Another big reason to attend Clarkson for both me and my family was the job placement after graduation, which is 97% — meaning that 97% of students secure a job post-graduation.
Transferring to Clarkson was one of the best decisions I have made both academically and socially. There is so much to do on campus and in Potsdam. So far, I have loved my courses and have been extremely successful. Everyone on campus that I have met throughout my journey transferring and getting comfortable has been super nice and helpful. I am glad I chose Clarkson and now have so many opportunities and experiences to look forward to.