Rose Eney
Staff Reporter
It may come as a surprise to many McDaniel students that an average of 70 students per year transfer to our school. So why do they come in such large numbers? The most common answer is that they decided they wanted to be closer to home or that they wanted a smaller campus environment. In comparison to last semester’s 58 students, this semester brought 24 new students to the hill, making a total of 82 new faces on campus this spring.So what exactly does a college student have to do to transfer to McDaniel? Assistant Dean for First Year Students, Dr. Karen Violanti explains the process as being rather simple. Violanti started working with new students at McDaniel in the fall of 2008 and says that she loves “the experience of supporting students during this change in their lives.”
She says that in order to transfer here, students must first submit an application to the Office of Admissions. Once a student is accepted they then meet with Admissions staff who review their transcripts and answer questions.
The next stop for a new student is the Office of Academic Affairs where they receive all the information that new students need, such as facts about The Archway and Blackboard, health forms, etc. Violanti then meets with them for their first advising appointment in order to assist in picking classes. She makes sure they are connected to any offices they need for assistance (such as the Bursar’s Office, Residence Life, etc.), and places them with an advisor in their major.
They also have access to a one day transfer student orientation and as part of that orientation, a luncheon attended by offices from all over campus is held to help accommodate all the needs of new students.
Junior Andrew House says, “the transfer process was definitely very helpful to me.” House hales from Reed College in Oregon and believes that McDaniel’s staff was accommodating in every way possible. Freshman Sara Krome seconds House’s notions. She had been accepted to McDaniel a year ago but decided to go to Washington College; Krome states that re-applying was extremely quick and easy for her.
Not only is the application easy, so is existence on McDaniel’s hilly campus. House, Krome, freshman Crissy Kluba (former student of Central Virginia Community College), and junior Melissa Borchers (former student of Stevenson University) all agree that McDaniel’s atmosphere is one that creates a feeling of home through its friendly students, beautiful campus, diversity in organizations, and active student body.
Though they love the school, they still take issue with some of the problems that many students struggle with. Borchers says that some of the buildings on campus are old and poorly cared for. House and Krome are not thrilled with the dining options, and Kluba says mildly that Clean Access Agent can be a bit temperamental.
The 82 new students who now call McDaniel home not only had excellent support during the transfer process, they now have the resources of excellent teachers, friendly students, and an atmosphere that cannot be denied as being homey and welcoming.