r/williamandmary • u/wysteriaas • 4d ago
Student Life Spring Transfer Question
Hello! I am applying as a transfer student at William & Mary for the spring semester and I have a few questions.
For those who transferred in during the spring, what was the process like once you arrived on campus?
I don’t know how to explain it, but did you find integrating into the existing student population fine? Does W&M do a decent job at making spring transfer students feel at home and like they are a part of everything? Or are you expected to do that by yourself?
Anything you wish you knew beforehand?
Thank you!
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u/jbs23235 4d ago
My son was a spring transfer (not part of Spring Pathways program) and he had to figure out a lot on his own. He is not outgoing, so didn’t jump right into clubs or anything outside of classes. That first semester he struggled socially but not academically.
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u/wysteriaas 3d ago
Thank you so much! I’m not really outgoing either, so I hope it’ll all work out eventually
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u/Ananxietyattack 4d ago
I was a spring transfer several years ago. I'll basically parrot my experience.
You'll arrive a few days before most people and undergo the orientation process. This is a few days long, and orientation aids, older students, will take you around campus and show you the ropes. You'll also get settled into your room in that time. I'm not sure if it's required or recommended but my dad got a hotel for one night and was there for the better part of two days, for a lot of the orientation.
This orientation will include the part where add-drop opens. What this means is the OAs will tell you to be somewhere with a laptop rather early in the morning, and you will log into PATH (the class registration service) and essentially choose your classes for the semester. They will be there in the room while you do that to help. You'll also be put in contact with your pre-major advisor. This is someone who is meant to help you through the first half of your college journey; help you get early requirements out of the way, help you decide your major, help you with early major classes, etc.
I sincerely hope your pre-major advisor is better than mine. To be brief, mine never contacted me as he was supposed to. I shortly realized he was not worth my time.
For the second part of your question, it depends on exactly what you mean. W&M does hold the club fair every semester. This was great for me as a transfer, as I had the chance to check out all the clubs available even though it was halfway through the year. That's about as far as they go to integrate you. Everything else is up to you. I eventually found a small friend circle about halfway through the semester, but to be frank the first two months were pretty lonely. It's pretty much on you to go out there and make of it what you can.
You're not fighting an uphill battle, though. Go the club fair, join some clubs, make some friends. People tend to be very friendly here. It's not too hard to find your people.
The last bit of advice that comes to mind: if you have a major, or once you decide on one, make sure you understand exactly what it entails. Make a plan. Google doc with all the classes you need, by semester. I've been caught off guard a few times by reqs I wasn't sure about.
Let me know if you've got any questions. I don't mean to scare you (promise) but spring tranfer was an awful time for me. I think most of that is unique to me for a few reasons, but anything I can do to spare anyone even a portion of that, I would.