Terry Scholars Can Avoid Transfer Shock
Congratulations on being a Terry Scholars and on your transfer to Texas Tech! You've already proven that you can succeed in college, or you wouldn't have been admitted to Tech, much less been chosen as a Terry Scholar. No matter why you transferred or how happy you are to be here, you will face a period of adjustment. Other students have already formed friendships, relationships, and study groups. They are familiar with the campus, with its resources, with the sought-after professors, with the local hangouts. How do you catch up and feel as though you really belong?
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Here are Some Suggestions:
Take advantage of orientation and Welcome Week activities for transfers. Yes, you already know about college, but this is a new place with new demands and options. It's much like moving to a new city, where we need to locate stores, post office, doctor, dentist, etc.; no matter how many places we've lived, we need to learn about the new town or neighborhood. Orientation is a prime opportunity to learn all you can about Tech. You'll get acquainted with advisors, professors, past and present transfer students, and available services -- before the semester begins and you are too busy to search them out. Welcome Week also known as Raider Welcome is a weeklong series of FUN and FREE events designed to welcome new and returning students to the Texas Tech campus
Use the catalog, map, and newspaper to learn about your new home. Study the catalog, especially requirements and course descriptions in your major. With a campus map, walk around campus and visit each building; read the campus paper cover to cover. Get off-campus, too, to discover social and cultural opportunities in the Tech neighborhood.
Campus Map
Campus Newspaper
Lubbock Newspaper
Lubbock 289 in the Loop
Visit the Library and ask for a brief tour before the semester gets busy. Every college library is organized differently, and you'll be a step ahead if you have a general sense of the Tech system before that first assignment sends you there -- with a deadline. And don't hesitate to ask a research librarian or a student worker for help with a specific task. No one expects you to know it all, and a little guidance could save you hours of frustration.
Tech Library
Get involved in at least one extra-curricular activity right away, no matter how busy you are. You'll meet people who share your interests, reach beyond the classroom, and tap into the grapevine of informal communication. Avoid the P-C-P syndrome! (Parking lot - Classroom - Parking lot)
Campus life
Student Organizations
Introduce yourself to one person in each of your courses. Exchange phone numbers and email addresses, then plan to take notes for each other if either of you must miss a class. You may want to compare notes or study together for a test, so look for a serious student, not a last-row latecomer.
Swallow any shyness. It's not easy to walk into a classroom or cafeteria where you don't know a soul and, worse, everybody else seems to know everyone. (They don't -- it just seems that way!) You've already survived freshman year elsewhere; you can handle being a newcomer more easily with that experience. Smile, introduce yourself, and ask a question; suddenly, you'll know more people than you did yesterday. The poise you develop will be valuable in both college and career.
Take stock and set some short-term and long-term goals. You're at a natural turning point. Evaluate your interests, aptitudes, and career possibilities. Your advisor will help you match courses not only to your degree, but to your individual needs and talents. As you set those goals, plan to take advantage of such free campus resources as:
Be prepared for classes to be different. Depending upon the college you've transferred from, Tech classes may be smaller or larger. Faculty may seem more or less formal, and more or less focused on teaching, research, and writing. Being surrounded by many students whom you do not yet know may make you feel less at ease. Yes, the setting is somewhat different, just as your high school differed from your first college, but the goals of successful teaching and learning are the same. Give yourself a few weeks, get to know your professors (see below), and you'll be more comfortable.
Visit each of your professors during office hours or by appointment. Introduce yourself, mention that you have transferred, are a Terry Scholar , and let them know that you are eager to take advantage of Tech's academic opportunities. In short, become an individual, not just a name on a class roll. Once you've established contact, sit near the front of the classroom, participate fully, and make your mark. You'll soon need career or graduate school recommendations from your major professors, and you don't have four years to get acquainted with them. It's also far easier to ask for help with an assignment or after a poor test grade if the professor already knows you and your positive attitude.
After your initial visits, stay in touch with professors! At Tech, professors expect you to take the initiative and ask for advice on preparing for the first test, narrowing a paper topic, or choosing a major. If a grade is low, it's fine to ask to look over the paper or test with the professor to determine what you can do differently on the next one. If you don't react to a low grade, a professor may assume that you don't care. In reality, you may just be embarrassed or a bit intimidated. Don't let emotion hold you back; do go to office hours to take full advantage of the opportunity to learn from that expert faculty member. No, you don't need to visit daily, and yes, a professor may have a bad day. If you aren't warmly welcomed, ask for an appointment to return later. Use e mail and voice mail, too.
Expect more demanding courses. Upper-level courses are likely to require more study time than introductory courses; be prepared, perhaps for the first time, to really need the recommended 30 hours of study per week for a full course load. You may need to be more active in your approach to study. How? Take more notes in class; don't just read, but also reflect upon new concepts; work to see relationships and make connections between lectures and texts. Advanced courses may also include longer and different types of tests, papers, and presentations. Some final grades may depend upon just two exams -- a midterm and a cumulative final. In junior and senior level courses, professors aim to prepare you for your future career or graduate work, so be prepared to think more analytically, to learn more independently, and to be asked to demonstrate your knowledge more completely.
Don't be alarmed by low initial grades, but do take action. Given all those differences, it is common for a transferring student's GPA to drop in the first semester, but most students then make some adjustments and their GPA's rebound. Don't panic if your expected A's do not materialize at first. Some professors grade hard at the start to clarify their high expectations, and some just don't award many A's! Once you get back the first graded test or paper, you'll have a better idea of how to improve on the second one. Pay attention to early grades, react quickly and appropriately, but don't panic. Ask students who transferred here before you, and you're likely to find that they experienced the same pattern of events. Each semester, of about 5300 Tech undergraduates, only a few dozen students achieve a 4.0 cumulative GPA. Tech's Honor Roll features several hundred students each semester, but a straight-A cumulative average is rare here. That, too may differ from your first college.
Honestly evaluate your study habits and skills, even if you had a 4.0 at your previous college. Because professors' expectations, reading loads, or grading standards may be different at Tech, the study system that worked before may need to be refined, especially for junior and senior level courses. Call The Learning Center at 806-742-3664 or go to their website http://www.depts.ttu.edu/passcntr/PLC/ for a free self-assessment.
Monitor your own academic performance. Take action at the first feeling of uncertainty about course content; the best step is often to devote more time to that course. Plan time to keep up with the reading, to prepare more thoroughly for each class, to review weekly, to see the professor for advice, to meet with a study group, to see a tutor. To reduce both stress and procrastination, give yourself an academic checkup each Friday. Look back at the past week. Have you fallen behind in a course or two? Devote some weekend time to catching up. What's coming up in the week ahead? Get a head start on those tests or that paper over the weekend. If you check yourself once a week, you'll never get so far behind that you can't get back in control.
adapted from
Take advantage of orientation and Welcome Week activities for transfers. Yes, you already know about college, but this is a new place with new demands and options. It's much like moving to a new city, where we need to locate stores, post office, doctor, dentist, etc.; no matter how many places we've lived, we need to learn about the new town or neighborhood. Orientation is a prime opportunity to learn all you can about Tech. You'll get acquainted with advisors, professors, past and present transfer students, and available services -- before the semester begins and you are too busy to search them out. Welcome Week also known as Raider Welcome is a weeklong series of FUN and FREE events designed to welcome new and returning students to the Texas Tech campus
Use the catalog, map, and newspaper to learn about your new home. Study the catalog, especially requirements and course descriptions in your major. With a campus map, walk around campus and visit each building; read the campus paper cover to cover. Get off-campus, too, to discover social and cultural opportunities in the Tech neighborhood.
Campus Map
Campus Newspaper
Lubbock Newspaper
Lubbock 289 in the Loop
Visit the Library and ask for a brief tour before the semester gets busy. Every college library is organized differently, and you'll be a step ahead if you have a general sense of the Tech system before that first assignment sends you there -- with a deadline. And don't hesitate to ask a research librarian or a student worker for help with a specific task. No one expects you to know it all, and a little guidance could save you hours of frustration.
Tech Library
Get involved in at least one extra-curricular activity right away, no matter how busy you are. You'll meet people who share your interests, reach beyond the classroom, and tap into the grapevine of informal communication. Avoid the P-C-P syndrome! (Parking lot - Classroom - Parking lot)
Campus life
Student Organizations
Introduce yourself to one person in each of your courses. Exchange phone numbers and email addresses, then plan to take notes for each other if either of you must miss a class. You may want to compare notes or study together for a test, so look for a serious student, not a last-row latecomer.
Swallow any shyness. It's not easy to walk into a classroom or cafeteria where you don't know a soul and, worse, everybody else seems to know everyone. (They don't -- it just seems that way!) You've already survived freshman year elsewhere; you can handle being a newcomer more easily with that experience. Smile, introduce yourself, and ask a question; suddenly, you'll know more people than you did yesterday. The poise you develop will be valuable in both college and career.
Take stock and set some short-term and long-term goals. You're at a natural turning point. Evaluate your interests, aptitudes, and career possibilities. Your advisor will help you match courses not only to your degree, but to your individual needs and talents. As you set those goals, plan to take advantage of such free campus resources as:
- Center for Campus Life 201 Student Union Building 806.742.5433 http://www.depts.ttu.edu/centerforcampuslife/
- Division of Undergraduate Education and Student Affairs 162 Administration Building http://www.depts.ttu.edu/provost/acadaffairs/
- University Career Center Wiggins Complex 806.742.2210 http://www.depts.ttu.edu/careercenter/
- Student Wellness Center 1003 Flint Ave Appointment Line: 806-743-2848 www.ttuhsc.edu/studenthealth/
- Student Counseling Center 201 Student Wellness Center 806.742.3674 http://www.depts.ttu.edu/scc/
- SOAR Program Holdon Hall, Room 80 http://www.depts.ttu.edu/passcntr/
- TTU Writing Center ENGL/PHIL Room 175 of the http://uwc.ttu.edu/
- Student Disability Services West Hall, Room 335 806.742.2405 http://www.depts.ttu.edu/students/sds/
- Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Community Engagement 806.742.7025 http://www.depts.ttu.edu/diversity/
Be prepared for classes to be different. Depending upon the college you've transferred from, Tech classes may be smaller or larger. Faculty may seem more or less formal, and more or less focused on teaching, research, and writing. Being surrounded by many students whom you do not yet know may make you feel less at ease. Yes, the setting is somewhat different, just as your high school differed from your first college, but the goals of successful teaching and learning are the same. Give yourself a few weeks, get to know your professors (see below), and you'll be more comfortable.
Visit each of your professors during office hours or by appointment. Introduce yourself, mention that you have transferred, are a Terry Scholar , and let them know that you are eager to take advantage of Tech's academic opportunities. In short, become an individual, not just a name on a class roll. Once you've established contact, sit near the front of the classroom, participate fully, and make your mark. You'll soon need career or graduate school recommendations from your major professors, and you don't have four years to get acquainted with them. It's also far easier to ask for help with an assignment or after a poor test grade if the professor already knows you and your positive attitude.
After your initial visits, stay in touch with professors! At Tech, professors expect you to take the initiative and ask for advice on preparing for the first test, narrowing a paper topic, or choosing a major. If a grade is low, it's fine to ask to look over the paper or test with the professor to determine what you can do differently on the next one. If you don't react to a low grade, a professor may assume that you don't care. In reality, you may just be embarrassed or a bit intimidated. Don't let emotion hold you back; do go to office hours to take full advantage of the opportunity to learn from that expert faculty member. No, you don't need to visit daily, and yes, a professor may have a bad day. If you aren't warmly welcomed, ask for an appointment to return later. Use e mail and voice mail, too.
Expect more demanding courses. Upper-level courses are likely to require more study time than introductory courses; be prepared, perhaps for the first time, to really need the recommended 30 hours of study per week for a full course load. You may need to be more active in your approach to study. How? Take more notes in class; don't just read, but also reflect upon new concepts; work to see relationships and make connections between lectures and texts. Advanced courses may also include longer and different types of tests, papers, and presentations. Some final grades may depend upon just two exams -- a midterm and a cumulative final. In junior and senior level courses, professors aim to prepare you for your future career or graduate work, so be prepared to think more analytically, to learn more independently, and to be asked to demonstrate your knowledge more completely.
Don't be alarmed by low initial grades, but do take action. Given all those differences, it is common for a transferring student's GPA to drop in the first semester, but most students then make some adjustments and their GPA's rebound. Don't panic if your expected A's do not materialize at first. Some professors grade hard at the start to clarify their high expectations, and some just don't award many A's! Once you get back the first graded test or paper, you'll have a better idea of how to improve on the second one. Pay attention to early grades, react quickly and appropriately, but don't panic. Ask students who transferred here before you, and you're likely to find that they experienced the same pattern of events. Each semester, of about 5300 Tech undergraduates, only a few dozen students achieve a 4.0 cumulative GPA. Tech's Honor Roll features several hundred students each semester, but a straight-A cumulative average is rare here. That, too may differ from your first college.
Honestly evaluate your study habits and skills, even if you had a 4.0 at your previous college. Because professors' expectations, reading loads, or grading standards may be different at Tech, the study system that worked before may need to be refined, especially for junior and senior level courses. Call The Learning Center at 806-742-3664 or go to their website http://www.depts.ttu.edu/passcntr/PLC/ for a free self-assessment.
Monitor your own academic performance. Take action at the first feeling of uncertainty about course content; the best step is often to devote more time to that course. Plan time to keep up with the reading, to prepare more thoroughly for each class, to review weekly, to see the professor for advice, to meet with a study group, to see a tutor. To reduce both stress and procrastination, give yourself an academic checkup each Friday. Look back at the past week. Have you fallen behind in a course or two? Devote some weekend time to catching up. What's coming up in the week ahead? Get a head start on those tests or that paper over the weekend. If you check yourself once a week, you'll never get so far behind that you can't get back in control.
adapted from
HOW CAN SOAR WORK WITH YOU?
You may never have visited the learning center at your previous college, but don't miss out on Tech's unique programs! And it's all free! To get the most out of your TECH education and your tuition dollars, come see the folks at SOAR. http://www.depts.ttu.edu/advising/tutors.php
SOAR stands for ... Support Operations for Academic Retention. Cute acronym, serious business. Here's some direct links to services we think might be especially important for you to know about, but be sure to fully explore their entire web site so you don't miss a thing.
The Learning Center The Learning Center is a division of SOAR dedicated to helping students achieve academic success and develop lifelong learning skills. Free peer tutoring in a variety of subjects is available on a walk-in basis. Online Tutoring is available to students Monday –Thursday, 8pm to 10pm. Peer Coaches are also available to help students improve academic skills such as time management, studying, test-taking, and note taking. In addition to tutoring and coaching services students also have access to an ONSITE LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR to assist them in handling personal issues that may be hindering their efforts towards achieving academic success. Services through The Learning Center are free to enrolled TTU students! Drop by the Learning Center at 80 Holden Hall or call 806.742.3664. Learn much more online at www.lc.soar.ttu.edu.
SOAR stands for ... Support Operations for Academic Retention. Cute acronym, serious business. Here's some direct links to services we think might be especially important for you to know about, but be sure to fully explore their entire web site so you don't miss a thing.
The Learning Center The Learning Center is a division of SOAR dedicated to helping students achieve academic success and develop lifelong learning skills. Free peer tutoring in a variety of subjects is available on a walk-in basis. Online Tutoring is available to students Monday –Thursday, 8pm to 10pm. Peer Coaches are also available to help students improve academic skills such as time management, studying, test-taking, and note taking. In addition to tutoring and coaching services students also have access to an ONSITE LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR to assist them in handling personal issues that may be hindering their efforts towards achieving academic success. Services through The Learning Center are free to enrolled TTU students! Drop by the Learning Center at 80 Holden Hall or call 806.742.3664. Learn much more online at www.lc.soar.ttu.edu.