A Letter to Incoming Transfer Students: What No One Tells You

By Rachel Eisenhart

Dear 2028 transfer students,

Hi! My name is Rachel, and I’m a transfer student in the Class of ’27. I’m here to be your guide, cheerleader and friend as you enter this next phase of your college experience. Be warned… It’s going to be a confusing one. 

As I’m sure you remember, the college process is grueling, from the stress of getting applications in on time to waiting for decisions, opening them and stressing about which school to attend. At your first school, you probably had your fair share of “freshman year mistakes,” from unplanned adventures that end in stories you’ll never stop telling to planned nights that end in a dumb argument with your next-door neighbor. What they don’t tell you as a transfer student, however, is that in some ways, you repeat your first year. You play the same old “where are you from, what’s your major” game a hundred times in the first week. It feels like the worst parts of freshman year all over again. You’re a small fish in a big pond, scrambling to fit in with people who have been here for a year. You haven’t experienced any of the campus traditions or made memories at this new school… yet. 

 Be ready to have plenty of awkward conversations that will go along the lines of “Oh, what dorm are you living in next year?” 

“Oh, I’m not, I’m transferring to Cornell.” 

When the second semester at the university you’re leaving behind ends and summer begins, those conversations become “Where do you go to college?”

“Cornell!”

“How do you like it?”

“Well, actually, I’m a transfer student and I haven’t actually been there yet.” 

Once you get here, you’ll be lumped into the same category as first-years, but the weird thing is you’re not. You’ve made those mistakes and learned how to live away from home, behave at a party and give off non-freshman energy. You’ve moved past that stage of your college experience, and yet you feel like you’re stuck reliving the most tedious and challenging parts of freshman year. You didn’t get to celebrate in the same way that the freshmen did, since, after all, admitted student days, college commitment parties and high school commitment pages are reserved for high school seniors, not summer-before-sophomore-year transfer students. 

Yet, despite this feeling of limbo that accompanies the transfer class, you find your way. You take the lessons of freshman year with you and run. You know what mistakes not to make, like not swiping right on that person who lives in your dorm because you know you can’t escape them and are destined to make awkward eye contact with them for the rest of your time at Cornell. You know yourself and your habits: what study methods work best for you, what you want your social schedule to look like, etc. 

The best part? You take the highlights of freshman year with you. You keep in touch with your freshman year friends and make even more friends here. As a whole, you grow. Even though it may feel like you’re being taught “how to college” again, there’s no learning curve this time. You hit the ground running and thrive here. When someone asks you, “How do you like Cornell?” you have a real answer. After a few weeks, you forget that you’re a transfer student, you’re just a sophomore. 

Lastly, although there is no “Admitted Students Day” for transfers, take a few days over the summer and come visit Ithaca. Walk through Cascadilla Gorge, find your coffee order at Collegetown Bagels, get a feel for campus and, most importantly, go buy all that Big Red merch that you may have felt passed you by. You worked for it just as hard as any other incoming student, and in the case of Transfer Option students, you’ve waited since senior year for your moment; this is it! You did it! Speaking for myself, Cornell was my dream school, and transferring here was the best decision I could have made. 

So, while I still have your attention, congratulations, and welcome to Cornell, Class of 2028!

Rachel Eisenhart is a sophomore in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. She can be reached at rse53@cornell.edu.

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