UNC Greensboro is celebrating its transfer students this week as part of National Transfer Student Week, which occurs on the third week of October each year.
UNCG will host multiple events throughout the week to inform potential transfer students and connect current transfer students with resources and each other. Events include tour + transfer info sessions, a transfer student panel, virtual drop-in hours with admissions counselors, and more. See the schedule here.
Transfer students are an integral part of UNCG’s campus community. Over 1,700 new transfer students are admitted to UNCG every fall, and transfer students make up nearly half of the University’s graduating class each year.
National Transfer Student Week serves as a way to build awareness of common transfer barriers and the diverse student needs and identities within transfer populations. On-campus transfer students can easily get involved and can be connected to resources and leadership opportunities like the Tau Sigma National Honor Society and the Transfer2Transfer mentorship program. Although the transition between institutions can be complex, it is a valuable pathway to bachelor’s degree completion.
One Spartan that can attest to this is senior social work major Elizabeth Valentin-Martinez.
She transferred to UNCG after earning her associate’s degree from Forsyth Technical Community College.
Although most of her classes were virtual during her first year, she says UNCG set her up to succeed. In her transfer orientation seminar, she was connected to fellow transfer students and resources and given the tools to navigate college life at a four-year institution – from student organizations, to scholarships, to tips on how to adjust to the transition.
She cites one of the greatest resources she utilized as the Academic Achievement Center, which paired her with a mentor to help improve her time management, organizational, and study skills.
Now that campus has opened back up, Valentin-Martinez is eager to get involved in more clubs and organizations and attend more on-campus events.
“I want to get the full college experience. I’m really interested in being a student leader and making an impact on campus. I live in Winston-Salem and I’m a mom, so it’s not easy to find the time or the courage to come to campus and socialize outside of schoolwork – especially coming from community college. But as a transfer student, you have to be willing to step out of your comfort zone. UNCG is giving me the opportunity to do that.”
Spartan faculty and staff are also encouraged to help celebrate National Transfer Student Week by letting our UNCG transfer students know that you, too, were a transfer student. Download and use these transfer support buttons on your social media profiles this week, and share your transfer experience by tagging #UNCG and #transferstudentweek. If you weren’t a transfer student, share the graphics to show your support!
For more information on UNCG’s Transfer Student Week, resources, and more, visit admissions.uncg.edu/transfer-week.
For more information on National Transfer Student Week, visit nists.org/national-transfer-student-week.
Story by Alexandra McQueen, University Communications
Graphic by Jiyoung Park, University Communications
