By Savannah Ford | LTVN Reporter
Starting college is supposed to be exciting, meeting new people, joining clubs and diving into traditions. But for transfer students at Baylor, that experience can feel different. While freshmen bond over orientation, dorm life and early campus traditions, transfers like myself often show up later, trying to catch up socially while keeping up academically. It can feel like everyone else has already found their place, leaving you on the outside looking in.
Ironically, there’s actually a name for this feeling: “transfer shock.” Baylor’s Transfer Student Success office defines it as the stress, lower grades and feelings of isolation many transfer students face in their first semester. The term perfectly describes what I’ve felt myself. It’s not that we aren’t capable or motivated; it’s that the rhythm of the campus is already set before we even arrive. The group projects, late-night study sessions and even small things like “inside jokes” professors share with students from their freshman and sophomore classes, all of that can make you feel like you’re a step behind.
A 2023 Inside Higher Ed study found that transfer students are significantly more likely than their peers to feel isolated and disconnected from campus life. At Baylor, it often feels like the social circles are already in place, and breaking into them can be intimidating. It’s not that people are trying to exclude us; most Baylor students are genuinely welcoming, but it doesn’t stop the feeling of being left out.
Sometimes, you can be in a room full of people and still feel alone, as Kafka once said, “My loneliness is full of people.”
Meanwhile, Baylor’s Admissions website highlights the university’s commitment to “welcoming transfer students” and providing them with resources to thrive. And yes, some of those resources exist. There are Transfer Student Success programs, dedicated advisers and opportunities for involvement. But here’s the tension: resources don’t always equal relationships.
A meeting with an adviser can help with class planning, but it doesn’t guarantee an invitation to lunch afterward. A success seminar might teach you how to manage your time, but it can’t give you the instant friendships that freshmen get from dorm life, Welcome Week or Line Camp.
That gap is where many of us transfer students struggle. Transfer students don’t always need another workshop or advising session; we need connection. We need someone to ask us how we’re really doing, to invite us into the conversation, to include us in the traditions that make Baylor, Baylor.
The irony is that transfers often bring resilience, perspective and drive to succeed. Many of us have already navigated the messy parts of starting college once before. We know what it feels like to struggle in a first-year course, to find our footing in a new city or to build community from scratch. And yet, instead of being seen as an asset, we sometimes feel like an afterthought.
So what would actually make a difference? For one, more intentional programming for transfer students, not just academic workshops, but real social events that help us find each other and build friendships across campus. Baylor does offer transfer-specific events, but the results often fall flat.
What we really need are upperclassmen mentors who can make the transition less overwhelming. Having someone who’s already walked the Baylor path, someone who can answer the questions that never make it into the handbook, would go a long way. Even something as simple as fostering more collaboration between transfer students and existing student organizations could bridge the gap and make us feel part of the larger Baylor community, rather than feeling stuck on the sidelines.
Another piece of the puzzle is shifting the mindset. Freshmen are celebrated as they arrive on campus, and rightly so. But transfers deserve celebration, too. Choosing to uproot yourself from one school and restart at another takes courage. It means leaving behind routines, friendships and familiar professors to start fresh in a place that might not always feel welcoming. That kind of determination should be recognized, not overlooked.
And while this piece is about transfer students, it’s not just a transfer issue. When any group of students feels excluded from campus life, it affects the whole community. Colleges and universities often pride themselves on fostering a sense of belonging, but true communities don’t leave anyone out; they make room at the table. After all, isn’t that what a university is supposed to be about? Family, connection and a real sense of belonging.
That’s what Baylor builds its foundation on: family.
The challenge, of course, is that building belonging takes effort from both sides. Transfers can’t expect everything to be handed to us; we have to show up, put ourselves out there and be willing to take social risks. But the campus community also has to meet us halfway. Inclusion doesn’t happen by accident; it happens by intention.
College isn’t only about grades; it’s about connection. It’s about knowing you belong somewhere, not just in a classroom, but in a community. Transfers bring resilience, fresh perspectives and determination to succeed, and it’s time for us to be fully included in the community.
We don’t want to feel like we’re starting the race a lap behind. We just want to be part of it.
