Transfer Experiential Map

Let’s walk through the first slide of the Transfer Experiential Map together. The first slide contains experiences students encounter during their first 1-29 credits after they transfer to SUNY Fredonia. During this period, students are usually brand new to their school and are unsure of what resources are available and are not yet comfortable with life at Fredonia. Each row on the right-hand side highlights items students may want to consider during their initial transition to campus. Each column -boxed in white- is an example of three specific experiences SUNY Fredonia has for the coinciding broad topics.

For example: The first row is marked “Academics” as the broad topic. To the right of it you will see that three experiences are showcased: “Introduce yourself to your academic advisor or continue to build a partnership to ensure a transfer-specific advising approach, Learn how to navigate DegreeWorks and YourConnection, and Review and explore your Fredonia Foundations (General Education) requirements”. As transfer student earning 1-29 credits, these are just some of the “Academic” experiences you may or have already encountered thus far. These are important concepts that may help as you transition and acclimate to your new educational environment

Now that we have gone over the basic structure of the Transfer Experiential Map, you can select certain experiences that are important to you and will help build a sense of belonging to campus. The slide below features experiences students may encounter while earning 30-59 credits after they transfer to SUNY Fredonia. During this time, students have accumulated college experience and are usually gaining the confidence to search for resources and finding ways to connect to campus. This does not mean that support for transfers is not needed. This can be an overwhelming process and transitioning to a new environment can be scary and intimidating. The goal of these resources is to help transfer students to build a strong connection to campus early and support academic and social needs. 

For example: Students at this stage may be more comfortable with campus life and now want to pursue leadership opportunities.The row titled  “Extracurricular” has the 3 experiences listed, “Take on a leadership position in your club or organization to boost your transfer momentum, Explore your opportunities to study abroad, Get involved in your residence hall and make it your new home. Ask your RD if there are other transfers in your residence hall. 

As you move onto the third slide, please look over the past two slides and pick out experiences that will support your pathway here at Fredonia. The third slide contains experiences students usually encounter while transferring  in with, or earning 60-75 credits at SUNY Fredonia. During this time the expectation is students have become comfortable with campus life and have become familiar with the nature of various resources found on college campus’. At this point, it is important to maximize your time to graduation and understanding how to seek out support resources while juggling upper-level coursework, research, internships, etc. 

For example: Depending on time to graduation, you may be seriously considering a career. At this time, it is very important to focus on professional development. The slide below focuses on this concept and provides examples: “Designate your final course requirements you will need to ensure degree completion to graduate on time, attend a career fair and expand your professional development! Reflect on how being a Transfer student has influences you and career ambitions, Engage with the Career Development Office for a resume workshop, mock interview, and job/internship opportunities”. 

As we now move onto the last slide, please look over the previous slides and choose experiences that will support your needs as a transfer student. The slide below contains important for students who are approaching graduation and transitioning to a career or advances degree. Let’s look at a specific example that connects to graduates.

For example: At this time, it is very important to work on your networking skills. Here are some broad topics that students may find useful. “Ask the Career Development Office to review a personal statement for school/program applications, Engage with the Career Development Office for a resume workshop, mock interview, and job/ internship opportunities, Highly consider contacting individuals who you would like for your letters of recommendation”.