By Hannah Hartline
It should not be a surprise that not everyone at Troy University comes in as a freshman. Troy’s main campus takes in, on average, 500 transfer-in students every year, according to community college relations coordinator Dendy Moseley.
Some students come from other four-year universities, while others come from two-year colleges.
Transferring from Lurleen B. Wallace Community College was one of the most intimidating decisions that I made as a college student, second only to choosing a major. Choosing Troy was not an easy task, and a lot of factors played into my decision.
Troy has a lot to offer a student, not only in the way of scholarships but also as a campus and administration. The campus has the feel of some of its larger counterparts with Greek life and various other organizations, but also with the close-knit feeling and the helpfulness of the faculty of a smaller campus. It is one of those things that make Troy the school that we love.
Dan Beltran Jr., a senior art studio major from Enterprise, agreed that the faculty made the campus appealing for him.
“Mrs. Pam Allen and I spoke on the phone, and she gave me a wonderful tour of the art department in Malone and I got to meet some of the professors as well,” Beltran said. “As an older student with a choice, if it wasn’t for the faculty and Mrs. Allen, I wouldn’t have come to Troy for art after seeing the facility.”
Transferring to Troy is a fairly smooth process with paperwork that is quite common to students, but the hardest part for me was knowing which of my classes would transfer and which would not. Ultimately, that affected little more than my timeline of graduation, but I do not think I would trade being a transfer student for anything.
Despite the differences, transferring made sense for me. I wanted to receive a two-year degree, just in case I could not complete a bachelor’s at a four-year university due to financial circumstances or any other reason. I am grateful for the opportunities at LBWCC to learn how to be a college student, instead of being an incoming freshman with no sense of direction or how to write a term paper.
I am grateful for having the chance to learn the ropes of college living, before making a large life decision and leaping into the commuter lifestyle that I live now. Learning these basic college skills at a small and personal level prepared me for the upper-level classes that I am taking now.
Troy has a wonderful, interconnected feel that reminds me of my community college. Other than being lost for the first few weeks, and still having little idea about where some buildings are at times, I truly consider Troy to be my home away from home.
Granted, the only thing I think I truly missed out on with “college life” is probably living in a dorm, though that was a personal decision. Transfer
students definitely have the advantage when it comes to housing, as we can choose to apply or find housing elsewhere.
There have been a few bumps during my transition to Troy, but with the help of caring faculty from both sides, it has been nothing that was not met with professionalism and determination to see student success.
Hannah Hartline is a senior multimedia journalism major from Andalusia.
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