Here at Pace, administration pulls out all the stops to make freshmen feel welcome. From orientation to Week of Welcome (WoW), to tours and more, there are plenty of services to get acclimated to the university. One might say that they are doing too much. I say they are missing out on an entire population of students: transfers.

As a transfer student this year, I feel like the redheaded stepchild of the Pace family. I am not a freshman in regards to age or credits. I am 21 years old and technically a sophomore. In fact, I attended two colleges before my time here. However, I am new to the environment at Pace. When I arrived, the type of welcome I received was underwhelming.

An all-day mandatory orientation is provided to introduce the school and its services. It is also an opportunity to meet other transfer students coming to Pace.

As welcoming as Pace might be, transfer orientation is all that is offered to transfer students.

Like all first year students, transfers were supposed to move in on August 30. Some transfers did and some bypassed the date. Not knowing I had the option of a later date, I moved in that Saturday. After setting up my room, I figured there would be a bunch of activities waiting for me. I was wrong. I wandered aimlessly around campus with no particular destination. Luckily I met some friendly people that helped sign me up for WoW, so I could get adjusted more easily.

With freshmen from all over campus at WoW and only five transfer students, it was clear we didn’t really belong to the crowd. However, I went along for the ride.

Throughout the WoW events, there were icebreakers and activities of that nature. A lot of introductory services were provided to produce a sense of familiarity with the community. Although WoW was enjoyable, other transfer students and I certainly felt that it was lacking.

Through participation in events that I had done at other institutions, and the lack of communication with other transfer students, my experience overall was diminished.

“If I was a freshman, WoW would have been a grade A, but I’m not a freshman,” said Athena Middleton, a transfer student from Rockland Community College.

This, along with the fact that invitations were received through email could be why many transfers deferred attending WoW.

So, if transfers weren’t required or didn’t want to go to WoW, then why is there an issue? Because transfers weren’t fully represented in Pace’s welcome. Orientation was just that: orientation. After that, we were basically thrown to the fire.

“It’s better to know people with similar experiences coming to a new school that are about the same age as you,” said Christina DiRoma, a transfer from Dutchess Community College.

In the end, transfers find their way with or without something special just for us. But a thought towards us would have been nice.