Joining the Tribe & Finding a Home

Transitioning to a new place, including the transition to William & Mary, isn’t always easy; there might be those tough days or tough weeks initially. But hear me out: it is so worth it. And there’s definitely things you can do to make the transition easier. Most importantly, be willing to come to W&M open-minded and ready to get involved. You’ll hear over and over that it’s so easy to get involved at W&M, and it is true so take advantage of that! Try different activities and join different clubs to find your interests and passions and to find those groups of people that you really connect with. Also, people at W&M are extremely friendly and always willing help. From getting lost around campus during my first week, to being utterly confused about what classes to register for, to wanting to know more about activities to get involved in, students and professors were always so helpful and understanding.

Another thing that makes the transition process a little easier is transfer orientation. Yes, you get to go through college orientation again! If you’re someone who doesn’t like orientations, I promise it’s not as bad as it sounds. Transfer orientation not only helps to get you acquainted with W&M, but also introduces you to a group of people who all have something in common with you – they’ve taken that leap of faith and decided to transfer to W&M. Your orientation group will bond easily and is an awesome community to start W&M with; I ended up best friends with many people I first met during orientation.

Ultimately, you’ll find that moment when you really feel at home at W&M. Maybe you’ve felt all along that W&M is home or maybe one week at W&M is all it takes. For me, I was definitely super nervous about leaving my old school and constantly questioning if I made the right choice. But after only my second day at W&M, I could sense that the W&M community was something unique – that people were genuine, passionate, caring, and seriously awesome. The transition to W&M was tough for me at times, but the moment I realized transferring was the best decision I have ever made and that I was ready to call W&M home was at the end of my first semester. I took a look back at everything I had done in that semester and all the people I had met, and I honestly was in awe – in awe of the opportunities that W&M had given me, in awe of the friendships I had formed, in awe of how much I had grown as a person because of my experiences, and in awe of the W&M community I was, and continue to be, lucky enough to be a part of.

After 3 years at William & Mary, I’ve gone from always playing the transfer card (“I’m new here and confused what’s going on”) to people saying “Wait, you transferred?” when I mention that I’m a transfer student. I couldn’t imagine myself being anywhere else and I am so happy that I get to call W&M home. And soon enough you’ll feel like you’ve been at W&M all along.

-Sarah Boegner ’17