Transfer Students Open Up About College Experience
Emily Cobb | September 27, 2023
Warren Wilson College (WWC) has many transfer students in attendance. Many are from different backgrounds and have found themselves settling on WWC’s small and nature-infused campus.
Rey Sadoff is a first-year at WWC and is on Business Crew, which is working with Farm Crew this semester to open a farm general store. She transferred here after one year at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio.
“There are a lot of reasons [I transferred],” Sadoff said. “It [Antioch College] was just very, very small, and it was in a pretty small town. They [Antioch College] don't have a ton of funding, which just kind of limits your opportunities. Because it's such a small school, there's not a lot of programs, not a lot of different classes. And I missed the mountains, this is my home.”
Sadoff is originally from Ohio but primarily grew up in western North Carolina. Sadoff chose WWC because of its location and the fact that it was a small alternative school with nature. The process of transferring schools, and transitioning into WWC overall went smoothly.
“It's been pretty good,” Sadoff said. “There are definitely some things that I didn't realize coming in. Like, with my advising this summer, my summer advisor told me to take a first-year seminar, just for the experience, but then I got there, and it was very much geared towards brand new freshmen, so I switched out of that. It's just little things like that, where I didn't really understand the process fully.”
Sadoff is enjoying the new and different college experience, saying how the student body here has more diverse interests, is larger, has sports and more options when it comes to majors and paths.
Some of their favorite WWC aspects are the forest, farm, river and its proximity to Asheville.
“Being a transfer is kind of a weird experience,” Sadoff said. “ I feel like there are a lot of people who are transfers who have found each other and bonded over that experience. But I think when you're coming in as a freshman, it's kind of like, ‘Oh, we're all freshmen together.’ And you have that sort of bonding opportunity. So I think I'm still trying to figure out where I fit in, socially, and who I want to spend time with. I think living in a dorm, living in a community is always challenging, but, kind of in an exciting way.”
Anna Robinson is a senior at WWC and transferred here last fall. She is an English major and has been on the Center for Integrated Advising and Careers (CIAC) Crew since coming to Wilson. She went to Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, N.C. for two years before coming to WWC.
“At first, before I actually transferred I was very intimidated by the idea of the academic transition,” Robinson said. “That didn't end up being as difficult as I thought it would be. It was really the social transition and the social dynamics. It wasn't bad, but it felt very different. Like the whole idea of calling your professor by their first names.”
She heard about WWC from a family friend who graduated from WWC and decided to tour here. The rest is history, Robinson fell in love and is in her final year at WWC.
“It feels more like difference between community college and a four-year university,” Robinson said on transferring. “I'd say the level of involvement and investment that they require is very different. My previous college very much felt like it was something that we utilized with the rest of our lives. People were working full time, had very full busy lives outside of the college, myself included. Whereas here, it feels like school is a lot more all-encompassing. This is where you live, this is where you work. This is where, at least from me, you have your only social interactions. It's much more all-encompassing, which is not better or worse.”
Matthew Blanchette is a first-year at WWC and transferred from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He attended college there for a semester and a half before taking a gap year.
“GW [George Washington] is very different than Warren Wilson since we didn't even have a campus it's just in the middle of DC,” Blanchette said when asked how GW and WWC varied. “My dorm was two blocks from the White House, what you would spend on cafeteria swipes here, there it's just money that restaurants accept. I feel like there's a much better sense of community here. I feel like people are more interconnected and friendly here than there by a long shot.”
He is on the Carpentry Crew and mainly works on completing work orders such as fixing desks. He is interested in majoring in either environmental sciences or global studies and found WWC through his college advisor.
“My college advisor who I've known for 10 years or so, recommended Warren Wilson to me and told me to check it out,” Blanchette said. “I looked around online, and they [WWC] have similar values to me. I took a tour I really enjoyed the campus, applied, and here I am.”
When asked about his favorite aspect of WWC, he said the people. Citing how most people are accepting, and nice. Robinson agreed, saying how professors often go out of their way to support her and other students. Blanchette also enjoys his classes.
“There are a lot less students here,” Blanchette said. “The classes are a lot smaller, so I feel way more connected to the professors here. I thought I would feel like a ghost or it didn't really matter who I was in class. But being able to feel connected with my professors has mattered a lot…they’re much more willing to help.”
Sadoff is looking forward to shadowing on different crews like forestry and garden, as well as exploring the campus trails and getting involved in clubs. Robinson is excited about her senior year, and her Capstone project she is starting this spring.
Overall, the transfer students are enjoying their time here at WWC, and are excited to explore new things.
“I'm so glad I transferred here,” Robinson said. “But I'm also so glad I did, Central Piedmont. I think it worked out really beautifully. I'm really grateful for everything Wilson has done. I love this place. I love the people here, and what we get to learn and do, and how we get to work and engage with the community.”