(reprint from Slippery Rock University’s Newspaper, The Rocket)

By: Jessica Rupell

Posted: 10/19/07

When many students are getting ready to graduate from high school, a number of colleges are often looked at and compared.

Once one is finally chosen, it's a weight lifted off of students' shoulders, as they can sit back confident that they have picked the perfect school.

But for some students, such as Sean Flanigan, a junior elementary education major, this so-called perfect fit isn't as perfect as once thought.

Flanigan, 22, attended Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, for his freshman year of college.

He said he originally picked the school because it was a private Catholic college only about 45 minutes away from his home in the South Hills of Pittsburgh.

But he said he didn't realize when he first applied that they didn't have his major of choice: elementary education.

After this realization, he began to look at other schools during the spring semester of his freshman year.

"I looked at schools like Clarion, IUP, Edinboro, Cal and SRU," Flanigan said. "I met with transfer coordinators, went through which credits would transfer and looked at overviews of the programs (they offered). It was kind of like re-applying all over again."

For Meghan McHenry, a senior elementary and special education major, her reasons for transferring were a bit different.

McHenry, 21, began her freshman year at Muskingum College in Ohio.

Midway through that year, she realized she wanted to come closer to home.

A softball player, McHenry said she began talking with Vashion Johnson, the head softball coach for SRU, and when she found out she could still play softball, was sold on her decision to attend SRU.

"The hardest parts were making sure my credits would transfer, making lots of phone calls and filling out the application," McHenry said.

Although SRU was one of Flanigan's top three choices for colleges coming out of high school, he said when he met with Robert Lagnese, the director of orientation and the associate director of admissions, he knew where he wanted to go.

"He was sincere about what (SRU) had to offer," Flanigan said. "Plus, my aunt went to SRU, and I knew they had a solid education program."

Lagnese, whose main job as the associate director of admissions is the marketing and recruitment of transfer students, said for some time transfer students have been neglected as a priority.

But he said the times are changing, and a lot of students coming out of high school are beginning at community colleges and then transferring.

"There are really three populations of these students," Lagnese said. "Those who can't effectively afford (a four-year institution), those who aren't ready academically and those who don't know what they want to do (major in), so they save money figuring it out at a community college."

Lagnese said that while they get some students transferring in from technical schools and other four-year institutions, a bulk of the transfer students comes from those transferring from community colleges.

He said they currently get about 600 fall semester transfers and about 250 spring semester transfers.

To help these students from losing credits when they do transfer, Lagnese said they have begun proactively working with students right out of high school to help them plan ahead with course equivalencies so they don't lose any credits when they transfer.

"By leaving nothing to chance, it saves time and money," Lagnese said. "And it helps to make a seamless transition."

Lagnese said the only time a lot of credits are lost occurs when students transfer late in their college years or when they switch majors.

But what makes SRU more desirable than other schools?

"Not all state-system schools are the same," Lagnese said. "We're not cookie-cutter versions of each other, because we can offer something different."

Lagnese said the big programs at SRU, such as physical education and sport management, help with transfer recruitment and also have greater appeal to students from out of state.

Besides those factors, Lagnese said they have begun to send out an electronic newsletter series telling prospective students all the steps to take in the transfer process, and are currently in the process of designing ads for community college newspapers presenting the image of SRU as a transfer institution.

For Flanigan, he said Lagnese worked closely to have as many of his credits transferred at possible, and it really didn't set him back at all.

McHenry also had no problems with getting her credits transferred.

"I was pretty lucky," McHenry said. "The transfer program was really helpful and accommodating."

But not all parts of transferring come that easy.

For McHenry, getting used to a bigger school and campus were her main challenges.

"I came from a school that only had about 900 people," McHenry said.

For Flanigan, the social aspect was most difficult.

"The worst part was the unfamiliarity of school and having to establish friendships," Flanigan said.

Because Lagnese said he knows socially adjusting to the campus environment would be difficult, he and Cathie Sadler, the coordinator of student organizations, have developed Tau Sigma, the first transfer honorary society for a four-year institution in Pennsylvania.

"Each year, we recruit a class of about 25 students to serve as mentors for incoming transfers," Lagnese said.

"They also volunteer for transfer orientation and are helping to build the transfer culture."

Yet at the same time, both McHenry and Flanigan don't regret their decision to transfer to the Rock.

"I love knowing that I could still come here to a school highly known for education and also get to play softball," McHenry said. "And I met people easily and made a lot of friends."

Flanigan said that while it was difficult in some aspects, he is glad he made the choice to come to SRU.

"Once I got here, I knew I was on (the) path where I would finish my education," Flanigan said. "It's really important that you're comfortable with where you're heading in a career aspect."

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