Ellington

After a semester at Dartmouth University, senior Lillian Dubiel decided that the urban setting and West Coast culture of the University of Washington, a so-called “public Ivy League,” was what she really wanted from her college experience. During spring quarter of her freshman year, she transferred out of the prestigious New Hampshire school.

“I don’t regret it,” Dubiel said. “I certainly learned a lot about myself and my tastes and the kind of people I want to surround myself with by being thrown into a situation that was really difficult.”

Dubiel is a member of the transfer student community at the UW, which makes up 32 percent of the student population. Since the fall of 2006, the university has received a steadily increasing number of transfer students with 1,620 accepted this fall.

“There are trade-offs for everything,” Dubiel said. “I don’t get to put Dartmouth on my diploma. I traded small class sizes for really the whole college atmosphere.”

Though Dubiel entered the UW later than many of her peers, she was able to find a smaller community, so she didn’t feel lost in the crowd.

“I’m in the marching band,” she said. “I think that definitely helped. It’s really important to find a niche.”

To help facilitate the initial transition, Dubiel was paired with a former transfer student through the transfer-orientation program. Transfer Orientations and Transfer Interest Groups — or “TrIGs” — are two programs to help students joining the university midway through their college careers.

TrIG leader John Hill explained that interest groups are designed to pair transfer students with mentors while fostering a sense of community.

“TrIG leaders help transfer students adjust to the university and feel like they are no longer transfer students, but University of Washington students,” Hill said.

Even without those resources, transferring can be a positive experience. Junior Caitlin Boyd has attended three different colleges in the past two years, transferring from the small, private community of Seattle Pacific University to Clark Community College. In 2010, Boyd finally settled at the UW for her final two years of college.

“When I transferred again I wanted a different experience. I wanted the big public school. I wanted sports and lots of people, lots of diversity,” Boyd said. “I’ve had the full college experience … Transferring has made me feel like a more well-rounded person.”

Although not all transfer students go through such a long process before finding the academic environment they seek, many transfer students share the same convictions.

“They have incredible work ethic when it comes to their education,” said Najwa Ebanks, another TrIG leader. “Having to go to at least two schools to get that degree is not anybody’s cup of tea, but since they have gotten this far, they become more determined to succeed.”

Transfer students have transferred because they are advocates for their own education and so are willing to make that extra effort in order to get the most out of their college experiences, Ebanks said.

For transfer student Rose Marie Gai, that determination goes beyond finding the perfect school into capitalizing on her experience at the UW. The mother of two UW alumni came to the university from Cascadia Community College. Although having a social life on campus is less important to her as a mom and commuter, Gai still feels welcome at the university. She said she is honored to be here, so she feels that she better uses the professors and resources available to her.

“A lot of other students don’t take advantage of the professors,” Gai said. “When I came here, I thought I would be just a number. It’s exceeded my expectations.”

Many transfer students like Gai feel their experiences give them a different perspective on college life.

“Resiliency and setting goals is something students could learn from some transfer students,” Hill said. “Transfer students have overcome a lot to be here at the University of Washington and that is a testament to their hard work and dedication.”

Reach contributing writer Tessa Whitehead at lifestyles@dailyuw.com.