As a transfer student connecting with other students who have similar experiences as you are extremely beneficial when trying to adjust to your new campus. Not every school has a large population of transfer students in order to make connections with your peers based on shared experiences as a transfer student. Therefore, over these past five years, a significant shift has occurred in social media that have become very beneficial for transfer students. With the popularization of bonded group social media pages like a dog lovers group on Facebook, or a subreddit about frogs, or a Discord group for Pokemon-Go players. Now, Reddit was first on the scene over fifteen years ago, and Facebook introduced groups back in 2010. However, I believe they were not being heavily utilized until recently in order to properly allow the diffusion of innovation to occur, and having the innovator, early adopter, early majority, and the late majority using these platforms and functions. But regardless of when they came to be, it is of huge benefit for us as transfer students and as college students, in general, to take advantage of this resource and learn from our peers and create a network of support for one another. The great thing about these groups is that there are hundreds of them on Facebook, Reddit, and Discord. There are all sorts of groups that you can join to help you throughout your college journey. Some colleges have groups designated for each of the graduating classes, some have specific transfer pages for their school, others may also include groups for first-generation students, students who are veterans, or have a family, or are nontraditional aged students. These groups on social media provide support, tips, and personal stories about their experiences in college. It is very easy to feel like you are the only one who feels a certain way or experienced something. However, sharing your story, giving tips, or reading others’ provides a sense of calmness and reassurance that you are not on this journey alone. You have a network of hundreds of other students online ready to support each other. With the use of social media groups, students are able to embrace their identity in college without shame or fear. One transfer student said,
“I used to feel alone and ashamed about being a transfer student, making it harder for me to adjust to my four-year university. However, once I started talking to other transfer students on Reddit, everything started to change for the better, making me more confident and proud about being a transfer student.”
This is a significant stride in helping transfer students and other marginalized college students feel more confident and comfortable with who they are on their college campuses. These marginalized students once felt helpless and isolated, but now they feel connected and supported by one another. If the support is lacking on their campus, they can at least fall back on their online support of students from across the world. Links for different transfer group pages online will be listed below.
However, I would be blind if I did not mention how the digital divide could hinder student’s access to these resources. It would not be fair of me to assume that all students will have access to their own devices prior to walking on to their college campus. However, all students will have access to the computers in the library. The great thing about social media networks is that they are accessible on all devices. Therefore you only need access to either a computer/laptop, tablet, or smartphone in order to use the social media networks.
Please like, comment, and subscribe to my blog to get a notification when I release new content each week. Please share any social media groups you are a part of online that has helped you throughout college. Also, if you have any specific topic you would like me to write about please add it to the comment section. Talk to you all next week.
Transfer Nation Facebook Group
College Friends Discord Channel
Photos By: John Zangari