Amina: Hello, welcome back to the Transfer Talks podcast. My name is Amina Prado and I'm a Transfer Jacks peer mentor and I'm here today with my guest Jen and she'd love to share her student experience as a transfer student.

Jen: Yeah, well, this is my first semester here at NAU. I just transferred here from Phoenix College. I'm a third-year student and not too much to tell yet, but it's been a really good experience so far and I'm glad to make more memories here.

Amina: Awesome. Yeah. So, I'm going to go and ask you a few questions and you can answer them however you would like. It's just about NAU and how you like it and everything and your experience as well. So first question, what do you like about the campus and the NAU environment?

Jen: I really just like all the trees. It's very calming and everyone's so nice. The weather is especially very nice coming from the valley. It's a lot cooler. I definitely appreciate that. I'm waiting for the snow. I'm excited to see how that's going to be. Yeah, I really like everything.

Amina: Oh, have you ever lived in snow before?

Jen: I have, but not as bad as NAU. It's like Flagstaff area. I hear it gets really bad up here.

Amina: Yeah. Have you came to visit before?

Jen: Last winter I came to visit my friends.

Amina: Oh, okay. Awesome. So you know what NAU is kind of like and everything. Have you ever toured the campus before you came?

Jen: A little bit. Yeah, my friend who's been here since her freshman year, she took me around the campus to a few places because she also knew that I'm an education major.
So she took me around the College of Education as well.

Amina: Oh, that's awesome. Yes, got to love the education majors. So yeah, next question. What is your favorite transfer event that you've been to?

Jen: So I've only been to one so far, but it was like the pizza party event. That was really fun. I met some really cool people.

Amina: Awesome.

Jen: So I really like that.

Amina: Did you eat a whole bunch of pizza?

Jen: I think I had like two. I was like, I don't want to take too many. I'd feel bad.

Amina: Was it nice meeting like other transfer students and everything?

Jen: It was. It was really nice. And I've never, I didn't like really meet anybody other transfer students until that day. So it was nice to get to know everybody.

Amina: Oh, that's awesome. Do you feel like the transition from like being a transfer student was like hard or do you think it was like pretty...?

Jen: I think it was pretty decent. I feel like people expect more when they say that, when they hear I'm a third year student, they're like, oh, you should know all this. I'm like, no, I just started here. So I don't know anything.

Amina: I'm basically a freshman already.

Jen: Yeah, that's how it feels.

Amina: Awesome. Well, thank you for that. And another question, what made you choose your specific field of study and what do you want to do with your degree?

Jen: I chose my field of study because I wanted to help kids. I've always loved kids and I really wanted to be able to give them a safe environment and make them want to learn, make them excited because I wasn't always given that experience. I want to be that for kids. With my degree, I want to be an elementary school teacher, maybe third or fourth grade. That's what I'm really wanting to do.

Amina: Oh, wow. So you're doing your practicum right now. Yeah, and practicum is when you're doing your student teaching, but you're just like observing as a student and also kind of being engaged as well. Yeah. So have you been liking your practicum as well?

Jen: Yeah, it's been really nice. Of course, it's a little nerve-wracking at first, especially since this is my first term, but it's getting better over time and the kids are sweethearts.

Amina: Yeah. Was there any specific moment in like when you transferred or like from your community college that made you want to go into teaching or did you always want to go into teaching when you first started?

Jen: I actually didn't know I wanted to go into teaching until the end of my first semester at community college.

Amina: Oh, wow.

Jen: At first, I was pursuing dental hygiene, but then I'm just like science isn't really my thing. That whole thing isn't really my thing. And then I gave, because like I thought about being a teacher in high school, but I kind of gave up on it. I'm not really sure why, but and so I just, I thought about it again because I really wasn't enjoying the courses I was taking for dental hygiene. And then I decided to pursue teaching again. And that's when I decided to go into there next semester. That's what I've been doing since.

Amina: Awesome. So was dental hygiene just like too much science and stuff?

Jen: Yeah, I'm not a really big science person. Like it wasn't bad. Like the courses I had taken for dental hygiene were the same courses that I needed for my elementary education degree, as well as kind of just like the prerequisites, but I don't know, just this thinking about doing it one day didn't really feel like I was going to
be happy. Like nothing wrong with it. My boyfriend is going to be a dental hygienist as well. So they're great, but I just didn't see myself being happy. So that's why I changed.

Amina: And so you were like, let me go into something that I've been wanting to do for a while. So now you're here. Yes. Awesome. And so a lighthearted question, where's your favorite place to study at?

Jen: The Cline.

Amina: Oh, the Cline.

Jen: It's very nice. Yeah.

Amina: Do you like the first floor, second floor, third floor?

Jen: I like the first floor just because I feel like any higher, I feel too nervous to make noise. And I feel like whenever I'm trying not to make noise is when I make a bunch of noise.

Amina: Yeah.

Jen: So it's nicer. Plus the first floor, it's not even that loud in the first place. It's really nice to get down there and get some work done.

Amina: Do you go to like the vending machines and everything too?

Jen: Sometimes, I get up late at night and I forget to bring snacks. I'm like, please you have cash.

Amina: Yeah. Do you think you'll ever do like an all-nighter at Cline?

Jen: Maybe.

Amina: Like during finals and stuff?

Jen: I think I might. I don't see why not.

Amina: Yeah. Just in case like, just like if you have to get a whole bunch of work done and everything.

Jen: Yeah. Plus it's nice to like get out of the house, you know, get away different environment. It helps you, well, it helps me kind of concentrate, so.

Amina: Yeah, do you like studying at home or?

Jen: I do. I kind of like go back and forth because I get certain points if I'm at the Klein too much and like I can't stand being here anymore. Let me go home. So I kind of go back and forth. It helps.

Amina: Yeah, no understandable. And it's like, I came, I walked all the way over here so I have to actually get my work done instead of like being at home where you're like, I can do it later.

Jen: Exactly.

Amina: Yeah, no, awesome. Thank you for sharing about that. Another question. What was your experience like at your previous school and what was your experience like
transferring to NAU?

Jen: Well, there's not too much to tell about my previous school. It was great, but I was completely online for my two years there. So I visited the campus like twice, but each time it was really nice. Everyone was really great. It's definitely a lot different coming here since I have in-person classes now being able to walk around. Took a little second, took a second for me to find where everything was, but it's getting better.

Amina: Yeah. And did you talk to a lot of people while you were at your community college? But I know you said you were online.

Jen: Yeah, I talked to people online.

Amina: Okay, cool.

Jen: Through the messages and stuff on Canvas.

Amina: And is this like a lot bigger for you and everything?

Jen: Yeah, like the campus?

Amina: Yeah.

Jen: It is a lot bigger. It's a lot bigger. I know like NAU itself is one of the smaller campuses, but it's still big to me. 

Amina: Still pretty big. Yeah.

Jen: It's pretty large. I think it takes like 30 minutes to walk from one end to the other, so.

Amina: Do you use that shuttle bus a lot?

Jen: I don't actually, just because I only have to go to the College of Education like every day so I just walk there and back.

Amina: Oh, understandable. As long as it's walking distance, you'll be all good. Awesome. So another question, what is a piece of advice you'd like to give to an incoming transfer student?

Jen: I would say just try and put yourself out there. Like I'm really introverted and I like to keep to myself, but it is also really nice to get out there and talk to people. Like just to converse with them, share like a deep conversation, just to make some friends. It makes the whole experience a little easier and nice.

Amina: Yeah, and a lot more enjoyable meeting cool people. It's also really interesting hearing other people's experiences like how you were telling me about the dental hygienist and everything. I'm like, what?

Jen: Everyone has a different story.

Amina: Yeah. It's like a little movie. Everyone has their own little movie of themselves, which is so cool. Awesome. So I have another question, what are your feelings on being a transfer student?

Jen: Well, I really didn't think it would be like as big of a deal like when I first came here. I was just like, oh, I'm just another student. But like I didn't know there would be like a whole nother like section for transfer students, like the support and everything. And I think that's really great, especially like I said before, like people expect me to know where everything is because I'm a third year student. And I'm like, I just started here. Like you may be a freshman, but you know, it's just as much as I do. So like, I think it's just nice having that extra support. So yeah, that's what I like.

Amina: Yeah, and so like you've already met with some of your mentors and stuff. So like, has that helped you a lot navigating through?

Jen: Yeah, definitely. It has. I met with my student mentor and my academic advisor and they both really helped me do the whole thing as well. So..

Amina: Yes, Awesome. Yeah, I feel like that's like really helpful in like finding your way of like navigating through NAU because it's such a big campus and there's like so many different outlets and different things that you could be doing, but you like don't know about until like-

Jen: Yeah there's so much there's so much you could like do, but you just don't know about it.

Amina: What is something that you found that was like super surprising about like NAU that you didn't know before?

Jen: I just like all the stuff they have to offer. Like I know like it's a university, but like I never really got exposed to that before. Like there's just so many classes you could take. There's so many clubs, there's so many events. Like you go into the hallway and there's like 30, 40 different flyers for different events you could go to. Like almost every day you could probably go to something if you're bored, which I think
is really cool.

Amina: Yeah.

Jen: So I think that was the most surprising for me.

Amina: Oh, that's awesome. Yeah. And there's just so much that you can do here, which is so fun. So you're never like really bored.

Jen: Yeah, that's true.

Amina: It's like you're turning one corner and then there's just something going on like a whole event and then you could just join and everyone's pretty welcoming too, which is really nice. Yeah. Have you had like people be very welcoming around campus and everything?

Jen: Yeah, I've made quite a few friends. Everyone's really sweet. Even if it's a stranger, they're never, they don't, what's the word? They never cease to help me.

Amina: Yeah. So that's awesome. Yay. And one other question. What do you wish people understood about the transfer experience?

Jen: I would say just, I don't know, don't be afraid. I would say like, I get it can be kind of scary transferring halfway into a school. Like when so many people already know so many things, like people walk, like you go in and you don't know anybody. And then there's people who've already been there for two, three, four years that they already already have all their friends. I would say just try again, put yourself out there. Like it's not as scary as you think it would be. And it's better than just, you know, hiding away. You know, again, you need your alone time. You need your study time, but you know, your friends are going to be one of the best things for you too. So definitely, definitely try and put yourself out there.

Amina: Yes. And like care about that mental health. Yes, but you said it better than I could even say. So awesome. So next I have a few things that you can pick through of which one you like better and which one you don't. And like, if you can explain why you chose one over the other, that'd be awesome. Or if you just like both, you can also say that. 

Jen: For sure

Amina: Awesome. So first we're going to go NAU Gold or NAU Blue.

Jen: I would say the blue. That's like the logo, right?

Amina: Yeah.

Jen: I like it. I think it looks, I think it looks much classier.

Amina: Like the dark blue.

Jen: I just love blue.

Amina: And like, I like gold, but it's like, yeah, the blue looks pretty cool. Awesome. And then morning classes or afternoon classes or evening classes?

Jen: I like personally, I like morning classes just so I can get it done. I do have to take some like afternoon/evening classes next semester. And like, that should be fun. I've never taken a class that late before. But yeah, I feel like either is fun, but I pick the morning.

Amina: Yeah. So you can just get your day out of the way and then have the rest of the day off and everything. What time are you having your like evening classes at for next semester?

Jen: Next semester I have a class on Wednesday. It's going to be from 4:30 to 7:00 .

Amina: Oh, wow.

Jen: So that should be fun.

Amina: That's going to be a long class.

Jen: Yeah.

Amina: Got to have a lot of coffee and everything ready to start your day. Awesome. Another one, sun or snow?

Jen: I would say snow. I do miss the snow a little bit. But, you know, the sun is nice too when it's not too hot. 

Amina: So yeah, especially since you lived in the sun for quite a while. So you're like, no, the snow will be nice. Like, do you have all your winter clothes and everything?

Jen: Not quite. I already got some snow boots though. 

Amina: Oh, okay awesome.

Jen: And you know, I'm usually always cold, so I already have some like sweaters and stuff. So that's something.

Amina: Yeah, I need to get some snow boots. I'm not going to slip all over campus.

Jen: Yeah, exactly.

Amina: It's kind of embarrassing.

Jen: Last time I came to visit, I just wore sneakers and I ended up falling so much. Let's not do that again.

Amina: Yeah. It's just frustrating when other people are around you too watching you do it and you're like, oh, this is embarrassing. Another one. Okay, walking or riding the bus?

Jen: I say walking. I don't know. Just trying to find the bus and exactly what bus feels like a little nerve-wracking and you know, everywhere I need to go, I can walk you.

Amina: So yeah, true. And sometimes the buses can be a little packed and then it's like frustrating having to like wait. And then like one time someone like fell on my lap while I was like inside the bus and I was like, oh my gosh, is this a moment? But you got to love the shuttles and everything. As long as you like figure it out, it's like pretty easy and everything. But other than that, yeah, I love walking. I feel like I walk a lot of steps throughout the day.

Jen: Exactly.

Amina: Another one. Fall semester or Spring semester? 

Jen: I like Fall semester. I just think like, I don't know, I feel like I'm more excited for school in the Fall semester and then Spring semester I'm just like, okay, let's get to the Summer already. Yeah, I feel like Fall is just there's more motivation, more stuff like that.

Amina: So yeah, spring semester goes by pretty fast for some reason. And then I'm like, oh, wow, it's already done. Yay. But Fall semester just like feels a little longer and it's like a lot more activities and stuff. And you get to meet like some cool people in your classes and everything.

Jen: Plus transitioning to the colder weather too.

Amina: Yes. Yes. Very true. Awesome. So thank you, Jen, for joining us today. We appreciate you coming in and talking about your experience. And yeah, I hope you have a great day!

Jen: Thank you for having me.

Amina: No problem. Ah![Hand up for high five] Uh! [high fives Jen]