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Abstract
This study contributes to existing research on transfer students through an examination of transfer students’ perceptions of their new campus environment and any resulting impact of the environment on their transition. Transfer students are an increasingly significant percentage of all degree-seeking students nationally, and substantial research has been conducted in this area. However, the resulting literature primarily addresses correlations between transfer demographic characteristics and their academic success, and overlooks the role institutions play in facilitating this success as well as these students’ self-described needs and goals. While isolated transfer-focused interventions have surfaced on many campuses in the past decade, few studies have explored the effects of these interventions on transfer outcomes. In this qualitative case study, a campus ecology framework was utilized to investigate how transfer students experience their new campus environment, and what environmental supports or barriers they believe contributed to their transition. 14 new transfer students at Kennesaw State University (KSU) participated in two rounds of semi-structured interviews and responded to two short prompts about their perceptions of the campus environment from November 2019-March 2020. Additionally, three campus administrators were also interviewed, and along campus observations these data sources served to provide supplemental context to the student voices. The findings from this study illustrate how varied these students’ experiences of the campus environment were, highlighting the importance of not overly homogenizing the transfer population. Despite their unique perceptions, several common themes did emerge which informed the findings. Generally, these students found the size of both the campus and student population disorienting, and they had difficulty navigating systems and processes, particularly those which they perceived as deprioritizing transfer students. Students’ level of access to campus—which varied based on housing type, employment status, and responsibilities—significantly impacted their development of a sense of belonging, ability to engage, and perceived community membership. So, too, did meaningful individual interactions and identity-based experiences. These findings suggest a need for institutions to consider improving access to resources, rethink existing transfer initiatives, and imbed personalized support into their transfer transition processes.