{"646158":{"#nid":"646158","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Transfer Students Offer Advice in Navigating Georgia Tech ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAs second-year\u0026nbsp;transfer\u0026nbsp;students\u0026nbsp;in fall 2020, Grace\u0026nbsp;Ahn\u0026nbsp;and Simone Anderson\u0026nbsp;arrived\u0026nbsp;at\u0026nbsp;Georgia Tech\u0026nbsp;under\u0026nbsp;atypical\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;mostly virtual\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;circumstances.\u0026nbsp;After\u0026nbsp;both finished freshman\u0026nbsp;year at another university,\u0026nbsp;Ahn and Anderson\u0026nbsp;began their\u0026nbsp;studies\u0026nbsp;at\u0026nbsp;Georgia\u0026nbsp;Tech\u0026nbsp;while\u0026nbsp;navigating\u0026nbsp;online classes,\u0026nbsp;joining new\u0026nbsp;club meetings\u0026nbsp;over Zoom, and\u0026nbsp;taking part in\u0026nbsp;Tech\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;signature\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/c.gatech.edu\/testing\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eweekly campus\u0026nbsp;Covid-19 testing\u0026nbsp;program\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDespite\u0026nbsp;the pandemic\u0026nbsp;upending\u0026nbsp;the traditional\u0026nbsp;learning environment,\u0026nbsp;Anderson and\u0026nbsp;Ahn\u0026nbsp;have\u0026nbsp;each\u0026nbsp;carved\u0026nbsp;out\u0026nbsp;a unique\u0026nbsp;place\u0026nbsp;and college experience\u0026nbsp;on campus.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBoth\u0026nbsp;Ahn\u0026nbsp;and Anderson were\u0026nbsp;admitted\u0026nbsp;to Georgia Tech via\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/admission.gatech.edu\/transfer\/transfer-pathway-programs\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ETransfer\u0026nbsp;Pathway\u0026nbsp;Program\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;an initiative\u0026nbsp;through which\u0026nbsp;groups of\u0026nbsp;students are guaranteed acceptance\u0026nbsp;to Tech\u0026nbsp;after completing a full year at another university and fulfilling various requirements related to\u0026nbsp;grades\u0026nbsp;and class\u0026nbsp;credit.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAmong\u0026nbsp;these\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/admission.gatech.edu\/transfer\/transfer-pathway-programs\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Etransfer\u0026nbsp;pathway\u0026nbsp;initiatives\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;are\u0026nbsp;the recently\u0026nbsp;announced\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/admission.gatech.edu\/aps-pathway\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EAtlanta Public Schools (APS) Pathway Program\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;and the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/admission.gatech.edu\/georgia-tech-arts-sciences-pathway-program\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EArts \u0026amp; Sciences Pathway\u003C\/a\u003E, which\u0026nbsp;provides an\u0026nbsp;opportunity for\u0026nbsp;those\u0026nbsp;not offered first-year admission\u0026nbsp;to Georgia Tech\u0026nbsp;within the\u0026nbsp;College of Design, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, and College of Sciences,\u0026nbsp;to apply as\u0026nbsp;transfer students.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I wanted to come to Tech and learn from great professors and get to collaborate with some of the greatest minds,\u0026rdquo; shares\u0026nbsp;Ahn\u0026nbsp;on her decision to join\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;Transfer Pathway Program.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter spending\u0026nbsp;her first\u0026nbsp;year at\u0026nbsp;the University of Georgia,\u0026nbsp;Ahn\u0026nbsp;transferred to Georgia Tech to study biology.\u0026nbsp;Since\u0026nbsp;then\u0026nbsp;she\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;joined various organizations\u0026nbsp;including\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gatech.campuslabs.com\/engage\/organization\/stamps-health-services-ambassadors\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EStamps Health Services Ambassadors\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gatech.campuslabs.com\/engage\/organization\/student-hospital-connections\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EStudent Hospital Connections\u003C\/a\u003E, and the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gatech.campuslabs.com\/engage\/organization\/transfer-student-association\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ETransfer Student Association\u003C\/a\u003E, where she currently serves as treasurer.\u0026nbsp;She also works\u0026nbsp;in\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/admission.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EOffice of Undergraduate Admissions\u003C\/a\u003E, where she connects with potential students and parents via phone and email to give advice and share her perspective as a transfer student.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELike\u0026nbsp;Ahn,\u0026nbsp;Anderson\u0026nbsp;is\u0026nbsp;on the executive board\u0026nbsp;of the Transfer Student Association, where she serves as\u0026nbsp;secretary. She transferred to Georgia Tech from\u0026nbsp;Georgia College\u0026nbsp;\u0026amp;\u0026nbsp;State University,\u0026nbsp;and also\u0026nbsp;studies\u0026nbsp;biology.\u0026nbsp;She is a member of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gatech.campuslabs.com\/engage\/organization\/dwb\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EDoctors without Borders\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.sga.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EStudent Government Association\u003C\/a\u003E, where she\u0026nbsp;serves\u0026nbsp;on the elections committee.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAhn\u0026nbsp;and Anderson\u0026nbsp;both credit\u0026nbsp;the Transfer Student\u0026nbsp;Association\u0026nbsp;as\u0026nbsp;a rich\u0026nbsp;opportunity to\u0026nbsp;meet and\u0026nbsp;connect with\u0026nbsp;students who are\u0026nbsp;experiencing a similar transition\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;help people\u0026nbsp;acclimate to Georgia Tech\u0026nbsp;through\u0026nbsp;sharing\u0026nbsp;advice and friendship.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I looked [the organization] up on\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gatech.campuslabs.com\/engage\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EEngage\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;because I didn\u0026rsquo;t know many people coming to Tech and I wanted to meet more people, especially transfer students\u0026nbsp;who are in the same place as me,\u0026rdquo; says\u0026nbsp;Ahn. \u0026ldquo;That\u0026rsquo;s how I got involved. Everything\u0026rsquo;s virtual so far\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;we haven\u0026rsquo;t had anything in person, but it\u0026rsquo;s still a great way to connect to other people. We do game nights, scavenger hunts\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;stuff like that.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnderson\u0026nbsp;says she\u0026nbsp;stumbled across\u0026nbsp;the Transfer Student Association\u0026nbsp;social\u0026nbsp;page\u0026nbsp;while scrolling through Instagram, and\u0026nbsp;credits\u0026nbsp;the organization\u0026nbsp;with helping\u0026nbsp;her build\u0026nbsp;the firm foundation for her\u0026nbsp;own\u0026nbsp;community\u0026nbsp;at Georgia Tech.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003EAdjusting to\u0026nbsp;second-year studies\u0026nbsp;in Atlanta\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAhn\u0026nbsp;and Anderson\u0026nbsp;also\u0026nbsp;share that\u0026nbsp;there\u0026nbsp;was\u0026nbsp;a learning curve\u0026nbsp;for\u0026nbsp;getting used to\u0026nbsp;studying\u0026nbsp;at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I feel like back as a first year, I was kind of hand-held, a little bit into like, \u0026lsquo;this is how college works,\u0026rsquo;\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;notes Anderson.\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;You know\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;you have to get up every morning for classes, your parents aren\u0026rsquo;t going to wake you up, and so forth. It\u0026#39;s very much,\u0026nbsp;\u0026lsquo;here\u0026rsquo;s how this works \u0026mdash; go to it,\u0026rsquo;\u0026nbsp;in your first year\u0026nbsp;in college.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWith a large adjustment to an entirely different campus and community, Anderson\u0026nbsp;says it\u0026nbsp;took\u0026nbsp;time to get used to life at Georgia Tech.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The tradition and culture of\u0026nbsp;Georgia Tech is very different from my previous school,\u0026rdquo; she\u0026nbsp;adds.\u0026nbsp;One\u0026nbsp;life hack she\u0026rsquo;s learned\u0026nbsp;along the\u0026nbsp;way?\u0026nbsp;Take a walk\u0026nbsp;and explore\u0026nbsp;Tech\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;dining halls. \u0026ldquo;I went to\u0026nbsp;Willage (West Village Dining Commons) for the first time the other day.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAhn\u0026nbsp;adds that the learning atmosphere at Georgia Tech, especially\u0026nbsp;working\u0026nbsp;in a virtual environment, was\u0026nbsp;also an\u0026nbsp;adjustment.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I had a sense of how colleges work. But the classes were definitely harder and academically challenging\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;because it\u0026#39;s Tech.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;At her old university,\u0026nbsp;Ahn\u0026nbsp;noticed that\u0026nbsp;fewer\u0026nbsp;students\u0026nbsp;were as intently\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;purely\u0026nbsp;focused\u0026nbsp;on academics than at\u0026nbsp;Tech, \u0026ldquo;so that was kind of different\u0026rdquo; from her first-year\u0026nbsp;experience.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAhn\u0026nbsp;and Anderson credit their professors for\u0026nbsp;fruitful learning experiences\u0026nbsp;in their inaugural year at\u0026nbsp;Tech,\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;are grateful\u0026nbsp;and excited\u0026nbsp;for the\u0026nbsp;engagement\u0026nbsp;opportunities\u0026nbsp;available\u0026nbsp;around campus.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;In my evolution class, my professor will have these websites that have little games and simulations that correspond to the topic we\u0026#39;re learning,\u0026rdquo; says Anderson.\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;It\u0026nbsp;has several benefits for me. One, he will play them digitally for us, and it helps me understand the content better. And two, it\u0026#39;s better than just looking at lecture slides all the time.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003EIf you\u0026rsquo;re interested in\u0026nbsp;transferring\u0026nbsp;to Georgia Tech\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs far as\u0026nbsp;advice\u0026nbsp;and tips\u0026nbsp;for\u0026nbsp;students considering transferring to\u0026nbsp;campus?.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Have\u0026nbsp;clear goals\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;that this is what\u0026nbsp;[you]\u0026nbsp;want,\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;says Anderson.\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;If transferring is something you want to do, focus on it. And you know\u0026nbsp;that\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;but there\u0026nbsp;should be a balance between focusing on transferring to\u0026nbsp;Tech and maintaining\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;social life.\u0026nbsp;When I was transferring, I was very single-minded on getting here. And there\u0026#39;s a balance,\u0026nbsp;so you can enjoy your time at your current institution and still be very focused.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAhn\u0026nbsp;also\u0026nbsp;encourages\u0026nbsp;prospective students\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;gear up\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;prepare academically, because it\u0026#39;s probably harder here than it is\u0026nbsp;at\u0026nbsp;your previous institution.\u0026nbsp;I have no regrets coming here\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;I\u0026nbsp;would tell [you] to do the same thing. Even though it\u0026rsquo;s challenging, I think it\u0026#39;s totally worth\u0026nbsp;it.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENow,\u0026nbsp;with\u0026nbsp;their second\u0026nbsp;year\u0026nbsp;of college\u0026nbsp;and first year\u0026nbsp;on campus\u0026nbsp;in the rear view,\u0026nbsp;Ahn\u0026nbsp;and Anderson stand ready to help\u0026nbsp;share\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gatech.campuslabs.com\/engage\/organization\/transfer-student-association\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Etheir transfer path\u0026nbsp;to Tech with interested students\u003C\/a\u003E, and dive\u0026nbsp;into\u0026nbsp;adventures as\u0026nbsp;biology\u0026nbsp;third-years\u0026nbsp;together\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;as\u0026nbsp;fellow Yellow Jackets.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESimone Anderson and Grace\u0026nbsp;Ahn\u0026nbsp;discuss their transfer process\u0026nbsp;to campus, getting accustomed to Georgia Tech, and\u0026nbsp;a few\u0026nbsp;tips, lessons, and pieces of advice\u0026nbsp;for\u0026nbsp;fellow transfer students.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Simone Anderson and Grace Ahn discuss their transfer process to campus, getting accustomed to Georgia Tech, and a few tips, lessons, and pieces of advice for fellow transfer students. "}],"uid":"35185","created_gmt":"2021-04-05 21:23:39","changed_gmt":"2021-04-28 15:17:29","author":"kpietkiewicz3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-04-27T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-04-27T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"646159":{"id":"646159","type":"image","title":"Simone Anderson is a second-year biology student from Alpharetta, Georgia.","body":null,"created":"1617658237","gmt_created":"2021-04-05 21:30:37","changed":"1619622423","gmt_changed":"2021-04-28 15:07:03","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245298","name":"Untitled design (1).png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Untitled%20design%20%281%29_1.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Untitled%20design%20%281%29_1.png","mime":"image\/png","size":2066840,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Untitled%20design%20%281%29_1.png?itok=CxNDeBZ5"}},"646441":{"id":"646441","type":"image","title":"Grace Ahn is a second-year biology major. Ahn was born in Seoul, South Korea and grew up in Suwanee, Georgia.","body":null,"created":"1618345680","gmt_created":"2021-04-13 20:28:00","changed":"1619622525","gmt_changed":"2021-04-28 15:08:45","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245385","name":"grace1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/grace1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/grace1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":175375,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/grace1.jpg?itok=uReRt0-i"}},"646442":{"id":"646442","type":"image","title":"\u201cI wanted to come to Tech and learn from great professors and get to collaborate with some of the greatest minds,\u201d shares Ahn. ","body":null,"created":"1618345796","gmt_created":"2021-04-13 20:29:56","changed":"1618362660","gmt_changed":"2021-04-14 01:11:00","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245387","name":"grace3.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/grace3.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/grace3.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":116132,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/grace3.jpg?itok=VNxut5X5"}},"646160":{"id":"646160","type":"image","title":"\u201cIf transferring is something you want to do, focus on it,\u0022 says Anderson.","body":null,"created":"1617658320","gmt_created":"2021-04-05 21:32:00","changed":"1619622562","gmt_changed":"2021-04-28 15:09:22","alt":"","file":{"fid":"245299","name":"simone1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/simone1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/simone1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":386618,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/simone1.jpg?itok=e0zKqhxq"}}},"media_ids":["646159","646441","646442","646160"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"42901","name":"Community"},{"id":"42911","name":"Education"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"185400","name":"transfer student"},{"id":"4017","name":"transfer"},{"id":"4367","name":"transition"},{"id":"12918","name":"undergraduate students"},{"id":"183849","name":"transfer student association"},{"id":"166882","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGrace Pietkiewicz\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Assistant\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:gracepz@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Egracepz@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}