Transfer students find their collegial home in South Orange

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — On Aug. 26, 328 transfer students were welcomed to Seton Hall University at the Transfer Students BBQ. Students transferred from institutions including Rutgers University, Quinnipiac University, Monmouth University, Mount St. Mary’s University, Rowan University and many of New Jersey’s community colleges.

“The main reason I chose Seton Hall was for the great opportunities that I would be offered here. For my major, broadcasting, Seton Hall offers opportunities to participate in Pirate TV, The Setonian and WSOU, while also providing countless internship opportunities,” fall 2016 transfer student Joseph Sainato of North Bergen said in a press release. When asked how he feels about his Seton Hall experience so far, Sainato said, “I have met a number of great people ranging from freshmen to seniors to other transfer students, all who have done a great job at making me feel very welcome.”

New students were encouraged to participate in a T-shirt swap where they brought in a shirt from their previous school and received a new shirt inscribed with “Home at last … Seton Hall University.” Transfer Center director Hezal Patel described the swap as “a symbolic gesture, giving up the old and accepting the new.” All exchanged T-shirts will be donated through the Division of Volunteer Efforts to St. John’s Soup Kitchen in Newark.

The Transfer Center strives to provide new students a welcoming space where they can acclimate and engage with Seton Hall in the most effective way possible.

“Whenever you go to a new place, it can be intimidating. I think it is important that new students are paid attention to, provided with excellent customer service and made to feel the Transfer Center is their home base,” Patel said in the release.

Acting as a liaison between students and academics, the Transfer Center assists in the registration process and choosing an academic adviser based on a student’s major. Peer advisers provide a concierge-like service, from obtaining an ID card and laptop to touring campus.

Social events and success workshops are offered each semester. Success workshops provide information on transcript review, the registration and advising process, degree requirements and financial literacy. A sample of social events this fall include a welcome breakfast, which took place on Sept. 15, and a pizza social to be held in November, allowing transfer students to raise concerns and become better acquainted with one another.

  Seton Hall University