Southwestern University, as you probably already know, has pretty high academic standards; most every student here is committed to their education with a genuine desire to be the best at what they do and study. AES courses are designed to help you transition from a non-academic or less rigorous academic life to the sometimes intense learning expectations here.

I don’t mean to make it sound like SU’s all work, but it’s certainly not all fun and games—this is why AES is your first class! You’ll probably given something to read before your first class, and have to write an essay about that reading. Now, the first essay serves two purposes: to give your professor and idea of the sort of writing you’re used to doing, and to make sure you’re ready to jump into a discussion right away.

A lot of the AES time and many of your other classes are going to be discussion-based; professors expect you to know the material well enough to ask questions and present the themes and theories presented in your readings. This is why AES works so often in groups—you get to read and edit other students’ papers, and they’ll read yours. The feedback, both from professors and peers is great because you get a feel for what your strengths are and see examples of where you may want to work harder.

Another big part of AES is the people who will come to visit and the places your class will visit. Generally, the visitors are coming to provide you with opportunities to learn more about campus resources without having to go to their offices. You’ll learn about Career Services and Civic Engagement, and have a chance to ask questions on the spot.

Visiting the library, though, was the best part of AES for me; it’s one of the better libraries that I’ve been in, especially for a university the size of Southwestern. The tour includes a class on researching, which is way more interesting than it sounds, but you’ll get to go through Special Collections. They have illuminated manuscripts and issues of Vogue from its beginnings, which you can browse any time it’s open—a great way to get away from all the class assignments for a while!

So, next time I’ll discuss something a little more interesting than classes: student organizations. There’s a group for every interest here, and if you can’t find one, you can make it! That’s what I did, and I’ll go into more details about that process, joining, and getting in the Greeks in the next update. If you’re thinking that Southwestern might be the university for you already, I’m sure knowing more about all the really fun (and not study-related) stuff will be the motivation you need to apply!

After three almost four years, it was time for me to realize my dream of a college degree and focus on myself for a little while. I decided to move to Texas because the it was really hard to find work in Michigan at the time. I would be paying my own way and I needed  to have a job while going to school. Austin, Texas seemed to growing with job opportunities. So I moved here when my aunt and uncle offered me a place to stay while I got on my feet. It took about 6 months but I found a job and began looking at school.

When coming to a state as big as Texas, I looked for a colleges that gave me a taste of home. Southwestern stood out because of the programs that they offered and still maintaining a small campus life. I wanted the on-campus experience that I had not experienced yet. My coming to Southwestern was more about rediscovering myself and was a very personal journey not just an academic one, even though academics are important.

Transferring to Southwestern was one of the biggest changes I made in my life but also one of the most positive. By coming to Southwestern, I have been able to explore new ways of thinking, realizing that I can be strong on my own, and can have balance in my life between having a responsibility to myself and to those I love.

The classes are a mix of ages and backgrounds–I’m an ex-professional from NYC majoring in philosophy, and I did group work with a pianist from China, a set designer, an actor, a history buff, and a math wiz. The youngest was 19 and the oldest was in their mid-30′s.  Needless to say, it was an interesting group, and we enjoyed working together. My Seminar was “Gender Myths”, and we studied a lot of ancient Indian and Greek myths and culture.
Sometimes we’d have to put class on hold when the dogs from the seminar next door came in to say hi!

My first thought, though, when I was asked over the summer to choose a course topic, was, “what is this random class, and why do I have to take it” I wanna study Philosophy!? That?s a pretty reasonable response, but there’s also a reasonable answer.  AES immerses you in the SU academic and social community with purpose. It’s the place were you get answers to all the questions that you may have about campus life and academic expectations.

Southwestern University is different from most other schools. For instance, we don’t have a graduate program, and we have an honor pledge that’s been around for more than 100 years: I have acted with honesty and integrity in producing this work and am unaware of anyone who has not. This pledge is an agreement between you, your professors, and your peers to ‘Be Southwestern’ with every endeavor you take on. Each student here writes and signs this pledge at the end of all assignments, and eventually it becomes second nature. You’ll carry the commitment far beyond your time with SU.

The reason for both of these aspects of SU, which AES is structured to make new students realize, is that Southwestern students are in a program meant to develop integrity and focus, and this is reflected in our reputation. In AES you’re going to learn that SU doesn’t have a graduate program because the focus is on your education; SU is a campus that allows you to enter grad school with an understanding of the expectations and the confidence to face them. Our professors have chosen to offer their full attention to your undergraduate education to this end.

Next time, I’ll go more into detail about the sorts of things we did in AES, like visiting the library and getting to know the other departments. Our discussions were by far the best aspect for me because, just in case you haven’t figured it out by now, I really like to talk!

Just one last thing, though! If you have any questions about campus or academic life, please get in touch with me, someone in the department you’re interested in, or Gail Roberson at robersog@southwestern.edu.

Coming to Southwestern University was the best decision I’ve ever made.
I know that may sound clichéd, but I really believe it! I also have a tendency to say some pretty corny things.

I visited the school during Fall Break (without realizing it when we scheduled the tour) so there were not many students on campus. However, the few I was able to meet were immediately welcoming! Everyone I spoke to at Southwestern was so friendly, a harsh contrast to some other schools that I was considering. Not only did Southwestern accept and encourage transfers, they seemed to actually want me to become a part of this small community.

When acceptance letters started coming in, the only school I really wanted to hear from was Southwestern! When it finally arrived, it was obviously good news because in January of 2011, I was moving into my new dorm room and ready to start the next chapter of my life.

I think the Advanced Entry Seminar is one of the things that really led to my feelings of adoration for SU. Coming in as a Spring Transfer can be a very strange feeling. You kind of sneak into the school and nobody really notices that you weren’t there before. Since there were only 17 of us, it helped us bond as a transfer class, though we all came from such different backgrounds. One of my favorite parts of being a transfer here is that everyone had different experiences to bring to the discussion in our Advanced Entry Seminar.

My best friends at Southwestern are those that I met in my AES, which is something I’m incredibly thankful for. I’ve never felt more accepted by a group of people than I did when I came to SU, and I try to embody that same spirit when meeting and speaking to anyone I encounter on campus.

The first day of orientation for me started as a bit of a whirlwind—all I knew was that I had lunches to attend, and I had to get an ID, and there were a million optional meetings and panels. I received a letter in the mail giving me all the details, which turned out to be the best thing in the world. But before that I realized that everyone on campus was also new. This beginning week is only for new students and the people committed to helping to get settled in, so you’re not alone, and you’ll probably connect with either a peer mentor or another student pretty quickly.

It’s alright if you don’t, though! Honestly, I’m kind of a loner in new situations, so I just went to all the events and watched, and met people. Every event listed on that letter (other than the First-Year Registration) is open to all students, so if it interests you—DO IT! Campus tours are sort of essential, and a really good way to meet people, but I especially enjoyed all the committee meetings and club fairs. There are more than ninety student clubs on campus, and Orientation Week is the best way to figure out which ones are for you.

Also, going to the Resource Fair will be a revelation—that’s where you get to meet almost everyone in the administration that you’ll every need. Here I found out that SU offers really comprehensive physical and mental health services (SU Insurance pays for basically everything), and that getting involved in volunteer or civic engagement services is a lot more fun than I expected. Plus, if you want to get a job or internship, this is the place to figure it out—I just went from table to table and took everyone’s card. I’ve used nearly everyone of them.

So, this is a lot of info to take in, but take it to heart—there are going to be a lot of ways for you to find your niche and get acclimated. In the next advise blog I’ll talk about Advanced-Entry Seminar and how it works with Orientation week. That’ll be a big part of your intro in Southwestern, and I promise it’s gonna be one of the most interesting…

I immediately started planning my next move–to find the best university for me, a 28 year old ex-professional who loves philosophy and literature. I chose ten different places in ten different states, and even went through the hassle (and money) of applying to half of them…

I’d received acceptance letters from two when I met Gail Roberson, the Coordinator of Transfer Admissions here at SU. We met at a campus event one morning, and I asked her a few questions. I wanted to know what sort of education Southwestern could offer and what the programs were like, what the cost would be, and, most importantly, what it’d be like to be a transfer student in a community of less than two thousand students.

Needless to say, what I heard changed my mind in all sorts of ways; aside from getting a great education and incredible scholarships designed just for transfer students, in the first month of classes at Southwestern University, I’ve made great friends, and am starting a student organization that lets people like me find or create the perfect internship. The classes are small enough that my professors know my name and are interested in getting to know me–even some who I don’t have classes with!

Transfer students are in a class of their own, and we bring a new perspective wherever we go. Choosing a university to complete your degree is one of the biggest decisions you’ll ever make, and one of the hardest. With this blog some of my peers are going to offer their experiences, and why they chose SU, and I’m here to offer some tips on making the transition from whatever your situation is to joining Southwestern community, because it’s never the same for anyone. I haven’t met anyone, though, transfer or otherwise, who doesn’t love being an SU Pirate.