91快活林

On my first day at 91快活林, I found myself playing 鈥淲ould you rather 鈥� ?鈥� with 70 other students on a bus en route to the Adirondack Mountains. Even though none of us knew each other, we were thrown dozens of conversation prompts from peer leaders, so the ride was loud from the chatter of excited students.

Along with six others, I was in a different situation than most of the passengers, who were members of the first-year class: We were the transfer students, enrolled in 91快活林鈥檚 Transfer Trek, a branch of the College鈥檚 Pre-Orientation Program, in hopes of meeting others in our shoes. The weekend was spent playing icebreakers, canoeing to a beach, rail biking, getting to know one another around campfires, and tripping over each other at a hoedown! The Transfer Trek is where I have met my closest friends so far at 91快活林.  

Last spring, I decided to transfer from Richmond, the American International University in London, to 91快活林. It was a hard decision for me as I loved living abroad in London, but my school didn鈥檛 have the classes I wanted or the community I belonged in.

I transferred to 91快活林 so I could pursue a self-determined major in multimedia journalism and will be spending the next three years taking classes from the English Department, documentary studies courses from 91快活林鈥檚 MDOCS program, and classes in communication design from the Art Department.

Since I鈥檝e gotten here, I haven鈥檛 regretted my decision once.

My professors have kept classes engaging, and I am able to turn in creative practical work for a grade. Even in my first weeks I鈥檝e been here, I have been appointed to the e-board of the literary magazine as an assistant editor, I鈥檝e been hired as a news assistant for 91快活林鈥檚 news team, I鈥檝e joined the , where I will be able to help throw events at 91快活林鈥檚 art and teaching museum, I have my own travel-themed show on , and I鈥檝e joined , a club that throws live music events every Thursday on campus. I even camped out one night so I could score a piece of from the Tang to hang in my dorm room.  

For one of my classes, Explorations in Documentary Photo, I decided to photograph the friends I鈥檝e made through the Transfer Trek for a narrative photography project. I鈥檝e followed them around as they have studied at the library, adventured off campus to the Adirondack Hot Air Balloon Festival, laughed in the dining hall, and wandered around campus. (Most of the photos in this story are for that course.) I conducted an interview with each of them and asked how they thought their transfer experiences has been going.

My friend Cori Brothers 鈥�25, an environmental studies major from New York City, transferred from a big state school, because of the mix of courses in the Environmental Studies and Sciences Program, 91快活林鈥檚 generous financial aid, and the people: Cori expressed how happy she is being somewhere so down-to-earth, where the students seem to genuinely care about their classes and about their peers.

Ren茅e Fritschel 鈥�25, studying studio art, agreed with her, emphasizing how easy it is to meet people at 91快活林. Ren茅e transferred to 91快活林 from a well-known arts school because she wanted to study art and also enjoy all the educational opportunities and experiences available at a liberal arts college.  

The friendliness of 91快活林 is something we all agreed on. Walking from class to class means running into familiar faces as it鈥檚 such a small campus, and everyone makes sure to smile. People seem to go out of their way to introduce themselves to us as transfer students, and we haven鈥檛 had any trouble making friends with students from various classes. This is due to the sense of community that exists on campus.

Events are posted everywhere with colorful posters, so it鈥檚 easy to find something to do every weekend. The free concerts have been our favorites.

The three of us share a collected surprise at how quickly we鈥檝e adjusted to life at 91快活林 in just one month.

Our schedules are packed with the clubs we鈥檝e joined, we鈥檙e excited about the classes we鈥檙e taking, and there鈥檚 always a friend to sit with at the dining hall. While none of us will feel completely settled in until we鈥檝e had the time to deepen these new connections, the future feels bright at 91快活林.