Transfer Students Get Advice from Alumni

Lauren Black, class of 2019 accounting and information systems double major, writes about a special panel discussion for undergraduate transfer students held on Oct. 10, 2017, at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business.

With the great opportunities and promises offered, the Robert H. Smith School of Business received a large amount of transfer student applications last semester. Some of the students who were accepted into the business school enrolled in the course BMGT 398T, a class concentrated on helping transfer students adjust to the Smith School. During class on Oct. 10, three alumni and one current student participated in a panel discussion, answering questions regarding their experience at Smith as a transfer student.

Alumni Scott Jones, Ali Saif and Wasif Malik spoke about their past experiences in Smith, and how they adjusted to the change from their previous institution. Scott, who is currently employed at Stout as a dispute consulting analyst, expressed how important going to the career fair was in his success -- building on networking skills is especially important for those who did not get to experience it at Smith their freshman year. Ali, who is currently employed at Deloitte as a cyber risk consultant, added on to Scott’s point of networking, as he stated that most opportunities he received were related to how much he networked. “Go to networking events, and get the free food while you’re at them,” Ali joked. “Employers want to see who’s hungry; who’s hungry for donuts and who’s hungry for jobs.”

Current Smith junior Jericho Gloria had a relatable point of view as he recently transferred into the Smith School. When asked about any advice he had for these new transfers students, Jericho explained, “Reach out to people. There is always someone who was in the same position as you and having that support system makes the transition easier.”

Current BMGT 398T students appreciated the input from people who were recently in their position. Many felt the panel was a great confidence booster, as they saw the outstanding work previous transfer students had completed. Junior Noor Hassan described her experience transferring to Smith as slightly intimidating due to the vast array of opportunities, but explained “…if I wasn’t in this class, I wouldn’t be aware of half of the programs here at Smith.” Sophomore Luis Orellana expressed his gratitude for the advisors that teach the class, Evan Riddle and Ebony Fullwood, as they have been a great resource for anything involving being a student at Smith.

Transfer students are continuously making an impact in not only the Smith community, but also the workforce.

For more information about the undergraduate program at Smith, visit: www.rhsmith.umd.edu/undergrad.