Kevin Anderson, Biblical Studies Department, 9:30 a.m.

, (973)
10/29/2015

Freshmen and transfer students transitioning to Taylor becomes a huge impact to

their college life.

Every year, new faces are seen on campus. These new faces are freshmen and

transfer students. College can either be exciting or nerve wrecking for these students, as

it’s a big challenge for them, due to the time and patience it takes.

Bradley Bailey, a freshmen, had to prepare himself for the upcoming classes that

he will take at Taylor.

“In high school I took a lot of AP classes to prepare myself for college,” Bailey

said. “There is a lot more homework at Taylor than there was at high school. I have to get

used to spending a lot of my time doing homework.”

A goal that these types of students want to accomplish during their time at Taylor

is to experience more of God’s word, as well as become true followers of Him. Back at

their previous high school or college, private or public, some students didn’t have the

resources to grow in their faith.

Kyle Keck, a senior at Taylor, transferred from two different colleges during his

freshmen and sophomore year.

“I went to Bethel University in Minnesota my freshman year, which is just like

Taylor but in a metro area,” Keck said. “My sophomore year I went to Cape Fear

Community College in North Carolina. I chose Taylor because after being at a

community college for a year, I knew I wanted to finish college at a school with a

Christian environment like Taylor.”

 Being motivated to find a new home isn’t easy for most of the new students, but

luckily for Keck, it wasn’t a hard challenge for him.

“Transitioning to Taylor was easy for me,” Keck said. “I knew it would be much

like Bethel in the sense that it offered much of the same things, which is exactly what I

wanted.”

Since Taylor is known to be a Christian college, students are able to engage in a

Christian environment. Students get to meet other Christian students and upperclassmen

that are more experienced in the community.

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10 am, Taylor hosts a chapel service at

Odle Arena. During that time, students worship and listen to different sermons each day.

The speakers also give a brief message after each sermon on what God has in store for

the students while spending their time at Taylor.

“Chapel is a good place to get away from schoolwork,” Keck said. “I enjoy going

to Chapel because the people that are there aren’t being forced to go. It creates an

intentional environment.”

Chapel isn’t the only thing that Taylor offers for these new students. Small group

sessions are another good way for new students to explore at Taylor. During small group,

students talk deeply about God’s word. This gives freshmen and transfer students a

chance to ask questions about His word and what the students understand about it. Small

groups also demonstrate how the students define their faith.

Freshmen and transfer students start their Taylor experience by taking a class

called First-Year Experience. In this class, students learn what it’s like to live on Taylor’s
campus and transition into the college life. Although the class helps students get used to

Taylor, some feel it would be beneficial to run the class differently.

“First-Year Experience wasn’t really enjoyable for me,” Bailey said.. “I feel like

they have a good idea, but they try too hard to make it like a real class. It’s a great class

overall, but I wish they would run it differently.”

Shawnda Freer, the First-Year Experience director, understands the class isn’t the

only tool that new students use to transition into Taylor.

“The class offers one avenue for helping students to transition to college,” Freer

said. “We recognize that the class isn’t the only means to a student’s successful

transition.”

Another change the freshmen and transfer students go through is attending O-

groups. These groups are led by upperclassmen. The group requires students to meet

during the first half of fall semester to talk about what they’re learning in First-Year

Experience.

“They are trying to accomplish in a holistic, successful transition to college,

practice in living independently, and evaluating personal beliefs,” Freer said.

Nate Chu, a counselor at Taylor University, is in charge of the transfer students.

Chu’s goal is to make sure that Taylor feels like home and that students are making the

right choice by transferring. Chu also wants to make sure that God has a plan for these

students and He will lead them in wherever direction He chooses. If a transfer student has

any questions about more on life at Taylor, as well as the process of being a transfer

student, students are advised to talk with Chu.

 “Our desire for you as a transfer is to see where God is calling you,” Chu said.

“Hopefully through the process of talking to me, visiting, and talking to other students to

see if this place is right for you.”

What some freshmen and transfer students don’t realize about Taylor is that

they’re a part of a community. Taylor’s community is centered around faith and having a

relationship with Jesus. The main goal for everyone on campus is that they want to leave

Taylor with a strong Christian faith. This means that you have committed God every

single day, by worshipping Him and getting involved on campus. Taylor believes it’s

important to be a part of this. First-Year Experience offers to explore connection of the

Taylor community and faith.

“The benefits of the course to college transition is a shared common experience

over the first half of the semester for entering freshmen,” Freer said. “The peer led small

group discussions, the introduction to campus resources, and the introduction to

community life at Taylor and the broader Christian life.”