Kaela Conley ’06 knows firsthand what freshman anxiety can do.
She decided to transfer to the University of New Hampshire after her freshmen year because she felt Fairfield had a very homogenous group of people and she was looking for more diversity, as well as a cure for homesickness.
Conley is not alone. According to the University Fact Book, on average, 95 out of 3,100 students transfer out of Fairfield every year.
This number has been declining in recent years, administrators said.
Dean of Freshmen Debnam Chappell encounters situations like Conley’s all the time. Since becoming the dean in 1998, Chappell has dealt with numerous freshmen transfers.
“There isn’t one reason that students leave,” she said. However, Chappell named being closer to home and wanting a larger school as being two common reasons for transferring.
Ashley Ferranti ’07 said her reasons for seeking transfer are similar to Conley’s: a lack of diversity, both racial and background, on campus.
“I feel the university does not fulfill each person’s need to experience diversity in many areas,” said Ferranti, who hopes to go to Providence College next year.
“Not only is there ethnic diversity lacking on campus, there does not seem to be a wide variety of different ideas that students are willing to discuss with each other,” she said.
Despite Ferranti’s views on campus diversity, colleges more diverse than Fairfield, such as Penn State and NYU, have similar retention rates. NYU stands at 72 percent and Penn State is 85 percent, neither being far from Fairfield’s 85.1 percent.
Chappell said some students do not take enough time or effort to realize the extent of diversity that does exist on campus.
“What I’ve always wanted to see students do is to use their college years as a fresh start; to become active in different things that you’ve never thought you’d be interested in,” she said.
There are many multicultural groups on campus that students either may not know about or do not join or seek out.
Clubs like the Asian Student Association, German and Greek Clubs, Kadima, SALSA, and many others, are not just there for students of particular backgrounds; they are open to all and can enhance diversity awareness greatly on campus, according to Chappell.
Conley went to the University of New Hampshire, then returned to Fairfield.
“I decided I really missed being with the people that I started the whole college experience with, I also like being away from home [New Hampshire],” said Conley. She spent last September at UNH before transferring back to Fairfield.
There were an increase in transfers, especially due to the cut of the football and hockey teams at Fairfield. But some of those students are coming back as well, according to Chappell.
While students transfer for different reasons, Chappell said, “When you’re 18 or 19 and you feel uncomfortable, you should give it a chance, but if you’re that age and miserable, the chance just won’t work.”
Conley said a student should examine a potential transfer carefully.
“My advice to people looking to transfer is to make sure you’re doing it for all the right reasons, every college has its ups and downs,” she said. “If you just look at the bad parts, you’re going to really miss out on some really great things…but if you’re sure that Fairfield isn’t the place for you, then definitely act upon the decision.”
When that decision is made can make or break what a student truly wants in the end. Chappell won’t force freshmen to stay if and when they express a desire to leave, but she will encourage them to become more involved and give it a chance before making anything final.
Freshmen like Lindsay Clark and Lauren Cleary both feel that the lack of Greek life and athletic school spirit brings down the college experience at Fairfield.
However, the friends they had made and experiences had since the beginning of freshmen year have swayed both of them from making any rash transferring decisions.
Transfer and retention rates are down since she became the dean in 1998, according to Dean Chappell.
However, in 1993 the retention rate was at a high of 93.3 percent with the class of 1993 and as of last year went down to 85.1 percent, according to the University Fact Book.
The retention rate includes students who complete their degrees here; those who leave may transfer out or fail-out.
“Sophomore year seems to bring much happier students,” said Dean Chappell.
Now a happy sophomore, Conley agreed.
“College is what you make of it, not many will love their freshmen year,” she said.
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