Meet Katie Cowan, a transfer student from Strafford, MO!

Katie transferred to Missouri State University from Ozarks Technical Community College, where she earned an Associate of Arts in General Studies. Katie chose OTC because it, “allowed me to get CORE42 and Communication prerequisites out of the way before transferring, so I could go right into courses for my major and minor.”

Katie earned a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies, along with a minor in General Business and an Undergraduate Certificate in Conflict and Dispute Resolution, from Missouri State University. Katie is now pursing MSU’s Master’s in Communication, as well as a Graduate Certificate in Applied Communication.

Katie says she chose to transfer to Missouri State University because, “of the location. MSU is close to family, friends, and my support system. I was also offered the Transfer Excellence Scholarship, which helped me graduate with zero debt.”

Katie expressed that the most challenging part of her transfer experience was, “keeping track of all of the deadlines. There are many deadlines for applying, sending transcripts, getting scholarships, and registering for classes that I had to stay on top of.”

Katie said the most enjoyable part of her transfer experience was, “Just being physically here on campus. It made all of the stress and looming deadlines dissipate. It also encouraged me to not only finish my bachelor’s degree, but to pursue a master’s degree and, ultimately, a career in higher education.” This leads to Katie’s advice for a transfer student, which is to, “Get involved because it can give your institution more of a college feel.”

Katie would like to take this opportunity to give a shoutout to the people who helped her the most in her transition to Missouri State University: her parents and her partner, who were “really encouraging and helped me out a lot”. Katie says the biggest shoutout, though, goes to Donna Rebmann, MSU’s OTC-MSU liaison.