Meet Rachel Robinson, a transfer student from Hollister, MO!

Rachel transferred to Missouri State University from Ozarks Tech. Rachel is pursuing the Entertainment Management major. Rachel is an active member of the Entertainment Management Association (EMA), which she was able to join as an OTC student prior to arriving at Missouri State University.

When asked why Rachel chose to transfer to Missouri State University, Rachel said, “Missouri State is really affordable and easily transferrable with OTC’s 2+2 plans. I will be able to graduate debt-free, having used my A+ at OTC, and having received several scholarships from Missouri State, including the PTK scholarship, the Mo State Access Award, and a scholarship from the Foundation Scholarship of St. Louis. Plus, MSU is close to home!”

Rachel says the most enjoyable part of her transfer experience so far has been meeting new people and interacting with her faculty. Rachel particularly enjoyed the Transfer Student Social (part of Welcome Weekend) and the EMA social at Andy’s, as they allowed her to meet new people.

Rachel is a commuter student and mentioned some of the challenges that can come with being a commuter student, including making the daily commute to campus and getting used to the parking situation. Rachel’s advice to future transfer students who want to commute to campus is to, “Prepare yourself for the upcoming academic year – take a tour of campus and figure out where your classes are and where the best parking spot will be. And, once you’ve figured that out and the semester starts, get to campus early! Create a morning routine that works for you but also factors in parking and making sure you bring everything you need, so you don’t have to turn around and go back home to grab anything. Additionally, get to know people in your classes and join one student organization! That will be the best way to meet people and make new friends when you aren’t living on campus.”

Rachel would like to take this opportunity to thank the people who have supported her the most during the transfer process: Her parents, her friends, her high school teachers, and her advisors. Rachel says her parents have been incredibly supportive of her decision to transfer to MSU and encouraged her throughout the process. Rachel’s high school teachers, Lynn Morris and Katie Schiefelbein, have also stayed in touch with her throughout her college journey and have inspired her to give back to her community and stay ambitious. Her high school advisor, Arie Good, guided her through her college decisions during her senior year of high school and informed her of many opportunities. OTC advisor, Savannah Whipple, and MSU advisor, Sarah Terry, were both incredibly supportive and made sure she had everything she needed to graduate from OTC in two years and graduate from Missouri State in two years. Lastly, Rachel would like to thank the Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis for their generous RootEd renewable scholarship, allowing her to graduate debt-free.