Meet Campbell Keele, the Coordinator of Transfer Initiatives in the Academic Advising and Transfer Center! Campbell serves as the academic advisor for transfer students in Undeclared, General Studies, and Pre-Professional programs, as well as the coordinator for transfer-related activities on campus, such as professional development (for faculty and staff) and events (for students).

Campbell’s journey in higher education began when she attended Three Rivers College and graduated with an Associate of Arts in Business Administration. Campbell then transferred to MSU to earn a Bachelor of Science in Finance and a Master of Business Administration. Campbell says, “I grew up in Poplar Bluff and was fortunate to be able to attend TRC for free, through the athletic and academic scholarships I received, so it made sense to stay close to home for my first two years of college. My plan always included transferring to another school after I graduated from TRC, but I wasn’t sure where I wanted to transfer – until I took a tour of Missouri State my freshman year of college. During that tour, I fell in love with the campus and knew immediately that MSU was where I wanted to go!”

Campbell describes her transfer experience as, “difficult at first. The academic part of my transfer was really easy – I was able to seamlessly transfer all my credits and graduate from Missouri State in two years, as I had always planned. What I hadn’t planned for was how challenging it would be for me to find a sense of community. I transferred to Missouri State not knowing anyone. I really struggled with feeling brave enough to step out of my comfort zone and attend events or join student organizations, so I spent the first half of my first semester feeling incredibly lonely. It wasn’t until I joined Kentwood Hall Council that I found the community I had been missing. That gave me the courage to take advantage of other opportunities on campus, and I became so passionate about how incredible Missouri State is that I never wanted to leave!”

Campbell was serious about never wanting to leave Missouri State! Immediately upon graduation, Campbell began working as an academic advisor in Missouri State’s College of Business, where she worked for three years before accepting the Coordinator of Transfer Initiatives position. She says, “I truly feel like I have the best job on campus. I get to work with transfer students every single day, helping them through the same processes, challenges, and successes I went through as a transfer student 10 years ago.” Campbell uses her experience as a transfer student to serve the students she works with, including giving them the advice of, “Getting involved! Pick one student organization to join and you’ll be able to get connected with students you have something in common with. There are so many opportunities (inside and outside of the classroom) that you can only experience as a college student, so take advantage of those opportunities while you can!”

Some of those opportunities include attending transfer-specific events. “I would encourage every student to attend our Transfer Student Social at the beginning of every academic year. It’s the best way to meet transfer students and talk with students who are experiencing the same things you are!”

Meet Faith Collins, a transfer student from Alton, MO!

Faith transferred to Missouri State University from Missouri State University-West Plains. Faith is pursuing the Professional Writing major with a minor in Ozarks Studies.

When asked why Faith chose to transfer to Missouri State, Faith says, “I had some really good experiences at MSU-West Plains and thought Springfield might be a solid fit. Additionally, I had the option to major in professional writing and complete my degree online while staying in the West Plains area and transferring directly meant that I qualified for a transfer scholarship.”

Faith describes the most challenging part of her transfer experience to be the change in mindset that comes with transferring from a seated program at a two-year institution to an online program a four-year institution – “West Plains is a place where classes have fewer than twenty people and it’s easy to get to know people and connect. It’s a lot more challenging to connect now, especially since I am doing my degree completely online. Sometimes it’s easy to feel disconnected, and there’s an excuse to not engage with others. It can be hard to feel involved.” Faith has been able to find that sense of community through her involvement with numerous student organizations, including Tau Sigma (the national honors society for transfer students), Phi Eta Sigma (serving as the marketing chair), and the Christian Campus House (serving as the secretary for the West Plains organization).

While earning an online degree can be challenging, Faith also describes the benefits of being online as the most enjoyable part of her transfer experience. Faith says, “The most enjoyable part of my transfer experience has been the flexibility of completing my degree online. I really feel like my major is customized to fit my needs, and the online format, while challenging, allows me to participate more fully in my local community. I am able to invest in the area where I live, and where I will work.”

Faith’s advice for a new transfer student would be, “When you transfer, you start from scratch again. And that can be hard. It really takes a year to get a feel for how any university works and what’s available. Because a transfer student has less time at a university, you really need to be more proactive about finding community and finding out about pertinent services. I would recommend talking to someone, like your advisor, and finding ways to get involved early on.”

Faith would like to use this opportunity to give a shoutout to the people who have made the most impact on her transfer experience. “I’ve got so many people who helped me during and prepared me for my transition. My parents, Daniel and Teri; my brother and sisters; my amazing bestie, Gisella; my professors from West Plains, particularly Dr. H who started my English journey; and my advisor at Springfield, Mr. Turner. Thank you so much!”

Meet Heather Downum, a transfer student from Richmond, VA!

Heather transferred to Missouri State University from Ozarks Tech. Heather is pursuing the BSN-Completion program and will graduate in December!

When asked why Heather chose to transfer to Missouri State, Heather said, “Dr. Adams visited OTC and spoke to my class as I was completing the associate’s program at OTC. Because I already had another degree, I only needed to complete the Nursing courses at Missouri State to earn my BSN. This allowed me to be able to graduate in just three semesters!”

Heather says the most challenging aspect of her transfer experience was, “getting used to the different applications Missouri State uses compared to what OTC uses, such as Brightspace instead of Canvas, especially being in an online program where we use those applications often.” Heather has been able to overcome that hurdle and has been able to succeed academically – proven by her membership in Tau Sigma, the national honors society for transfer students.

Heather has thoroughly enjoyed her courses at Missouri State. Heather describes her classes as the most enjoyable part of her transfer experience, stating, “The discussion boards are a great way to get different perspectives and get to know the fellow nurses in my program. They all have different backgrounds and are different ages, so the conversations are always interesting.”

Heather’s advice to a new transfer student who is also in an online program would be, “Don’t hesitate if you need to reach out to an instructor! In an online program, you don’t have the face-to-face connection with your instructor that you would have in a seated program, but everyone is fantastic! If you reach out to your instructor, they will be willing to help.”

Heather would like to take this opportunity to give a shout-out to the individuals who have made the most impact on her transfer experience: 1) Dr. Kathryn Adams, a Clinical Associate Professor in the School of Nursing – “Dr. Adams has been fantastic throughout my entire time at Missouri State. She visited my class at OTC to talk about the Nursing program and remembered me when I later went through the interview process.”, 2) Heather’s friends and fellow Nursing students, Kelsey and Irina – “They are the whole reason I will complete my bachelor’s degree because we push each other to be the best nurses we can be”, and 3) Heather’s daughter, Shay – “My daughter is in college in Arkansas and I am always trying to do better for her. She reminds me that it’s never too late to start over!”