New transfer student enjoys change of atmosphere, attitude of students from community college
Many CMU students remember moving into their residence hall room like it was yesterday.
Royal Oak freshman Lauren LaFond remembers it like it was last month — because, for her, it was.
LaFond is one of the many transfer students who make their way to CMU from other two-year and four-year institutions.
"We have a strong partnership with all of the community colleges in Michigan and see many of our transfer students joining us at CMU after completing a year or two of academic coursework," said Jennifer Todd, assistant director of transfer admissions.
About 1,270 transfer students enrolled at CMU in 2010.
LaFond decided to wait a few years after her high school graduation in 2008 to ensure she was ready for campus life.
"I really wasn't ready to go to a university," she said. "I was very immature and young and to be honest, I was just kind of stupid back then."
LaFond, who is in her third year of college, transferred to CMU from the Orchard Ridge Campus of Oakland Community College for the 2011 spring semester.
For LaFond, the biggest difference between her old community college and her new life at CMU is the atmosphere.
"People are all around a lot more driven and a lot nicer," she said. "At community college, it's just a lot of people who just are really not in a good place."
LaFond enjoys the positive attitude she sees a lot of CMU students carry around.
"It's nice to be somewhere with people around you that want to go somewhere, want to get out in the world and do something, (want to) have a positive effect on the world," she said.
After spending her community-college days living with her parents, LaFond is now living with three new roommates on campus. She said she loves CMU's accessibility and the location of her residence hall, as well as many of the people she has met in her building.
"It's kind of like a big camping trip in a way," she said.
LaFond worked through the two years she attended OCC while remaining a full-time student and she enjoys the chance to focus more on her studies while at CMU.
The aspect of challenge a university offers compared to a community college is another big plus for her.
"The biggest thing about community colleges is that everything is so limited," she said. "You can only go for so long before you have to move on. They don't want you there for too long."
Todd said CMU's Admissions Office is readily available for incoming transfer students to help with the transition to campus in transferring classes and obtaining scholarships.
Though CMU is the next step for LaFond, it isn't the last. As a biology student, she wants to specialize in marine studies, and plans on transferring yet again to a coastal school.
"I have to eventually transfer out of state to get my degree, because there's no ocean in Michigan," she said.
