Center for the First-Year Experience

You’re going to love UW-Madison and we want you to enjoy your Wisconsin Experience. “It’s all about connecting your learning to the world beyond the classroom,” say Transfer Transition Advisor Jessica Regan. “We can help you embark on an adventure that involves public service, research, study abroad, and much more.”

The Transfer Ambassador Program provides fellow transfer students the opportunity to serve as peer advisors to new transfer students. “The ambassadors are here to help you make the most of your first semester at UW-Madison as you settle in and discover the range of opportunities on campus,” said Regan. We offer a wide variety of services from individual meetings with a professional advisor to group social events with our Transfer Ambassadors.

“We’ve been in this position too, so we know how overwhelming a new campus can be,” said Lizzie Seidenstricker, a Transfer Ambassador. “But that’s why we’re here! So come in, ask us questions, or just have a cup of coffee with us and talk.”

Don’t forget to take advantage of academic and career advising as much as possible. Our website has everything you need from tutoring services to libraries and more. Whether it’s cheese club, a service organization, or Homecoming Committee, there is something for you.

Campus Resources

It’s okay if transfer students experience difficulties while adjusting to the academic expectations of a new campus. This is a new (and sometimes scary) time for everyone. We’ve got a wide variety of resources (mostly free!) on campus that can support your learning and give you additional support when needed:

Greater University Tutoring Service (GUTS): Student-run, volunteer tutoring program that provides peer education in a variety of subjects.

Writing Center: Offers individual writing assistance and workshops on many writing topics.

McBurney Disability Resource Center: Provides a variety of services for students with physical, learning, sensory, psychological, or health-related disabilities.

University Libraries: There are more than 40 libraries on campus providing a wide range of resources. If you’re not sure where to start, “Ask a Librarian.”

Math Lab: Drop-in tutorial service for math classes.

Business Learning Center: Provides academic support for quantitative business-related classes like accounting, finance, economics and business statistics.

Engineering Academic Support: Coordinates tutoring and study group services available to engineering students.

CeO: Center for Educational Opportunity: Comprehensive resources for students from low-income families, first-generation college students, and students with disabilities. (Application required.)

Chemistry Learning Center: Ongoing individual and small-group tutorials are offered in Chemistry 103, 104, and organic chemistry.

Statistics Tutorial Lab: Click on tutorial link to see where, when, and for which classes statistics help is available.

Get Involved

Students who participate in activities outside the classroom are the most successful in college and beyond. We know you have demanding schedules, but we want you to participate in at least one involvement opportunity during first semester at UW–Madison. It’s a great way to make friends, improve our campus, and enrich your life here at UW-Madison. Here’s just a few:

STAMP: The Student Transfer Association and Mentor Program (STAMP) is an active organization led by transfer students for transfer students.

Undergraduate Research: One of the unique opportunities of attending an institution like UW–Madison is the ability to participate in undergraduate research.

Center for Leadership and Involvement (CfLI): CfLI connects students to more than 700 student organizations and other leadership opportunities on campus.

Associated Students of Madison (ASM): ASM is the official student government of UW–Madison including a vast number of volunteer and appointed leadership opportunities.

Morgridge Center for Public Service: The Morgridge Center connect students to service-learning and volunteer opportunities in the community.

Study Abroad: Learn more about the abundant opportunities to study internationally through UW–Madison.

Recreational Sports: 

UW–Madison Recreational Sports offers several exercise facilities as well as intramural and club sports, fitness classes and personal training.

1. What was your SOAR experience like? My SOAR experience was a little unique, since I attended the very last SOAR session at the end of August. It was a condensed version of the usual freshmen SOAR, so it was just a day long and most of it consisted of advising. I got to meet quite a few out-of-state students, which was comforting since I was a little bit nervous coming into such a huge school were I knew absolutely nobody. Other than that, it was pretty stressful getting into my classes, but it all ended up working out!

2. What is your favorite thing about working for SOAR? I've been with CFYE pretty briefly, but my favorite thing so far is being able to direct students to the help they need, as I understand how stressful it can be getting into classes (especially as a new student)!

3. What do you want to be when you grow up? I'd love to be a social psychologist when I'm older. I absolutely love psychology and being a social psychologist would give me the opportunity to conduct research in other countries, which means traveling, my absolute favorite thing!

1. What was your SOAR experience like? My SOAR experience was very helpful and made me feel less anxious about coming to campus. The only downside was that I was on crutches…so climbing Bascom was absolutely miserable.

2. What is your favorite thing about working for SOAR? Working for SOAR is so much fun. The rest of the staff is so friendly it hardly feels like work at all, especially because we try to make each day as fun and positive as we can for our guests. And talking with SOAR participants and their guests about how wonderful UW-Madison is is definitely the best part of the job. 

3. What do you want to be when you grow up? When I grow up I want to work with students on a college campus in the same way I work with students through SOAR. It means grad school after I'm finished at UW, but it's worth it.

1. What drew you to UW-Madison? The city of Madison drew me in immediately. While in high school, my older brother lived downtown Madison. I would drive up from Milwaukee to come visit him frequently and fell in love with the city. After further research, I was incredibly impressed with UW Madison’s academics and involvement. I noticed that the school was extremely broad in what they had to offer, and being that I was not sure what I wanted to major in, it was ideal for me. However, being a C average student in high school, there was no way I could directly get accepted into this school. I decided to enroll in Madison Area Technical College (now called Madison College, MATC), my freshman year, and participated in what they call the “Transfer Program." With this program, I had to complete X amount of credits within two years, with a few required general education courses. I also had to maintain a 3.5 GPA. I completed all my courses and maintained my GPA within one year, and transferred into UW-Madison my sophomore year. I'm so glad I put the work in and made it happen for myself.

2. How did you feel after your SOAR experience? My SOAR experience was extremely overwhelming, but worth the time. I attended a late July SOAR, and it was PACKED. There were at least three hundred people there and I was freaking out. Being a young transfer student surrounded by what I thought were all freshmen, knowing exactly what they wanted to do, was intimidating. I had no idea what I wanted to do in my life; all I knew was that I wanted to be involved in the arts. However, the SOAR advisors split us all up into groups depending on majors, and undecided students. As I was sitting in a room in Union South in my group looking through all these different classes this campus has to offer, I had a realization that I don’t just want to “float” through school. I flagged an advisor over, and soon enough, they moved me to a room where I enrolled in a First-Year Interest Group (FIG) for the Arts. The advisor strongly encouraged me to enroll in something I love and am interested in, and they insured me that it would make my experience on campus much more memorable and fun. It was the best decision I ever made to become a Bachelor of Fine Arts student at UW. 

3. How did the Transfer Ambassadors help your transition to campus? Honestly, I unfortunately was not a art of the Transfer Ambassadors group on campus. However, after doing further reading on this group, I feel that they could have helped me get involved more on campus as I was starting out. 

4. Now that you’re on campus, how have you gotten involved? Now that I have been on this campus for three years, I have discovered Union programming. Even my freshman year, being a student at MATC, I was obsessed with the Union, but felt distant from it because I was not a student at Madison. Now it feels like home. The start of my junior year, I got involved with the student programming board Wisconsin Union Directorate. This group is run by students, offering nine different committees of interest and one club, ranging from Art, Distinguished Lecture Series, Society and Politics, to Hoofers. WUD plans all the student programming within the union, and I mean ALL of it. If you attended a concert on the terrace this past summer, that was put on by WUD Music. If you attended a debate and lecture in Varsity Hall this past semester, that was put on by WUD Society and Politics. If you went and saw a movie at the Marquee in Union South, that was put on by WUD Film. WUD is programming for students, by students. My junior year, I was hired as an associate director for WUD Art Committee. Art Committee runs all four galleries in both Unions: three at Memorial Union (Porter Butts Gallery, Class of 1925 Gallery, and Lakefront on Langdon Gallery), and one at Union South (Gallery 1308). As an associate director, I helped the director lead the committee, as well as worked with artists to book shows, install their artwork, host the opening receptions, and deinstall and package the work. After a year with this position, I decided to go bigger, and was hired as the Art Committee Director for the academic year of 2013-14. I could not be more happy with my involvement in not only Art Committee, but Wisconsin Union Directorate as a whole. It has developed my leadership skills, my business in the arts knowledge, and I have made so many great friends and memories. 

5. What do you wish you had known your first semester here? My first semester in UW Madison, everyone told me to get involved. However, since it was my first semester, I thought, “Nahh… I’ll get involved next year once I’m all settled in.” However, that is one of my biggest regrets. Even though everyone verbally pushes you to get involved immediately, I wish I would have followed through with that request and ACTUALLY gotten involved immediately, instead of just kidding myself of “getting settled in,” whatever that means. Being a young transfer student, my classes still weren’t too tough, so I could have easily joined WUD Art Committee as a member, or gotten an internship, or joined Photography Club. But instead, I kept it pretty low key. I did well in my classes that first year on campus, however, I wish I would have challenged myself more, and forced myself to join some sort of RSO and made more friends. So GET INVOLVED!

1. What drew you to UW-Madison? Both of my parents went to school here, and both have told me that their time here was really the best part of their lives, and I wanted to experience it for myself.  My problem was that I didn’t work hard enough in high school so I went to UW-Milwaukee for my first two years.  After a few visits to Madison, I knew I had to get out of Milwaukee and come here, there’s just something about Madison that you can’t replicate. The rich history that UW-Madison has, combined with the innovations that are made here and the exciting political climate in Madison, I knew that this was a special place, and I had to be a part of it. I still count my transfer as the smartest decision I’ve ever made.

2. How did you feel after your overall first-year experience? I finally felt like I was being challenged, and it felt amazing.  People here are dedicated and hard working, which really inspired me to be a better student. In a couple of my classes they talked about The Wisconsin Idea, something I was ignorant of before coming here, but now it has really stuck with me. The teachers and my advisor (shoutout to Allison Murray!) really helped give me a sense that with my education, combined with the principles of The Wisconsin Idea, would set me up for a successful career.  I finally felt like I was on the right track.

  3. How did the Transfer Ambassadors help your transition to campus? To be honest, I didn’t work with them much, my ambassadors were my friends who I already knew who went here. They helped me adjust to life here in Madison - academically, socially, and personally. In my opinion, every person who goes to school here is an ambassador of this place, and the majority of these people are really great ambassadors.

4. Now that you're on campus, how have you gotten involved? I’m in a student organization called AIESEC, which helps students find jobs and internships abroad, and I hope to move to Brazil after graduation. I also got a job through one of my classes.  Bobby Peterson and Brynne McBride from ABC for Health came and spoke to an entrepreneurship class I was in, and from meeting them I worked for them last school year and this past summer. It was a great learning and career experience for me, and I’m not sure I would have gotten that opportunity without this school.

5. What do you wish you had known your first semester here? All the cool free stuff that goes on campus - concerts, movies, lectures, job fairs, etc. I also wish that I had known that if you want to attend a lot of these free events, get there early! My advice to future transfer students is to always be on the look out for things of this nature, because you won’t find a lot of this stuff at other universities. 

2. How did you feel after your SOAR experience? SOAR was a really great way to get acclimated to the university, and everyone was very helpful. I definitely felt like many of my questions were answered, but I also felt a great deal of excitement and nervousness! It made the fact that I was coming to Wisconsin feel real. It definitely pumped me up. 

3. How did the Transfer Ambassadors help your transition to campus? The Transfer Ambassador Program offer a great service to transfer students. They are happy to meet with you whenever you have any questions, are feeling overwhelmed, or if you just want someone to talk to! Usually, they'll even buy you coffee or ice cream! They also hold helpful events, such as a study day in the library during finals week, which is very helpful because finding a table can be very difficult.

4. Now that you're on campus, how have you gotten involved? I've jumped in and gotten involved with several organizations! I have an internship working with the congressman for the Madison area, I'm part of College Democrats, I work at one of the libraries on campus and I found a babysitting job through the UW Student Job Center! I've also just received a scholarship through a wonderful organization called the Brittingham Viking Organization to travel abroad in Norway next summer. 5. What do you wish you had known your first semester here? Interestingly enough, I found out about the scholarship through a poster on one of the campus message boards, so I would advise anyone coming to school here to definitely take the time to look at those, both in the academic buildings and in your Residence Hall if you choose to live in one! I wish I had known from the beginning that there are so many resources here, not just for first-year students but transfers as well. I have another friend who transferred to a different school this year, and they didn't have anything like Transfer Ambassadors or the Transfer Transition Program we have here at UW-Madison. The resources are definitely there, and it can help the transition a lot if you take advantage of them! Read the emails, and try things that you haven't before. You can make your UW experience fantastic. I am so much happier here than I ever was at my old school, and I am confident that transferring was the best decision of my life.

1. What drew you to UW-Madison? For some reason, it felt like home to me. I went to University of Minnesota-Twin Cities for my freshman and sophomore year but during those two years I felt alone. When I would visit UW-Madison I would immediately feel included. On game days, people were out in their yards grilling, playing catch with a football and talking with their parents and friends. There was an overwhelming feeling of camaraderie that I didn’t feel at the Twin Cities. At UW-Madison there is always something going on; everyone is participating in the community in some way. Everyone is taking care of each other. It’s what it means to be a Badger. 2. How did you feel after your overall first-year experience? I loved my first year. From day one at UW-Madison, I felt proud to be a student here. It sounds a little silly, but when I walk to class I always think, “Man, I love it here.” Even though I knew friends that go to UW-Madison, I still was able to make new friends and get involved, even though I didn’t join campus until I was a junior. In my opinion, the community feeling is much stronger here than my previous school. 3. How did the Transfer Ambassadors help your transition to campus? They were very helpful and made me feel like I was already a student here. Initially I was nervous that it would take me a long time to fit in, but the Transfer Ambassadors helped me feel secure and reassured me that I would feel at home in no time.  They also gave me advice on what clubs would suit me and suggested some activities that I should look into.  4. Now that you're on campus, how have you gotten involved? I am involved with AWC, which is an organization for women in communications. I also am in a magazine class. There are only twenty students, and we produce an entire publication, called Curb. As the photo editor, I got to take photos all over the state, from the prairies of Sauk County to apple orchards right here in Dane County. I’m also on an intramural basketball team, I’ve completed an internship for a non-profit organization, and got involved with the Daily Cardinal by photographing events that occurred on campus. 

5. What do you wish you had known your first semester here? I wish I had known about all of the organizations on campus and I wish there was more information about internships. As I search for a job, I am realizing the importance of internships. I wish I could be better prepared.