At Franciscan University, transfer students are often confused with international students. However, there is a whole community of transfer students at this university, each with unique and inspirational experiences.

Josie Russo, a sophomore, is a transfer student from Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania. Josie wanted a “Catholic environment,” and since coming to Franciscan, has found that “the greatest thing about Franciscan is Jesus being present in the Eucharist literally all over campus.” She describes how the transferring process itself was easy, but getting her credits over has been an ongoing struggle. “They also transferred a lot of my credits as electives instead of as a course,” Josie remarks, and goes on to say how she had to retake classes that she lost credit for after the transfer. 

When asked what she likes about Franciscan, Josie explains how “the community’s amazing,” and there are “so many beautiful graces that come from being a student here.” “Because I experienced what I experienced at my other college, I can appreciate Franciscan even more,” she added.

Another transfer student, junior Joshua Rosales, transferred from Thomas Aquinas College (TAC) in Southern California. “The biggest reason that I transferred was that I had a hard time balancing the kind of workload [at TAC],” he remarks.  Some of Joshua’s friends at Franciscan told him that they had a good balance between their spiritual, social and academic lives there, which was a strong attraction for him. While the transfer process was simple, Joshua found building a community to be difficult at first. However, Joshua explains that “orientation did help.”

When asked what Joshua likes about Franciscan, he states how “it’s really beautiful to see how strong the faith life is here … people very easily tap into the faith.” Joshua relates how it is great to see the long Confession lines and full daily Masses. 

To those who are considering transferring or are transfer students, Joshua states: “[don’t] take yourself too seriously to the point where it’s like ‘I have to be the perfect student’.” He explains how “you should be responsible and keep up with your obligations as a student, but also to be able to take a step back [and] meet new faces.”

Our final transfer student’s experience is that of Sofia M. Cabada, a junior student who transferred from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Sofia says she transferred “because of a deepening of my faith.” She describes how Franciscan is different from her former University in that the “faith is imbued and also central.” She goes on to explain how at Franciscan, “there’s the formation of the entire person rather than just getting a degree that will get you money.”

For Sofia, she first transferred from her former University to an online Franciscan semester, before moving to in-person. This process “was actually pretty smooth.” When asked about the benefits of transferring, Sofia remarks how you “are getting access to a beautiful education.” Another “immense pro … is that total surrender to the Will of God,” regardless of your school or state in life, that allows you to “just take it one step at a time.” 

There are many other transfer students throughout Franciscan University, and although they could not all be interviewed, these snapshots of individual journeys were powerful. The Troubadour is grateful to Josie, Joshua, and Sofia for sharing and being a part of the Franciscan University community.