Geneseo Celebrates National Transfer Student Week
From Oct. 20-24, 2025 SUNY Geneseo is participating in National Transfer Student Week, hosting a variety of events to promote inclusivity for transfer students on campus.
The week aims to foster a sense of community for transfer students coming to Geneseo, with National Transfer Student Week offering a prime opportunity for campus engagement. Some of the week’s events include painting the tree in the Sturges quad, pumpkin painting, bingo, and a fall fest hosted in the Macvittie Union on Wednesday.
National Transfer Student Week is celebrated at schools across the country, spearheaded by the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students (NISTS). The organization states that “it's vitally important that we build awareness of common transfer barriers and the diverse student needs and identities within our transfer populations.”
New to this year’s festivities is the Transfer Connect Club, a new student group dedicated to creating a welcoming environment for transfer students. The club aims to help build a sense of belonging for transfers in the greater Geneseo community, as well as offer resources for social and academic success. For more from Transfer Connect Club, including information on upcoming events, you can check out their Instagram, @transferconnectclub.
The Transfer Connect Club’s mission echoes the sentiments of NISTS. Kayla Harry, vice president of Transfer Connect Club, shares that “the biggest goal for us is not to get numbers, not to be just some other club, but to be able to make people feel included and seen and supported as a transfer. Everything we do … is for people who are struggling at Geneseo.”
SUNY Geneseo has a positive track record for transfer students. The school has been part of the transfer honors society Phi Theta Kappa’s Transfer Honor Roll since 2021. Geneseo also offers a specialized transfer orientation program in the fall and spring to support the unique struggles of transfer students, plus partnership programs like the Finger Lakes Community College Cooperative Admission Program that aim for a smoother transition between schools.
While the Transfer Connect Club provides a valuable local voice for transfers, the importance of this week extends beyond just the Geneseo community. A study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health that focused on interviewing transfer students in Asia noted that transfer students “found it difficult to focus on their studies if they joined extracurricular activities and were concerned they were not ‘fitting into’ the university culture, thus feeling ‘overwhelmed’ and ‘completely alone’.” As a reminder to any struggling students, there are a variety of campus resources available to support the difficult transition.
If you missed these events, there are still more to come extending into the weekend to keep the spirit alive. Geneseo Late Knight (GLK) will be holding Laser Tag and Silent Disco, which offer great opportunities to engage with the larger campus community at some fun events. For transfer students potentially seeking other ways to get involved on campus, the Organization Directory is a useful resource for investigating groups on campus that may be of interest.