Heather Williard is one of the few and the brave. Transferring schools can be an exciting and terrifying experience, but as Williard has discovered, transferring in the Spring Semester can sometimes result in a unique set of problems that those who arrive in the fall don't experience.

"Transferring halfway through the year is hard to do, people are already set in their ways," said Williard (junior-human development and family studies).

Williard, who has transferred to three different colleges, knows the differences between being new in the spring and new in the fall. She said meeting new people and getting involved in clubs and organizations are the biggest challenges facing those who transfer in January.

"People have already established friendships," Williard said, adding that she is still not familiar with many people in her dorm.

Williard's experiences are not altogether unusual for fellow spring transfers, including students coming from Commonwealth Campuses.

"It's a terrible idea to transfer in the spring," said Jody Fulton, (junior-communication disorders) who arrived from Beaver Campus in the Spring Semester. She also said it has been hard to meet people in her dorm and on campus.

Ivette Martinez, a resident assistant, said she has also noticed that Spring Semester transfers have a more difficult time adjusting.

"The majority of the students are already established, so it's a little harder to make friends," she explained.

Joe Puzycki, associate director for the Office of Residence Life, said orientation programs, such as campus tours, dances and college meetings, are offered in the spring and fall.

But program attendance was low this semester because of the snowstorm and many people, including Williard and Fulton, weren't able to receive the full benefits of those orientations, he said.

Jennifer Wargo (junior-rehabilitation services education) said the weather prevented her from attending the programs and added that she regrets missing the opportunity.

"Everyone knows everyone else," she said, adding there are other people who "very much keep to themselves."

But there are students whose transition is made easier because they already have friends who came in the fall.

Jennifer Davitt (junior-Spanish), who lives off campus, said she had few difficulties adjusting because she knew everyone who lived around her.

"The only trouble I had was finding my classes while trying to keep my balance on all that snow and ice," she said, echoing other transfers' sentiments.

Carol DeBunda, career development director at Ogontz Campus, said some of her former students were at an advantage because they transferred in the spring.

"There are fewer students coming to the campus at that moment," she said, so students experience less anxiety and tend to feel less like a number.

But some students, like Diana Dever (sophomore-communication disorders), said although she has friends who can help her, the transition still takes time.

"I still feel out of place," she said.