Transfer students find a new home at Virginia Tech
Through different circumstances, all roads led to the College of Engineering for these five Hokies.
There’s no single path to becoming a Hokie, and a ‘normal’ college journey doesn’t really exist. Higher education is a melting pot of diverse life experiences, and for many, being a transfer student is just another one of those paths.
Whether students transfer from a four-year university or a two-year community college, they all bring unique stories with them. One thing is certain once they arrive at Virginia Tech: there are resources available to help these new Hokies. From academic advisors guiding students through the transfer process to clubs and organizations, there is a community is dedicated to making new students feel welcome and a part of the community.
The Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) is no exception, home to both transfer students and the support systems that help them succeed. In celebration of National Transfer Student Week, we sat down with five ECE transfer students to hear about how their less traditional academic journeys weren’t set in (Hokie) stone.
Sneha Magadi
Major: Networking and cybersecurity
Transferred from: University of Connecticut
My parents moved to Virginia midway through my first year at the University of Connecticut. Naturally, that ten hour commute to home wasn’t looking quite super, so I explored my options in Virginia. With wanting to major in networking and cybersecurity and already being interested in engineering, Virginia Tech was a great school for that and felt like a natural choice. I actually accepted without even touring!
With a big change like transferring, it's important to explore the resources available to you. In the ECE department, we have the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Women in Electrical and Computer Engineering (WECE), and many more! Beyond ECE, there's the Transfer Peer Mentor Program, which supported me, and now I give back to it. I’ve been able to go full circle by first being a mentee in the program, serving as a mentor, and now being president of the program, where I’m grateful to support incoming transfer students that are going through a similar transition.
Victoria Chin
Major: Electrical and computer engineering
Transferred from: George Mason University
When I was looking to transfer, I knew Virginia Tech was highly ranked in engineering and would give me a good college experience. The transfer process was super easy. I just got accepted and all my credits pretty much transferred according to the equivalency. It worked out that I didn’t have to retake courses that I had already taken during my year at George Mason University. That was a massive help, so I could focus more on tackling this new environment rather than redoing classes.
Zachary Schmidt
Major: Electrical engineering
Transferred from: Germanna Community College
The transfer process from Germanna Community College was super smooth thanks to people like my ECE advisor, Susan Broniak. She really helped me figure out which classes I needed to be taking. Thanks to some motivation from her and pushing through, I was able to get an A in one of my first challenging courses here at Virginia Tech.
Brendan Love
Major: Controls, robotics, and autonomy
Transferred from: Brightpoint Community College
With the pandemic, starting at community college just made sense. I could complete transferable classes, save money, and still experience the full college life when I transferred to Virginia Tech.
Once I arrived, the world really opened up for me. For example, one of the best things that happened was going to Gobblerfest and discovering the club, Chocolate Milk Mondays! From there, I pushed myself to be more social—something I had never done before—and I met so many new people and found a lot of organizations that felt like home.
Stephanie Rodas Arias
Major: Energy and power electronics systems
Transferred from: New River Community College
Transitioning from community college was overwhelming at times during my first semester here. Thankfully, resources like the Cook Counseling Center and my advisor, Nicole Gholston, helped me with the process when I was feeling overwhelmed.
The resources here at Virginia Tech are really unlimited. You can actually create your path to your goals. From all the different clubs and organizations, to the ability to start your own, like I did with my friends to form WECE. There are so many people and systems here designed to help you. It’s really easy to be able to find your place here!
