Spring brings change in many facets of life – a change in weather, a change in attitude, and for some students a change in schools. With nearly a year under their belt and a new year on the horizon, students nationwide make the decision to transfer colleges to one they feel will better fit their needs and prepare them for the future.

Ted McKown, the Associate Director of Admissions at Kent State, helps future Kent Staters on their journey to become a Golden Flash. He and his department work directly with transfer students to make sure they’re getting the most out of both their past and future schooling experience.

McKown explained that his role is to “meet with students and help them understand how their credits might transfer to Kent State and provide general information not just about the admissions process but about the university.”

According to Kent State’s informational research department, the main campus has a 6% transfer rate – of around 2,500 yearly transfer applicants, over 2,200 are accepted. McKown says that they usually see around 1,000 new transfer students at the beginning of the fall semester, and another 300 or so in the spring. Although the majority of transfer students start in the fall, their experience is not the same as that of freshman arriving on campus.

“All new freshman have just graduated from high school, so they’re all kind of in the same boat, as to where transfer students – they might have a different amount of credits coming in to the university, they might be a different age,” says McKown.

That was the case for Danny Russo, a senior Digital Media Production major who arrived at Kent State last year.

Russo’s story is one that included not just a change in schools, but also a change in programs. “I used to go to UNC Charlotte down in North Carolina,” says Russo. “When I moved here, because of family, I was still a pre-med/physics major.”

Danny was drawn to Kent State’s unique Digital Media Film Production program – now presented with a new school and new field of study that allowed him to pursue his passion.

“I was checking out the curriculum and I saw DMP, so I decided my senior year to change, and I love it,” says Russo. “I’m a little bit older, so it was odd at first, but Kent’s a good school and it’s a good program, so we’re like a big family.”

Maddy Haberberger is a TV2 correspondent. Contact her at [email protected].