Anna Linh Thy Au
"I came to Baylor because I believed that it would have more opportunities and challenges for me to grow. I fell in love with this school because they were never shy about reaching out and keeping in touch. The school seemed to have a strong community aspect which really drew me in." Anna Linh Thy Au, a Pre-Health and Business major, described her reason for transferring to Baylor.
Anna transferred from Midwestern State University into Baylor University during her Sophomore year. Because Anna is originally from Wichita Falls, an area three hours north of Waco, the location adjustment was relatively easy. However, Anna found herself presented with numerous hurdles when she found herself in a new school environment and much larger campus than she was used to that Fall semester.
"The first semester was rough. I had made a close group of friends at my previous university and now I had to figure out how to find my home at Baylor. But things got better when I reached out to the Student Success Initiative Center and got more connected with Baylor's Transfer student program." Anna said, describing her transition process.
Anna continued, "When I walked into that office, they made me feel at home. I admitted that I was struggling to integrate and felt like I wasn't taking full advantage of my time at Baylor. The advisors were amazing. They not only helped me find a job in the SSI office, but also connected me to different organizations on campus. They were very intentional and often reached out to me before I reached out to them. They were good at letting us know about resources without overwhelming us. The program sort of serves as the connecter between transfer students and the rich opportunities that Baylor has to offer."
For future transfer students, Anna advised, "Don't be afraid to be vulnerable - it takes a degree of courage to ask for help. Coming in, you may think that you can figure it all out yourself. But it’s okay if you need assistance in finding your niche. The transfer student community at Baylor has helped me accept that it’s okay to not know some things and feel a bit lost at first because you’ll have the advisors and friends in the program to help guide you through that confusion."