Activity #1: Your Transfer-Student Checklist



1. “I know the resources for transfer students and emergency contacts.”

“Review engagement expectations, referral procedures, messaging etiquette, privacy limits, role boundaries, resources for transfer students, and escalation procedures available in this course.”

“Stay within the mentor role. You are not the mentee’s therapist, academic advisor, financial aid expert, immigration advisor, disability services provider, health professional, or emergency responder.”

2. “I understand that mentees transfer for different reasons and from different circumstances.”

“Transferring is not a one-kind of experience. A mentee may be moving toward a better academic fit, lower cost, a new location, the ability to care for family members, a desired major, and many other opportunities. A mentee may also be moving away from financial pressure, family demands, social exclusion, poor academic fit, health problems, or an institution that no longer works for them. Sometimes the reasons are mixed, and they may feel ambivalent. Mentors should seek to understand the circumstances without requiring a mentee to disclose private or painful details.”

3. “I reviewed transfer student activities available at my university and know which early activity may fit the mentee and the relationship.”

“Be on the lookout for upcoming campus and local/community events, workshops, deadlines, student organization activities, career opportunities, academic support programs, and cultural events that might interest your mentees.”

“We completed a reciprocal, voluntary early connection activity when appropriate.” (from the First meeting checklist — this is what “early activity” refers to.)

“Your program may also sponsor transfer-student group gatherings, but those don’t count as your in-person meetings.”

4. “We identified what led to the transfer and what support or constraints matter now.”

“During the first meeting, ask enough to understand what the transition means for each mentee and what support may be useful. This is not an intake interview or a request for a personal history. Ask permission, let the mentee choose what to share, and focus on information that can guide mentoring. Share your own experiences as a way to connect and, if you’re meeting with more than one student at once, leave time for them to talk to each other!”