This is the Spartan Transfer Hub, brought to you by Impact 89 FM and the MSU Transfer Student Success Center. Here's what we've got for you today.
Zuhaer:Hey everyone, welcome to the first episode of Spartan Transfer Hub, the podcast about all things related to MSU transfer students brought to you by the MSU Transfer Student Success Center, also known as TSSC. I'm your host, Zuhaer Aranya, a senior studying mechanical engineering at MSU. I use he/him pronouns, and I'm from Bangladesh.
Zuhaer:Whether you're new to MSU or just looking to find your place here, or even a transfer student in a totally different area of the map, this series is all about helping you navigate campus life, build community, and hear from other transfer students who've been where you are. We're all here to share stories, tips, and real conversations to support your journey at MSU.
Zuhaer:On this episode, we're going to meet with some of our amazing students involved in the transfer student initiatives about ways transfer students can get involved with TSSC and our student groups. Could you all please introduce yourselves with your name, program, what school you're transferred from, and what TSSC groups you're a member of? And while we're at it, could you share with us what is your favorite thing to do on campus?
Sameer:Hi there, my name is Sameer Shah. I just graduated from the economics degree last semester. It's May 2025. I originally transferred from GRCC, WCC, LCC, all the above. I was both in TSAB and TEMPO, and my favorite thing to do on campus was to study in the the STEM Building. It's a good place.
Tommy:My name is Tommy Gardella. I just graduated this past semester with a finance degree and real estate minor. I initially transferred from the University of Detroit Mercy in Detroit, Michigan. I was involved with TSAB and Tempo at a point during my college years. And then my favorite thing to do on campus, probably walk on the campus, especially near the river.
Tommy:Campus is really a good spot to be.
Antonice:Hi everyone. My name is Antonice Russaw. I'm a current graduate from the College of Social Science majoring in psychology. So I graduated this past spring.
Antonice:I transferred from Macomb Community College to Wayne State and then MSU.
Antonice:So two different institutions there. And I was also a part of TSAB and TEMPO. My favorite thing to do on campus, honestly, it's to go and be in my apartment and sleep because I stay on campus. I really like sleep in my own apartment.
Zuhaer:That's awesome. Thank you guys so much for sharing. And once again, thank you so much for being here and talking to all of us today. So right off the bat, I wanna ask you, what exactly is TSAB?
Antonice:Yeah, so TSAB stands for Transfer Student Advisory Board. It is a group of transfer students from different years in their transfer and we will meet biweekly virtually. We have Ms. Ashley, who is our advisor. We also work very closely with the TEMPO program as well.
Antonice:We do different programs for transfer students. We host mini meetings just to have a safe space to meet others. We also have some new initiatives being implemented, like right now, the podcast, and then also having a seat on ASMSU. So just really advocating for students more being able to have our voice heard and our opinions. So I think it's a great time and feel free to join and we always love meeting new people and we're never gonna shy you away.
Antonice:So if you're looking for a community, I definitely would start with TSAB.
Zuhaer:Right. Could you also tell us what TEMPO is?
Sameer:Well TEMPO stands for the Transfer Experience Mentorship Program and what I have to say about that is being a new transfer student can be a very scary thing. You're in a completely new environment, you're trying to find your place, and sometimes it can feel pretty lonely, and luckily that's where TEMPO comes in. As I said earlier, it stands for Transfer Experience Mentorship Program, and it's designed specifically to support transfer students just like us by helping you connect with people who get it, other students who have been in your shoes. And through Tempo, you're gonna get access to mentors, campus resources, weekly community dinners where you get to hang out and meet other transfer students, just events that make it easier to find your community, build friendships, and thrive at MSU. Honestly, it's not just a program, it's kind of a lifeline for those who need a little more support to assimilate into the MSU culture.
Zuhaer:Wow, both of these seem like really solid resources that you guys were able to use in your time here as a transfer student. I hope that our future transfer students can take inspiration and hopefully join these organizations or become a member, and hopefully it will do them as good as it has done for you.
Zuhaer:So since you all have been a transfer student at MSU, could you tell us a little bit about how involvement with TSSC or TSAB or TEMPO has had an effect on you personally?
Tommy:Sure. So I would say the Transfer Student Success Center, being involved with it initially starting off, you know, when I first came to MSU impacted me because it was kind of the first group that I was a part of on campus. And just to have that community of other transfer students and have additional resources offered to me was super helpful to kind of get acclimated more quickly and efficiently at Michigan State as a transfer student.
Antonice:For me specifically, I would say TSSC has a very big special place in my heart. I originally transferred in '22 and that's when the program was more starting out and still fairly new. So being kind of one of the first, I guess, members or like students involved and carrying out all through the rest of my like experience has, it just made a very big impact on me because I've grown very close with Dr. Charles and Ms. Ashley, and even some of the student and grad staff that has came and worked and helped out with.
Antonice:So personally, it's more of like a family connection that I've developed with the advisors, but also other transfer students as well. And being able to help out not only Ms. Ashley and Dr. Charles by doing the panels, going to the events, talking to the other students, but also being a face for the transfer students of being like, "Hey, I saw you do this panel." So they're coming in knowing, I would say maybe three people between myself, Ms.
Antonice:Ashley and Dr. Charles. So just really being able to be in the community.
Sameer:I'd say that when it comes to the impact the Transfer Student Success Center has had on me, the events put on by TSSC and even just the emails that they send out have had a massive impact on my experience at MSU. Honestly, just showing up to these events helped me meet new people, learn about the campus, its resources, and get connected to opportunities I wouldn't have found out about otherwise. I mean, for example, I only found out about TEMPO and becoming a TEMPO mentor by going to a TSSC event. And through that, I met loads of other transfer students, got exposed to so many new environments and opportunities, and it really changed the game for my time here at MSU.
Zuhaer:I guess in connection to that, I also want to ask, what else have you been involved on campus that left a mark on you or that you really enjoy doing?
Antonice:My gosh, I feel like I'm going to list off a list of things here, but I was in TSAB and TEMPO, as I mentioned earlier. However, I also was involved in DOW STEM Scholars, TRIO. I was also on the E-board, Executive Board for Successful Black Women of MSU. I was also a resident assistant. And I'm trying to think I did something else.
Antonice:My brain's kind of fogged up right now, but I was really involved in pretty much anything you can kind of think of around campus.
Tommy:Yeah, aside from the transfer student initiatives, I was also involved with the Real Estate Investment Club, a fraternity on campus, a group called Alternative Investments Group, and then I also had the opportunity to study abroad in Dubai recently. Those are some of the other things that I've done on campus.
Sameer:When it comes to my involvement on campus, I'd hop around to loads of different clubs, went to a load of different events. It's pretty common for loads of clubs to post their events on their Instagram and they typically welcome anyone to come and participate. So I'd find myself attending club events a lot or even working student jobs, whether it be at the library or joining the TEMPO program and becoming a mentor for people. That's how I stayed involved.
Zuhaer:Wow. That is a lot of opportunities packed in, but that's great though, because that means there's something for everybody. And with the plethora of resources and clubs that we have here, everybody will hopefully find something that they can really resonate with and enjoy spending so much of their efforts and time in. Given all of the stuff that you guys have been involved in and how busy you guys may have been in your time as an MSU student, I was curious as to what it was really like balancing your responsibilities such as these, as well as your academic stuff, your social stuff, your personal life and all. what would you have to say about that?
Antonice:For me, I am definitely a planner person. So I have my phone planner, a regular planner, and then on my whiteboard as well. Thankfully though, all my planners kind of connect. So I'll get a notification to literally anywhere and it just kind of reminds me. But I also schedule in time for like eating and sleeping and just making sure I have time for friends.
Antonice:My friends know if they want to hang out, like it sounds kind of kind of bad or cheesy, I guess you could say. But if they want to hang out that I need to know so I can put it on my calendar and make sure that I am still giving like my full intentional full time to them because I really do value my friendship as well as my curricular activities and just like my own personal responsibilities that I have to do. So I definitely am a planner person and just being very open and communicating when I need help, whether it's help with a school task or just help personally, I'm very big on communication.
Tommy:Yeah, I would agree with most of those points. I think being organized with your schedule and kind of planning things out is the most important thing. Then also just being mindful that, you know, obviously aside from like friends, family, and like taking care of yourself, school is the number priority when you're there or when you're up at school. So in schoolwork, academic responsibilities, those types of things are important and should take priority over some of the other extracurricular activities. But as far as like managing your schedule goes, just being intentional and not saying yes to everything and just picking and choosing what's realistic for you to be able to manage to do is kind of the most important things.
Sameer:For me, I'd say as a student with ADHD, balancing the academics, personal life, and the extracurriculars, it's definitely a challenge. But over my time at MSU, I've found a few strategies that have really helped me do better in that aspect. The first one that comes to mind is Google Calendar. I'd be lost without my Google Calendar. The second thing that's made a huge impact is an assignment tracker.
Sameer:Is at the very start of the semester going through all of my class syllabus and writing down every assignment and every due date, and so there's one place I can check if I have work to do. If everything's good there, then I can go have fun doing some personal stuff or some extracurriculars. The last thing that's helped me balance all these things is giving myself the permission to take breaks and to lay down and say it's okay to not do anything right now, especially when you're all go go going all the time, that you need to sit down and catch a breather before you can get right back to it.
Zuhaer:All of that is really excellent advice. And I think this is something that a lot of students will appreciate because in my experience as well, a lot of times it's not the easiest thing to be involved in so many different things at once. So like a lot of the things that you guys said, I agree with most of it. And like Antonice said earlier on, I have a different schedule or a routine set up in different parts of my life, you know, like I'll have a separate routine or a schedule in my Google calendar, a separate one in my Outlook calendar and a different one on my phone. And it all helps me to really have a good, well rounded understanding of what I need to get done, what I have to do at what time, and all of those kinds of things.
Zuhaer:So I think that's really good advice, and I want to thank you for sharing with us today. Moving on, I want to ask you guys a little bit about what other resources than TSSC did you interact with while at MSU that also left a significant impact in your life.
Antonice:For me, I definitely would say I was involved most in DOW STEM, TRIO, and then also FAME Scholars. Those are pretty small, closer community groups. And it could be kind of off putting to transfer students at first because it is a little bit advertised as first years, but still just reaching out and making those contacts and seeing if that is something that you're eligible for and or you would want to be a part of. It's a very small community, but it's a very powerful community. And I think I'm very thankful that I found those a little bit earlier on and still got to do the orientations and everything and still be a part of a cohort.
Antonice:So that was super fun for me.
Zuhaer:As we wrap it up today, I want to ask you guys if you have some final pieces of advice or any special messages or things that you want to leave behind with all of our new MSU transfer students that we're going to see in the upcoming semesters.
Sameer:The advice I'd give to a new MSU transfer student is very simple: to put yourself out there even when it feels uncomfortable. I used to ask myself, and even now I still ask myself, one or two years from now, will I be glad that I stayed in and slept or that I went out and made some memories? More often than not, choosing to show up led to experiences and friendships that I would have missed otherwise. Participate in events, try new things, and most importantly, just be you, your authentic self. When you show up as you, you're naturally gonna find your tribe.
Sameer:MSU is a massive, massive place, but there's a space for everybody, and the more you engage, the faster you're gonna find your space. And years from now, you aren't gonna remember the naps. You're gonna remember the nights you said, yeah.
Tommy:Great advice. I would just say, take it day by day. It doesn't, you know, feeling acclimated and feeling comfortable doesn't always come quick as a transfer student, but, you know, get involved. You don't have to get involved with a lot of things. Just pick a couple of things you're passionate about it, stick with it, and really just try and take in everything that MSU has to offer.
Tommy:And also don't feel don't feel like you're behind just because you transferred. Don't feel like you're behind. You can still get involved and, you know, feel feel at home at MSU.
Antonice:I think kind of a mix of both. They both said really great things. And for me, I also would say, don't be afraid to reach out to someone, whether it's for help or just to make a new connection. It can be a little bit intimidating because it is such a big university, but it's honestly whatever you make it, just finding those people who share those common things with you can make all of a difference, whether it's a professor, an advisor, another student, just making the connections wherever you can. And I also would kind of add the second piece of there's no time clock.
Antonice:We are, our stories are unique and different because we are transfers and even within transfer students, we all have our different stories and our different like routes. So don't feel like constrained or like you just have to be on go all the time. Take the time in to just really be at MSU because it does go by super quick and again being a such a big university, it can feel super intimidating. So just take the time to make it feel small and make it feel like a community because it's gonna be done before you know it. You know, we're already coming in with credits and maybe different statuses, so you're not gonna be there super long.
Antonice:So just soak it in, enjoying it all while you can, but remembering to still give grace to yourself because you have already gone through so much because transferring is not easy. You know, you're getting accustomed to a new place and new school, so you're doing great.
Tommy:For those students that want to get further involved, feel free to visit Instagram at @MSUTransfersuccess. That's @MSUTransfersuccess, and click the link in our bio. Scroll down to the TSAB and TEMPO application links and fill out whichever one you're interested in or both.
Zuhaer:Thank you so much for joining us today. With that, we're going to wrap up today's episode of Spartan Transfer Hub. If you wanna hear more episodes like this, make sure to tune in on the Impact 89 FM website, Spotify, Apple Podcast, or wherever you can find us in the link in the description below. Go green. Thanks for stopping by the Spartan Transfer Hub brought to you by Impact89FM and MSU's Transfer Student Success Center.
Zuhaer:See you soon!