The end of the fall semester approaches. With impending final exams, colder weather every day, and nearing holidays, most students are ready for winter break.
But what about you?
Maybe your semester has been lackluster. Maybe you feel like you can’t connect with the community your school is located. Maybe you just feel overwhelmed.
College is supposed to be enjoyable. Academic stress will still occur, but overall, you want to be able to look back on your college experience and enjoy it. And where you are right now, you may not be sure if you can see that future happening.
At Winona State University, you can make that future happen.
Transferring schools can seem overwhelming but at WSU, the process is actually quite simple.
There are just four steps to transferring to WSU:
- Complete the online application
- Pay the $20 application fee
- Send your transcript if you aren’t coming from a MnSCU (Minnesota State Colleges and Universities) system school
- Change the school code if you receive financial aid
“When you don’t know what you don’t know, it can seem overwhelming and scary,” says Gale Lanning, Assistant Director for Transfer Admission. “We’re all here to help.”
Okay, so the transfer process isn’t as crazy as you had thought. But why choose Winona?
“We’re a ‘smedium’ campus,” says Lanning. “We have a bigger campus feel with small class sizes, meaning that students get more one-on-one time with professors, not TAs or graduate assistants.”
Small class sizes are a necessity for making learning personalized, individual, and meaningful.
Photo by Amy Nelson ’20
For Leigh Mark, a graduate student in the English Literature and Language program, connections with faculty have made a huge difference. After attending WSU for a semester, transferring to two other colleges, and then transferring back, it was her relationships with professors that brought her back four years later.
“My first semester back was hard,” says Mark, “but talking with my adviser gave me comfort. I knew classes would be hard, but I would be okay.”
Though Leigh’s story doesn’t follow the conventional college plan, her decision to return is because of the faculty.
“I like working with my professors. They encouraged me to stay after completing my undergraduate degree and write my thesis,” she says.
WSU’s allure isn’t unique to Leigh’s experience, either.
“WSU is #1 in the MnSCU system for retention,” says Lanning. “Students here feel comfortable and successful, and every department plays a role in that.”
Academics are perhaps the most obvious facet of college life, but not the only—and, arguably, not the most important. What students do in their lives outside of class plays a major part in their college experience, and for a city many prospective students have never heard of, their options may seem limited.
What students may not realize on a campus tour is what Winona has to offer. There are many arts and cultural events, including the Minnesota Marine Art Museum and Great River Shakespeare Festival. With the bluffs, lakes, and the Mississippi River, opportunities in nature are abundant year-round. As Lanning says, “the land around you is an opportunity.”
Here at Winona State, you’re not just a student ID number. We have opportunities for students to explore their passions and experience multidimensional growth in a welcoming, cozy community.
You can come here and find success in your studies, but you can also pursue hobbies, form new relationships, and explore our pocket of the world. This only leaves one question: When will you stop by?
