“I Felt Like Nothing I Did Prepared Me”:

Abstract

Transfer students face a variety of challenges when matriculating to a four-year institution. While literature highlights a number of factors that impact transfer student adjustment, many engineering transfer students struggle with academics. As a result, these students are placed on academic probation. The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of engineering transfer students who were placed on academic probation during their first year at a four-year institution. Using a conceptual framework developed based on Laanan’s (2001) research on transfer student adjustment and O’Banion’s (1972, 2009) description of developmental advising, this article presents narrative findings from five student participants and concludes with recommendations for practitioners who are seeking to support transfer students facing academic difficulty.