When Briana Rodriguez sought to transfer from a community college to a university in January, she had no doubt that her first choice was East Stroudsburg University.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy sophomore year in high school I came here with one of my friends who is a student at ESU and I absolutely fell in love with the campus,\u201d said Rodriguez of Philadelphia.<\/p>\n
She commuted to Montgomery County College for two years before transferring to ESU where she is majoring in exercise science with plans to get a master\u2019s degree in occupational therapy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe diversity, the beautiful campus and also the friendly people who make up ESU\u2019s population sold me into making the best decision I have ever made,\u201d Rodriguez said.<\/p>\n
She has plenty of company. One in three students at ESU has transferred from another college, often from one of the regional community colleges with which ESU partners. This fall, 683 students transferred to the university, with 69 percent coming from community colleges in Pennsylvania and elsewhere.<\/p>\n
\u201cESU has established excellent relationships with regional community colleges, and we are continuing to collaborate with these partners to develop program-to-program and dual admission agreements,\u201d said Walt Lukow, associate director of admission who coordinates transfer recruitment.\u00a0 \u201cThese agreements make it easier for a student to transfer a two-year associates degree earned at the local community college to ESU, where he or she would complete the remaining two years and graduate with an ESU bachelor\u2019s degree.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zachary Brennan of Williams Township was one of 225 students who transferred this fall to ESU from the university\u2019s top partner institution – Northampton Community College. Brennan said he was attracted to ESU partly because of its affordability – tuition is $6,622 per year for Pennsylvania residents.<\/p>\n
Brennan and Rodriguez are among the 75 percent of ESU students who receive some financial assistance. In Brennan\u2019s case, ESU awarded him a scholarship from the vaccine company Sanofi Pasteur of Swiftwater, which is paying for his tuition and fees.<\/p>\n
In order to help transfer students thrive, ESU recently opened a transfer center located in Zimbar-Liljenstein Hall, which assists students with transferring credits into the university.\u00a0 The office of admission has a lot of opportunities for prospective students to tour the campus and transfer counselors to guide them through the process of transferring.<\/p>\n
In addition to Northampton Community College, ESU also partners with Lehigh Carbon Community College, Lackawanna College, Bucks County Community College and in New Jersey, County College of Morris and Sussex County Community College.<\/p>\n
Coming from an urban area, Rodriguez was attracted by the beauty and tranquility of ESU\u2019s campus. She also appreciates that there are 120 clubs and organizations, 20 Division II Athletic teams and frequent performances and cultural events so there is always something to do. When she has a hankering for city life or shopping she can catch a bus to New York City or the nearby Crossings outlets.<\/p>\n
One of her favorite experiences so far was taking part in team building exercises and zip lining on the challenge course at ESU\u2019s 119-acre Stony Acres recreation area, about 10 miles from campus.<\/p>\n