Going to a new school is often a nerve-wracking experience. But when the change of scenery comes in the middle of the academic year, it can be even more jarring.

Binghamton University welcomed 279 transfers for this spring semester, in addition to the 1,022 who arrived in the fall. Reasons for transferring mid-year varied, including not being offered fall 2014 admission, taking a semester off and simply wanting to attend BU.

When Aviv Kleinman, a senior majoring in urban planning, arrived at BU this spring, he said that he “didn’t even know there was grass under all the snow.”

According to Zachary DuBord, assistant director of Transfer and Veteran Services, spring transfers face unique setbacks that their fall counterparts do not.

“If you look at the beginning of the year, there’s a lot more Welcome Back Weekend type things, and there’s less of that for spring transfers,” DuBord said. “It’s also harder because there’s a smaller number of them, so where we have about 280 this semester, there were well over 1,000 for the fall, so it’s a totally different experience for them.”

DuBord and the Transfer Student Services office said it was their main goal to help spring transfers with both school and friends. They do this by offering two-credit orientation seminar UNIV-180: College Students in Transition, throwing get-togethers and creating mentorship programs with previous transfers.

“That transition is difficult, so we try to help them on a social and academic side of things,” DuBord said. “In the beginning of the semester we tend to focus more on having social events for the transfer students so they can expand their social connections that way, and then later on about midway through we start focusing more on academics.”

Jennifer Pezzolanti, an undeclared freshman, arrived last week after being accepted for spring 2015, not fall 2014. She said that while it was an adjustment, meeting others in the same position was comforting.

“A lot of people are in the same boat, so it’s not too bad,” Pezzolanti said. “We get together and say, ‘Let’s get dinner, let’s go exploring and find our way around,’ so it’s going well.”

For some, being a spring transfer made it difficult to break into the social scene mid-year.

“I wish I came to Binghamton during the fall semester,” said Loradelle Feri, a junior majoring in psychology, who transferred this spring, after she said she decided BU was a better fit than her previous school. “I feel like it would have been a lot easier to meet people because it would be a clean slate for everyone.”

For others like Eydid Ali, a sophomore majoring in economics who transferred last spring for financial reasons, transitioning academically was the hardest part.

“I felt really overwhelmed and had to work extra hard for all my classes,” Ali said. “Every freshman already had some experience because they were here for the fall. I didn’t have that luxury.”

Despite the challenges of arriving this January, transfer students like Brandon Brideau, a sophomore majoring in computer science, said that it did not take long for BU to feel familiar.

“The transition was pretty easy for me,” Brideau said. “My suitemates are cool and it kind of feels like home already. I like it here.”

Ali agreed, adding that the already friendly and welcoming environment made it easy for him to fit right in.

“My community, CIW, was so welcoming,” Ali said. “Honestly, transferring was the greatest decision I ever made.”