Transfer to Joy
“If you don’t love it, why go there?”
– Maggie Langenfeld ’21
Hometown: Harlan, Iowa
Career: Lifestyle Coordinator, WesleyLife, Des Moines, Iowa
Major: Communication Studies
Minor: Art
Study Abroad: Mérida, Mexico
Campus Activities: Women’s Golf
Internship: Central Sustainability Blog Production
Scholarships: Presidential Transfer, Brouwer, Phi Theta Kappa and Art Department Award
Maggie Langenfeld ’21 attended two community colleges before she transferred to Central.
“If you’re not completely happy somewhere else, you shouldn’t be nervous or afraid to transfer,” she says. “If you don’t love it, why go there?”
In fact, Langenfeld never liked going to school until she transferred to Central after visiting a friend on campus. “It’s the people and the environment that’s make-or-break,” she says. “Once you find people you enjoy being around, it’s easy to want to come back.”
Transferring was a breeze, she says. She filled out the application online and visited campus, where she found she was qualified for two scholarships that helped make Central affordable.
She noticed both students and professors are more engaged at Central than she’d experienced elsewhere.
“Professors care about getting to know students. They really want you to come into their office and talk,” she says. “My dad has noticed a huge difference in my attitude toward and enjoyment of school since I’ve come to Central.
“I transferred to Central because the people here are all very welcoming and caring. It’s hard to put into words how grateful I am for this school and the people I’ve met along the way. It’s somewhere you can feel comfortable being yourself,” she says.
It’s also been somewhere Langenfeld feels comfortable trying new things — such as a glassblowing class, with Professor of Art Brian Roberts, something she wouldn’t have considered taking a class in before.
With the encouragement of Associate Professor of Communication Studies Shelley Bradfield, she’s pushed the limits of her comfort zone. “She’s a very strong, independent, go-for-what-you-want professor,” Langenfeld says. “When I signed up to study abroad in Mérida, Mexico, I initially wasn’t going to stay with a host family because I was worried my Spanish wasn’t good enough. She convinced me to do a home stay because she knew it would be the right fit for me — and it was. It’s nice when a prof tells you that they believe in you and encourage you to do new things.”
Langenfeld says it’s also nice to know that you don’t have to pick your perfect educational environment the first time around — and transferring can open up a whole new world of opportunity.