August 26, 2024
College of Business Administration Jump Start program eases transition for transfer students
The College of Business Administration welcomed 26 transfer students to campus on Aug. 5 to get a Jump Start on their success at Kansas State University.
This marks the eighth year the college has hosted the program to help transfer students with the transition to the college and K-State. Students started the program online on July 30 and continued with a two-week program on campus. Jump Start students came from more than 12 institutions and several states.
Students completed three courses during three intensive weeks: GENBA 105 — Business Orientation; GENBA 205 — Career Accelerator; and ENTRP 240 — Business Innovation and the Entrepreneurial Mindset. In addition to the focus on active learning experiences in the program courses, activities and events facilitated opportunities for community building and networking.
Laura Rook, the instructor for GENBA 205, led students in learning how to prepare to confidently attend career-related activities and events in their first semester, including the All-University Career Fair, meeting with a career coach and preparing for future job applications.
"It's really exciting to see the potential all of our transfer students bring to the university and help them to both acclimate to university life and learn how to begin their career and internship search process," Rook said.
The business orientation course, taught by the academic advisor team in the College of Business Administration, guided students through crafting individual long-range plans for their programs of study and extracurricular activities.
"The Jump Start program is unique because it combines students who have the desire to succeed academically with a curriculum that is extremely demanding," said Blair Kocher, ENTRP 240 instructor. "They worked hard to put together high-quality work and cover a semester's worth of material in two short weeks. I couldn't be prouder of this year's cohort. I have no doubt they will be successful at K-State and in their future careers."
"We are very proud of this program and the impact it has on students and look forward to welcoming another group of students next year," said Bente Janda, the college's assistant dean for undergraduate student services. "With several years of hosting this program, we now have data that shows that the Jump Start students are earning higher GPAs for the first two years in our program compared to the non-Jump Start students. The Jump Start students also demonstrate higher retention rates. We want to thank our college and campus partners for their collaboration and support of the program."
For more information, visit transfer student resources. Applications for next year's Jump Start program will open in February 2025. For any questions regarding the program, please contact Susanna Black, Jump Start program coordinator, at sfblack@k-state.edu.