Transferring schools always requires significant adjustment, but the transfer students Boston University welcomes each semester say they are generally happy with their decision.’ ‘

This year, BU has received hundreds of transfer applications for the spring 2010 semester, BU spokesman Colin Riley said. However, a fraction of these students actually end up attending to BU.’

‘Generally, about 70 students transfer into Boston University each January,’ he said.’ ‘

The number of applications is much smaller in the spring semester than the fall semester, he said.

‘In the fall, we typically have some 250 transfers enroll from a few thousand transfer applicants,’ he said.’

College of Communication sophomore Michael Kelliher said he transferred this fall from the University of Connecticut.’ ‘

Both Kelliher and COM senior Flore Segal, who came in fall 2008 from Emerson College, were marketing majors in their former universities. They said they came to BU because of the advertising major.’ ‘ ‘

‘BU has one of the best ad programs in the country,’ Segal said.’

She said she also transferred because most of the course material taught at Emerson she had already learned in high school.’

‘It made it really frustrating for me to go to class every morning knowing I wouldn’t learn anything new,’ she said.

Boston is also a draw for students at schools outside of the city, transfer students said. Kelliher said he was commuting to UConn, and BU’s city location is an advantage.

Kelliher said the process of transferring was not too bad, but reminded him of high school.

‘It was frustrating applying to college again,’ he said.’

Kelliher said he still came to BU despite the high tuition.’

‘Tuition is pretty high and that’s kind of tough,’ he said. ‘But BU is a good school. That’s how it is ‘- sometimes you have to take the good with the bad.”

But Riley said BU is ready to help those that cannot afford rising costs.’

‘The financial assistance staff has worked hard and has been as responsive as possible to address increased student financial aid need,’ he said.’

Overall, Kelliher and Segal said they are happy with their decision.’

‘I couldn’t be happier with the decision I’ve made because BU feels like a home to me,’ Segal said.’

However, other students decide to leave BU, sometimes for the same reasons that draw transfer students here, they said.

Former College of Arts and Sciences student Emily Dillon said she transferred out of BU in her freshman year and now attends the University of Maryland in her home state.’

Dillon, now a sophomore, said the overwhelming size of the city and the university, in addition to the lack of campus, was partially why she left BU.

‘There were lots of reasons for my decision,’ she said. ‘Although the most important was that I developed severe anxiety and depression and, since I wasn’t from the Boston area, I didn’t have any resources to deal with those problem.” ‘

After her transfer to the UMD in spring 2009, Dillon said she found a former BU student, who had left BU for similar reasons.

‘Oddly enough, I met the only other transfer student from BU that I know sitting in front of me wearing a BU shirt with the terrier on the back,’ she said. ‘She told me she transferred after a year, because she didn’t like the city, the cold and the general feel of BU.”

Meeting another transfer student from BU was comforting, Dillon said.’ ‘

‘Here I was eight hours from BU, in class and someone else with a very similar experience was sitting right in front of me,’ she said. ‘I guess I wasn’t as alone as I thought.”

Riley said it is too early to tell the number of students who have transferred out this year, but that the percentage of students transferring out is stable every year.’

‘Not all students who request transcripts enroll in other schools and we do not check enrollment status at other schools,’ he said. ‘Some take time off and return to BU, though many do go elsewhere.’