Living in 156 High Street is in a sense more similar to a reality show house than a college dorm. While most of the other dorms on campus have certain stereotypes, 156 High is an entirely eclectic mix, thanks in part to its vibrant community of transfer students coming from geographically and socially diverse colleges ranging from Hampshire to University of Miami.

On the surface, these transfer students seem to have known each other for years, baking scones on a Sunday morning or chatting away in hallways. Yet the reasons that drew them to Wesleyan are as varied as the locations of their former schools.

“It was just kind of a party-hard culture at the expense of being a thoughtful and introspective human being,” said Eric Jones ’13 of his former school, the University of Miami. “My reasons for coming to Wesleyan were that it seemed like almost the polar opposite of that kind of atmosphere.”

For Dina Moussa ’12, who transferred twice, the difference between her old schools, Boston University and Suffolk University, became apparent in conversation with her fellow transfers.

“Last Saturday, we ended up having a conversation about poverty across the world,” Moussa said. “I didn’t even see that kind of intellectual conversation happening in the classrooms at my former academic institutions. It was amazing that we were just having this conversation on a Saturday night on the way to a party. That was just one moment when I realized, ‘Wow, I’m finally at Wesleyan.’”

Transfers also commented how open the social and intellectual environment at Wesleyan is compared to their previous schools.

“When you’re walking around and interacting with people on a daily basis it’s just much friendlier,” Jones said. “Discussions are more lighthearted and friendly, but at the same time more enlightened. And even when you meet someone who seems to already know 2,888 people, they still want to know one more.”

Some students have noticed similarities between their old schools and Wesleyan. Anike Arni ’13, a transfer from Hampshire College, found the focus on gender-neutrality and encouraging a progressive atmosphere to be stronger at her former institution.

“During our orientation there were a couple of talks about gender identities, but at Hampshire, it’s every day of your life,” Arni said. “Usually when you introduce yourself at Hampshire, you include the gender pronoun you would like to be called by.”

Yet many students were taken aback by Wesleyan’s atmosphere. Between a flurry of pronouns, frequent uses of words like “heteronormative,” and cross dressing parties, most of these students have embraced the on-campus culture.

“Bend it at Beckham was just like nothing I’d ever been exposed to before,” said Tyler Landman ’12, a transfer from Emerson College and a London native. “It’s like first, people really getting into cross-dressing, and second, so many people doing it just for fun. You just don’t really have that in England or at other schools.”

For many, assimilation into the sophomore and junior classes is both a challenge and a joy. Life as a transfer as described by Walker is “kind of a halfway house”—alternately tricky, exciting, and rewarding.

“It’s kind of like being the new toy,” Walker said. “Everyone just wants to grab you and include you in their friend groups. They’ll have their inside jokes already and it is kind of funky trying to like be the new person in there, but by the end of the year you’ll be all caught up. It is a unique bond to try and make your way into, but it’s not impossible. People are definitely willing to let you in.”