Transfer Student Success Stories

SABINA M. GERSTENBERGER '09        KATIE WEHNAU '09
Environmental Engineering                    Chemical Engineering

For Sabina M. Gerstenberger ’09 of Rexford, N.Y., the staff at Clarkson University were more than merely helpers toward a higher education, they were family.

That’s because Gerstenberger comes from a long line of Clarkson graduates, starting with her great grandfather, Burdette Parker, and including aunts and cousins among the ranks.

But the once Hudson Valley Community College student turned Clarkson junior said it didn’t take family to convince her Clarkson was the right choice for her -- a pick she made over RPI.

“I came up and visited. I had some friends who transferred before and everybody at Clarkson are a lot friendlier. It was more of a community,” she said. “I really like it a lot. I know the environmental engineering department is awesome. The professors are really nice and very approachable. I think I like to be in a school which is very small. It’s really nice to walk around and know everybody.”

Gerstenberger, an environmental engineering major, explained everyone knows how to have a good time, but at the same time they’re very serious about their school work.

Gerstenberger is joined at Clarkson by Katie Wehnau '09 of Averill Park, N.Y., a chemical engineering student who earned her associate's degree in engineering science from Hudson Valley Community College. Like Gerstenberger, her choice was between RPI and Clarkson, but again Clarkson won out.

“I like that it’s a smaller school and I like to be outside. I like it up here,” she said. “I also find the people to be very friendly and helpful overall.”

For both students, the transfer from Hudson Valley to Clarkson was a smooth one, as well. Wehnau said most of her credits transferred and any problems were corrected by the staff at Clarkson. Gerstenberger said she was a little more challenging than some students, having attended a number of schools, but also found a smooth transition.

“The staff -- they were great. I was kind of a problem student having gone to three different colleges. They took all sorts of credits and I really liked my advisor,” she said.

While Clarkson is located in a smaller community, both students said they’ve been able to find a number of activities to participate in. Gerstenberger joined the New York Water Environment Association and Wehnau joined the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and has tackled new sporting endeavors as part of the club hockey team.

“It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve never played hockey before, so it was quite an experience,” Wehnau said.

For students looking forward to transferring into a university like Clarkson, Wehnau said Hudson Valley does a good job preparing their students for a Clarkson education. She said she would certainly suggest Clarkson to anyone looking to further their education.

“It’s definitely the place to come. It’s a very different experience, but it was a good one,” she said.

Gerstenberger agreed that Hudson Valley is a good prep school for engineering and added that a Clarkson education can open a lot of doors for a future student.

Gerstenberger said she was surprised when, after ordering a book off of eBay, a representative from CH2M Hill sent her a recruiting letter after learning she was a Clarkson student. She explained the company looks specifically for Clarkson graduates.