1. To learn about yourself and your career interests
2. To connect with other transfer students just getting started at JMU 
3. To learn about the campus resources that can help you be successful
4. To learn about different careers and industries and connect with employers and alumni 

(Bonus: If you live on campus you can move in early.) 

DCC will begin the afternoon of Wednesday, August 14th and end on Friday evening, August 16th. DCC ends in time for you to fully participate in all Weeks of Welcome events – you’ll just have a head start in making friends, getting involved, and making campus and Harrisonburg home! 

If you are living off campus, you will need to make arrangements to be moved into your Harrisonburg housing by Wednesday, August 14th or make temporary local arrangements (staying with friends, family or in a hotel) in order to be in Harrisonburg and participate in all our activities. If you would like our help contacting your apartment complex to see if you can move in early, we can provide a letter to your landlord explaining your participation in DCC. We can’t guarantee they will allow you to move in early, but we would be glad to advocate on your behalf.. Due to limited housing, not many transfers will be living in residence halls this fall, but if any on-campus rooms do open up, those students would be able to move onto campus early on Wednesday, August 14th. 

It’s FREE! Included in the program are all meals from Wednesday dinner to Friday dinner, transportation to our employer site visits, and all costs of assessments and materials. If you are living on campus, housing with early move in is included. If you are living off campus you are responsible for any associated costs with moving in early for the program.

Some meals will be catered in our space in the University Career Center and for some meals we’ll dine together in D-Hall. 

In your own bed! DCC programming will typically end in the early evening. You’ll have some free time before heading back to your residence hall, apartment, or wherever you are staying to rest up.  

All New Transfer Dukes are welcome! We know you bring unique gifts and experiences as transfer students to JMU and we’re excited to create an experience just for you! 

You will spend time learning about yourself and developing your professional abilities. You’ll also work on preparing career-related resources like LinkedIn and Handshake, and visiting businesses in the area who hire interns. Every participant will also have an opportunity to have a one-on-one conversation with a professional working in your field of interest. 

DCC will be limited to no more than 50 participants, enough for you to meet other transfer students but not so many that it’s hard to connect with others.  Activities will be mixed between large and small groups so that you’ll get to know each other. We’ll also have social time during meals and our campus tour. 

Yes!  

DCC will be led by a combination of full-time staff from the University Career Center, staff from the office of Transfer Initiatives within University Advising, transfer students who went through the program last year, and peers who work as student staff in our offices.  

We strive to make DCC accessible and invite you to discuss your needs and potential accommodations with our office as soon as possible so that we can take the information into account when finalizing our plans for activities, meals, and transportation. 

We are committed to diversity and social justice and strives to be accessible to and inclusive of students of all abilities. If you have a documented disability (or think you may have a disability) and as a result may need reasonable accommodations to participate in DCC, please contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS) as soon as possible. To receive accommodations, you must be appropriately registered with ODS. The ODS works confidentially in partnership with students, faculty, and other University departments to ensure equal access through Universal Design and reasonable accommodations. The office is located in the Student Success Center, Suite 1202. You may contact them by phone at 540-568-6705 or through email at disability-svcs@jmu.edu. 

Yes! We can’t help you get to Harrisonburg, but once you’re here and on campus, we’ll get you everywhere you need to be. If you are living off campus, you’re responsible for making it to campus for the start of programming each day. JMU has a fleet of 12-passenger vans that we’ll use to get between campus and the local employers we go visit. 

You will. Our days will start early, and we will have lots of activities during the day, but we’ll still have time to get to know each other. DCC programming will end in the early evening, so you’ll have some free time at the end of each day.