Reppin’ North Jersey: Transfer Student Jean Han

Jean Han standing outside.

Today we speak to senior Chemical Engineering major Jean Han from Fort Lee, NJ (Bergen County). Jean, who also minors in Math, transferred from Bergen Community College and is a part of AIChE.

What do you like to do off campus for fun?

I like to go into Philadelphia. I also enjoy riding my bike with my friends and just finding cool places to hang out with my friends. When it comes to dates there is a small coffee shop in Pitman that is nice as well as a winery for those of age called Summit City Farms and Winery. Before COVID we would also try out new restaurants frequently.

Jean sitting on a stone outside.

How has moving away from home benefitted you?

I always wanted to move far away enough to be isolated and have to integrate myself into a new community. I think if I went to a college more local I would of had all the same friends as before and I wanted a new experience. So, that’s why I think moving out of my hometown gave me that. It forced me to be more social and complacent instead of falling back on high school friends. It gave me a sense of independence by not having easy access to go home I had to start learning to take care of myself.

Do yo have any advice for someone who is going to school far but not too far from their home?

I would say embrace the change and really try to branch out. I talked to people I would not have to normally talked to. I joined clubs I would have never thought about joining in high school. I thought about a bunch of new scenarios and did them. Just be open minded and try new things.

Jean sitting on steps by the Engineering building.

Any other thoughts?

I think Rowan brought me an overall great experience. I also did not think there would be a lot of transfers here, but there are. I feel like that helped [with] my own transfer. I think that within my engineering classes we all grew together. That can be because of the small class size. Overall it is a smaller school but I have met a lot of different kinds of people. I had new experiences that I do not think I would have had being closer to home.

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Story by: 
Stephanie Batista, sophomore music industry major