As we celebrate National Transfer Student Week, we’re highlighting the incredible students who joined the O’Neill School community after starting their college journeys elsewhere.
Meet Allie Wiley, BSPA’25, who studied law and public policy at O’Neill before starting law school IU McKinney in Indianapolis.
Transferring to IU and Finding O’Neill
For Allie, transferring to Indiana University felt like the right next step, both for her goals and her sense of belonging.
“IU is close to home, but I also knew that it had many unique classes available that would help me figure out what I wanted to do, which was law,” she said.
That exploration led her to the O’Neill School, where she discovered courses that connected directly to her interests. And while her studies took center stage, she still found time for adventure.
“I even got to take SCUBA my last semester,” she said.
Adjusting to Life at IU
Transferring to a large university can be daunting, and Allie admits that one of her biggest challenges was simply having less time left in her undergraduate career to experience everything IU has to offer.
“The biggest challenge of transferring was having less time on campus,” she said. “IU has so many things to do all of the time.”
But she quickly found support among the O’Neill faculty, who helped her feel connected and confident in her new environment.
“All of the professors at O’Neill want to help students get adjusted to the big campus,” Allie said.
Discovering Her Passion
One class in particular confirmed that Allie was on the right path: Cultural Heritage Law and Policy, which she took with faculty from IU’s Maurer School of Law.
“It was one of the two classes I got to take through Maurer which helped me to prepare for law school,” she said.
Putting O’Neill Lessons to Work
Now, as she continues her journey as a first year law student, Allie is seeing just how much her O’Neill experience prepared her for what’s next.
“A lot of the classes at O’Neill really helped me improve my writing skills that I use now at McKinney,” she said.
Allie’s story is a great reminder that there’s no single path to success—and that transferring can open the door to new passions, new skills, and a community that helps you thrive.
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