Is it better to transfer in the spring or the fall? If one were to transfer in the fall, would a significant amount of time be lost from Freshman year?
A lot depends on where you are transferring to. Big state Us get a lot of transfers every term, and do manage to have good transfer orientation sessions whenever you arive. Smaller places with fewer spring stransfers may be less well organized. Big state Us that have no transfer housing available for the fall often do have some available for the spring.
If your coursework needs to be taken in a specific sequence, then starting in the fall is usually better.