Transfer Students. If you aren’t one, you’ve sure heard of us. We are the ones that fill up the empty rooms in the dorms and take up those spots in the crappy classes that nobody ever wants to take. Most people view transfer students as the ones that don’t have their lives together. Why can’t we just pick a school? Being a transfer student is tough, and we are constantly in a frenzy trying to figure out our lives.
Many students start off at a community or local college to get their gen-eds over with, which I personally think is an excellent idea. Save money, live better, transfer. Other students go from a large university to a small one or vice versa. Regardless of what school you come from, or what school you end up going to, we all go through the same thing.
The Transfer Student Tango. When you have to constantly be in contact with literally every administration member to ever exist and dance like nobody is watching… but not literally. You have to send out countless transcripts, write an application essay that will win the hearts of admissions people everywhere, set up an endless number of advising appointments, attend transfer student orientation, cry because you miss your last school, cry because you hate your new school, cry because you don’t know if this was the right choice, make 50 phone calls to vie for your transfer credit that you know should count, email a billion professors to get their syllabi, get put into random housing that never got filled, get the worst schedule for the first semester, and try your best to get involved and make new friends. Yeah, it’s stressful.
I never wanted to be a transfer student and I never thought I would ever be a transfer student. If you are like me, you probably had your entire life plan figured out before you even graduated high school. You knew what your dream college was, maybe what you planned to study, and where you wanted your degree to take you. That’s not how it worked out for me.
I transferred from the University of Miami, a small, private college in Coral Gables, FL. While my classes were great, and I made some amazing friends that I will love always and forever, I didn’t feel at home there. All of my friends from home loved their schools and raved about how happy they were, when I just felt pretty depressed. Depressed because I no longer felt passionate about what I was studying, depressed because I felt like it wasn’t the place for me, and depressed because I knew I needed to transfer.
The Transfer Student Tango that I went through to get to the University of Connecticut was a struggle, but it was worth it. I had to jump through so many hoops to get admitted in time, including sending in my application after the deadline. Even though I miss my best friends from my last school, I feel much more at home back in New England. I no longer feel like I have to change who I am to be happy and enjoy my college experience. My transfer experience, while stressful, has made me so much happier. And although I am sick of hearing people ask me “Why would you ever leave Florida, it’s so warm!!” I am so glad I found my place in college.
I hope everybody understands that transferring is okay and it’s not the end of the world. It doesn’t make you any less successful and it doesn’t make you any less of a college student. I first thought that being a transfer student was a flaw or a kink in the armor, but it’s most definitely not. Yes, it is confusing at first figuring out whether or not you can rep your previous college clothes at your current one, but we all figure it out eventually.
