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College Hopping: The Transfer Dilemma
July 26, 2008 Posted in Reality
The University Experience sure has changed. It’s now normal to take longer than four years to complete your degree; students are known to switch majors repeatedly (and often at the last minute); and transfer admissions offices are swamped with applicants who realize that the college they chose senior year of high school just isn’t making the grade.
I know all about the stress of transferring and adjusting to a new school. When I began my undergraduate career, I wasn’t content with attending the state university that 83% of my classmates were enrolling in. Oh, no – I had to get away. So I enrolled in a small private school in London, England.
My freshman year was a blast– I was in a major city, surrounded by hot men with hotter accents, and I didn’t even need a fake ID. But eventually, reality sank in, and I opted to transfer back to the same state school that I’d once adamantly rejected in order to prevent graduating with student loans up the wazoo.
My first semester at the state university was miserable. I’d missed out on all of the freshman year bonding, got stuck with a lame random roommate, and when I did go out, it was because one of my high school friends was kind enough to let me tag along with her group. It was so bad that I took a semester off to figure out if I wanted to go through the transfer process again. I ended up going back to the state school, and – thankfully – things got better. In fact, college kicked some major ass.
So, having been on the Maybe-I-Should-Transfer fence and a member of the Transfer Students Association, I thought I’d share some pro’s and cons with anyone who isn’t quite sure that they are attending the right school.
Pro’s of Transferring:
You’ve already gotten a taste of college, so you might be able to make a better choice for yourself. Maybe you thought a big campus meant 10,000 new friends, but after failing a Stats lab where the TA didn’t even know you’re name, you’re opting for a smaller institution.
You might save money. I think more often than not, transfer students end up at a school that is more in their price range, rather than deciding to switch universities and take out a massive student loan. Maybe you started at a private, out-of-state school, but realize you can get just as good an education as an in-state student for a fraction of the cost.
You might end up closer to your friends and family. I’ve seen homesickness play a part in the big T many a time. I was definitely homesick when I first arrived in London, and there was no way to take a weekend trip home from across the pond. If you thought you were ready to spread your wings, only to realize you miss your hometown, there’s nothing wrong with applying to a closer school, whether it’s a mile from your parents’ house, or a reasonable drive.
You can start fresh. If your first semester was a disaster, You can make up for it. Sure, if you’re on academic probation, you probably won’t be invited into Harvard’s incoming class, but you can transfer to a community college and bring up your GPA while you look for a four-year school that will better suit you and your academic needs. Besides, a lot of transfer essays detail the reasons you did poorly, so your chances of admittance to a new school haven’t necessarily been shot. Once you’ve gotten a change of scenery, you can kick your old bad study habits (or whatever other bad habits you got into your first semester on your own) and focus on restarting your academic career.
Cons of Transferring:
You might lose credits…or more. I think only one of my 10 courses from England replaced the gen eds I needed at the state school. I took a junior/senior-level Shakespeare class a few blocks from the freakin’ Globe Theatre, and had to retake Shakespeare I. I was not happy. I also couldn’t transfer directly into my major, so I had to choose a new plan of study. While this worked out in the end, at the time, I was more than slightly pissed.
You’re the new kid. My high school friends had already made their own new college friends, so I was stuck living with a random roommate. Not only did our personalities clash, but the floor was full of her thirteen best friends, so even if I had wanted to hang out with her, she always had plans. Even after I (finally) made friends, I couldn’t participate in the “remember freshman year when…” stories.
You might get a culture shock. I went from living in a city where I could go clubbing every night or buy my own six pack and stay in to a small college town where packy runs had to be planned days in advance. The first time I borrowed a fake ID to go to the campus bar, I was stunned that this was a popular hangout.
Whether or not transferring is the right decision depends on the person. If you are miserable every day and cry yourself to sleep, it might be worth it to lose a few credits and start over. However, if you just broke up with your first college boyfriend and can’t bear to see him in lecture every Monday,Wednesday, and Friday for the rest of the semester, you can probably find it in yourself to stick it out. Though transferring schools is fairly common these days, in some ways it’s a bigger decision than choosing a “first” university.
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Amber - Old Dominion says:
Sat, 26th Jul 200811:29 am
I too, am a member of the Transfer Student Association. After graduating high school I was dying to get out of the area so I went to a huge college in North Carolina where things started out fine but by the end of the year I would only attend 2 out of 5 classes, felt the need to party EVERY weekend and felt like my life was going nowhere(not to mention the fact I was going broke). Now I’m stuck going to a local college for the fall semester and planning on transfering to the only school in my state with a kiss ass Fashion/Arts program that I had gotten into my senior year, but stupidly decided to go to the other. I suggest anyone that is in the process of choosing a college have a long talk with yourself/parents/friends about whether College A, B or C is good for you.
Amber - Old Dominion says:
Sat, 26th Jul 200811:30 am
*kick not kiss
Jenna says:
Sun, 27th Jul 20081:04 am
ODU monarchs hahaha woooooo
Cali says:
Sun, 27th Jul 20089:53 am
I like to believe that there is stuff wrong with every college and you can find the good in everything.
I got declined from my first choice and wound up going to a state university. It was huge and impersonal and I hated it! It had a good business program but only if you wanted to stay in-state for a job and I LOVE to travel so that was a major no for me.
I stayed there a year and transferred to my first choice university on the other side of the country. I had some problems there too but I would never transfer again. One because it was really hard to transfer the first time socially and two because it has a reallllllly good business program that will get me anywhere i want to go in life.
Wesley says:
Sun, 24th Aug 200811:18 pm
Yeah, in all honesty, I'm going to a state school right now for about $14k a year and I'm only playing about $4k out of my own pocket for the year. I guess I shouldn't say it like that because this school was the only school to accept me out of the ten I applied to.. Heh, but we live and learn and realize you've gotta make the best out of all situations and I still seek to redeem myself in my parents' eyes here and I've picked up the slack a lot harder now.
So to whoever's reading this. Don't stress if you don't get into your top choice cause 1. you're most likely not gonna be able to afford it after the first year and 2. you meet a lot of unique and great people wherever you go and 3. not many employers I know of care where you went for undergrad.
Austin says:
Mon, 29th Dec 20088:29 am
Yet another proud memeber of the TSA. I went to small school for two years before transfering to the large state university. This was the best decision I could've made. It allowed me to knock out my core classes, while not killing my wallet. The smaller class sizes helped keep my grades up, and allowed the High School to college transition to be easy.
The only downside was "starting over." When you move to the new school, you're two years behind schedule socially. It will take a semester to meet people, and a year to have a good group of friends. The best suggestion I can offer is to find someone you know at the school you are transfering to, and befriend them BEFORE you start there. This will make the transition so much better. Also, find some on campus activity to get involved in, and really put time into it that first semester. It will really pay off in the long run.
dan says:
Sat, 3rd Oct 200912:41 pm
when i decided to transfer, it was becuase i realized that i f-up freshman year; my goal was to go to med school and and at the rate i was going and the school i was at (only 1 student got into med school and 1 into optometry school my freshman year from this school), my only chance of possibly making it to med school would be to give up my ten current life and live in the library.
so i had some fun… not exactly the college experience i had expected seeing that there was no pool (i swim) and we partied in dorm rooms, people went home on the weekends rather frequently, and i couldn't take a night off on the weekend becuase my equally less academically motivated friends would wake me up.
i'm now at my transfer school. we have a pool,the people here are really motivated academically, the parties are right off campus and intense, everyone's from all over and they don't leave for the weekend, all my credits transferred, and if i want to i have an 80% chance of going to my first choice med school! i'm not happy though, in fact i'm miserable. after being pretty popular, i have almost no friends, i hate my roommate, have come across more d-bags than i could have ever imagined, and i've realized that i'm not so sure i really want to be a doctor anymore.
i don't know what to do… it's half way through the first semester and i'm trying my hardest to just stick it out. i hope to God that i don't have to stick it out for another three years though.
Kelsey S says:
Wed, 17th Mar 20103:56 pm
I went to a tiny school across the country that no one has ever heard. I loved it first semester. I made great best friends right off the bat. I did pretty well first semester academically and I got involved with some really great campus groups. Then winter hit, and my life got messed up. I started to question myself and decided that I wanted to pursue animal science, a program that was not offered at the college I was at. So then, I transferred to a large university back in my home state of California, even though it is still 8 hours away from home. I was completely miserable here first term, and I almost dropped out during Christmas break. I have regretted transferring every day. I have never regretted anything else before. I also realized during first term that I do not want to pursue animal science anymore. I almost transferred back to my old college, but my parents threatened to cut me off financially. So stayed for the second term. I was friendly with people and got involved with activities, but I didn't have any "real friends". This term, I'm getting things figured out. But everyday, I feel alone and I regret that choice. My advice to anyone is don't transfer unless you ABSOLUTELY NEED TO. Try to see if you can make it work (more than I did). Transferring is such a pain. Not to mention, trying to figure out how your old classes fit into your new school 4 year plan. Large universities are so impersonal, and I have had to hunt down many people, because I am not your typical transfer student. I wish my life was different than it was. Transferring is my biggest mistake.
Leighann says:
Wed, 16th Mar 20119:38 am
I got accepted to my first choice college for the spring semester. I really hate the idea of going to a community college here at home. My question is; should i start at the private college i got accepted at and only attend the fall semester and transfer to my number 1 college in the spring… I need to hear some pro's and con's… thanks, to many decisions