To transfer or not to transfer. That is the question.
Aug 16 '01
The Bottom Line If you're not happy where you are, transferring schools is an option.
In a week, I will be going back to school. And I’m excited to go back to see all my friends and even to go to class. I haven’t seen any of my friends since May even though we’ve kept tabs on each other through email and phone calls. So in a week, I’ll be back with all my friends except for one, Holly.
Holly is my rock. She’s the one I know I can depend on. She’s one of the smartest people I know and one of the most talented. She’s such a great person and I could go on and on how great she is.
Holly won’t be joining the rest of us Loggers because she’ll be waiting another month to start school at Stanford University. Which incidentally is my hometown. She transferred from our school, University of Puget Sound to Stanford University and I couldn’t be more happy for her.
It’s funny, that I would be happy for her. After all, you’d think I’d want her to go to school with me. But see the funny thing is that I realize Holly has such a great potential to do so much, it would be better matched with the likes of Stanford. It wasn’t that she wasn’t happy at UPS. She was. She had friends, interesting classes and she really liked it. It was just she wasn’t fully satisfied. And so she decided to transfer and went through the tedious process of applications once again (ouch) and waited to hear from schools (double ouch) and in late May, I got an ecstatic voicemail from Holly saying that she was accepted into Stanford as a transfer student.
A girl in my economics class transferred from Duke to UPS because she didn’t like such a big school and didn’t like the people who attended there (no offense). She’s much happier at UPS now and she’s also closer to her family, which was important for her. A guy I know also at UPS wants to transfer because he’s not crazy about the small size of the school or the town. I’ll admit, it’s not the greatest. So there are many reasons why people want to transfer or do transfer.
Here’s the thing about transferring. If you’re not happy where you currently are, why stay? Really? Yes, you’ll leave your friends and all the pros of where you are, but if the cons outweigh the pros, then there shouldn’t be any question of transferring. You have to pack up and start all over again but again let me stress, that should be worth it if you’re not happy.
Some people think it’s not okay to transfer schools. It is plenty okay! After all, if you’re not completely satisfied, then why waste the money and time? It’s a simple question. Be it location, people, classes, money, academics…whatever. Bottom line is, if you want to transfer, don’t be scared to. By now you should be a pro at college applications. Talk your decision over with your parents, with your advisor, with your RA. With people who will give you support and a somewhat unbiased opinion. Holly didn’t tell anyone she was applying for a while and didn’t let a lot of people know. You have to remember that transferring schools is your business.
I consider myself pretty darn lucky that I’m so in infatuated with my school. Because although I researched and visited, I didn’t do a lot of research. The housing situation surprised me after I came. The town of Tacoma surprised me after I came. So I’m lucky. Otherwise I’d transfer. My parents always stressed to me that if I wasn’t happy, I could always transfer. Knowing their support is there is great. I don’t have to feel like a disappointment should I decide to transfer. Which I probably won’t.
Transferring schools is a bit like it was applying to colleges. You fill out applications, write essays, send in your test scores, your grades, you fill out your activities and you have teachers/professors write recommendations. Research is crucial. Every school will have a different policy on transfer students and let me say that it can be more difficult to transfer than it would have been if you were a high school student applying. So visit the intended school’s website and find the dirt on transfer students and read carefully! Transferring is a big deal and you don’t want to waste time and money and screw it all up. Most colleges and universities will look at transfer applications after they complete the freshmen applications. But again, researching the school, asking questions, seeking out your advisor are all good ways to understand the transfer process and making it run smoothly.
My main point that I want to stress here is that simply if you’re not entirely happy at your current school, you might want to consider transferring. Talk it over with your parents. Don’t feel bad about transferring, about leaving all your friends or having to pack up and start all over again. Because if you really want it, it will be worth it. Transferring is an option if you’re not happy.
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starcrossedkat
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