Advice from Former Transfers

ticklemepink
Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:28:10 +0000

I was also a transfer student (from Smith College to Colgate). I did it after my freshman year.

In retrospective, know that you will ALWAYS be on the fence until you finally get your diploma as to “oh my god, was that a good idea or not to leave? Maybe I should go back to my friends, etc.” Yes, it was very annoying listening to that little voice but look at the bigger picture and remind yourself WHY you transferred and all the good things your new school has given you. I almost wanted to transfer for my senior year because I felt it would be so weird to graduate with a different class that I didn’t experience my pre-orientation and first year with.

Fortunately, I bonded with several professors and friends at Colgate who would make me think twice about going back to Smith. So develop relationships with professors and few students early on when you transfer in is crucial to keeping you there and happy as you finish up college. Basically, it’s like freshman year all over again where you need to start making connections so you can settle in.

Know that transferring doesn’t ruin your chances of getting in graduate school or anything. It’s just another thing on the to-do list- remember to order transcripts from your old school! There were times I almost forgot to call Smith and the deadline would be in less than a week. By maintaining your standards from one place to another demonstrates that you CAN handle transitions well.

If you’re a sophomore transfer, start checking out your study abroad options early, especially in terms of credits. I had to petition to two committees to be granted a leave of absence for a semester so that I could graduate on time.

Try to get involved as you can- again, it’ll be like freshman year. Maybe that debate club at your old school was great but the one at your new school might not be so great. So approach everything as if you’re a freshman, experiment.

Just know… that the transfer status will never go away. People do eventually find out because… obivously, you missed out on the earlier semesters. You will be in constant indecisive state of mind about your path. You will be dealing with the registrar more often than you’d like to. You have to put down your old school on your CVs, resumes, and job applications.

Most importantly, don’t get started on bashing the old school. You will soon realize that it wasn’t all that terrible. It was just a poor fit and that’s exactly the answer you should only give to others unless they probe more- “It was just a poor fit.” There isn’t one god-awful college out there- there’s something for everybody. It’s like shoes, no matter how uncomfortable, ugly, high the heel, heavy, etc the pair of shoes are, someone’s bound to like them in their own perspective. Your friends at your old school will thank you very much for it. Because you will step out of the box, you will realize that the school wasn’t all THAT bad, just a bad fit that’s all.