Making Friends as a Sophomre Transfer?

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>My son has been accepted into Marshall as a sophomore from a smaller, (approx 4,500 students) highly respected East Coast school where the Greek system dominates the social scene. He is not averse to joining a fraternity, and actually may decide to do so, but doesn’t want to feel he has to. He has gotten housing in Cardinal Gardens but the other three guys in his apt. do not seem like they will be a good social fit with him–they like board games and quiet and he likes to play basketball and rugby and go to parties and the beach. ( he is also a serious student). When he went to Orientation he said many of the other transfers were already juniors and many did not even speak English.He is considering actually not transferring (he has not withdrawn from his East Coast school yet), even though he dreamed of going to USC, because he is worried it will be difficult to meet people he likes since he wasn’t there for freshman year when everyone bonded. He doesn’t know anyone at USC who can introduce him around and his living situation will not be ideal. Can anyone give any advice about how hard it is to meet people as a new sophomore?</p>

<p>what do you mean many did not even speak english?</p>

<p>and i am a junior transfer from outside of US. i think i am in worse spot than your son but i said what the hell and decided to take the new challenge</p>

<p>I highly doubt anyone who cannot speak English would be admitted to USC, especially transfers. Perhaps they were just shy?</p>

<p>It’s easy to meet people if you’re outgoing and get involved. That’s my best advice. Have you son attend the involvement fair and find some student organizations that cater to his interests. There are huge intramural sports teams, especially the ultimate frisbee and rugby teams, and I am sure your son would meet people if he tries out for one of those sports. They aren’t NCAA sports and are more like clubs, but you do play students from other schools.</p>

<p>There are also student organizations based on ethnicity, major and other interests. There might be several your son would make a good addition to. </p>

<p>He can also get an on-campus job that would make him work with his fellow students. I suggest USC ReadersPlus or Campus Cruiser since they are more “student” run than the office jobs many USC students get. Also, the Bovard student workers tend to have a pretty strong camaraderie. </p>

<p>One of my friends who was a sophomore transfer met most of her friends by joining the radio station. By proxy, her friends from the station introduced her to their other friends, who introduced her to their friends, etc etc etc. Even those who started at USC as freshman meet new people ALL THE TIME! That “bonding” nonsense is a bunch of crap. USC has thousands of students, which means that there’s ALWAYS someone to meet. My friends freshman year were NOT my friends senior year. Once you leave the dorms, who you hang out with really changes. </p>

<p>I really don’t think this is something to worry about. If he’s really hesitant, he can always rush.</p>

<p>Finally, I really want to stress that your son shouldn’t be judging his roommates before he actually meets them. OK , they like board games – but I like board games, too. And sometimes, I like quiet time – but does this mean I’m an awkward social outcast? Hardly. I bet some of his apartment mates would like to play basketball or go to the beach as well! If he doesn’t click with them, he should still be respectful and friendly so no problems arise. CG is large and he will probably make friends with the kids in the neighboring units anyway.</p>

<p>Thanks so much for your response. Your suggestions are really helpful. He is a very laid back, easy to get along with and respectful kid, so if he does decide to transfer, I know he will get along with his apartment mates. He was just hoping for a better match initially.</p>

<p>Regarding kids not speaking English, I questioned him too, and he said many of the kids at orientation had very limited English speaking skills and perhaps they could write English better than they could speak it, which would account for how they could get accepted. Not a big point either way, in fact the diversity at USC is a major selling point for him, he just didn’t run into many kids transferring into Marshall at orientation that he found a connection with.
I appreciate your thoughts and agree. Thanks!</p>

<p>My son transferred in as a sophomore and was placed in an apartment with almost all internationals. Yes, some of them did not speak English very well. He also transferred from a well-known East coast school. Although he did not enter USC definitely planning to join a fraternity, he eventually decided that for him it would be the best way to meet students with similar interests. He is very social Everything eventually worked out and he is looking forward to returning this coming year.</p>

<p>Thanks for your help!</p>

<p>Did your son rush as soon as he got there in the Fall or did he wait until second semester? Which fraternity did he end up pledging?</p>

<p>Hey I am transferring (as a junior - to Marshall/Leventhal as well) from 20 mins away from USC and do not know anyone who goes there. Tell your son as long as he plays rugby he will know one person; me (I have been playing 13 years) I have already talked to the club president and others in which all relayed the same message - the team is more of a “fraternity”, more about having a good time rather than winning. Also regarding having being a serious student/enjoying college years aka massive partying I and only a few others I talked to at orientation on the 12th seemed to have the same outlook. Well hope that helps</p>

<p>Thanks!I’ll pass on your message. He only played rugby the last of year of high school and did pretty well. he team won at States in its divisionHowever, he is 6"tall and only weighs about 140 so thinks he might not be big enough to play at USC. What do you think?</p>

<p>It’s just a club team at USC, so he should be OK. My cousin’s boyfriend was on the team for 4 years and wasn’t big and burly. It’s more like a fun extracurricular and not an intensive college sport. </p>

<p>Also, the rugby team has their own house that most of the teammates live in when there’s a free room!</p>

<p>@chillin5. Go onto the clubs website and contact Matt their president. As long as he knows the rules of the game he should walk on; I have been around SoCal rugby for a long time now. My high school club actually played 'Sc back and the day and we walked all over them. I was able to talk to a player on orientation day, very outgoing nice guy, he said the team is not hyper-competitve with the philosophy of win or die. Last year I believe 'Sc’s record for rugby was 0-10 in league or something. </p>

<p>The only decent college rugby team in LA is UCLA - I mean decent. SDSU has a very good squad. While Berkeley has a rugby juggernaut that has won I believe 25 of the last 27 national championships for division I club rugby. Greatest college team int he nation by far. Luckily USC does not play them in league play; league consists of UCI, USD, UCSB, and Loyola. So ^^^Zelda Fitzgerald summed it up perfectly - fun! not so much intensive.</p>

<p>just curious, is there a soccer team in usc ?</p>

<p>Thanks so much for all the advice!</p>