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Presumably, the decision to transfer should lead to gratification; however, nobody warns you about the vulnerability that comes with starting a new life as a sophomore in college.
I was never able to fully convince myself that I had made the right decision when I left my newly-acclimated life at the University of Arizona, to essentially come home and attend the University of Colorado, Boulder. Despite spending my entire freshman year developing strong friendships and experiencing life, I was never fully content. I was constantly questioning why I wasn’t in Colorado and if I could ever find happiness in Arizona. Inevitably, I packed up for the summer and never went back.
CU seeks to make new students feel welcome on their campus. The university offers a mandatory online orientation, where students are informed about university policies and shown the crucial steps in beginning their academic journey. There is an optional on-campus component, “New Student Welcome Day,” that approximately 4,000 freshmen attend. During this event they explore the campus and meet other incoming students. In addition, there are annual welcome events during the Fall semester. The events change each year, but are all designed to ease the transition to the university.
The welcome programs are, however, geared towards students entering college after high school, not for students who were already in college before CU.
When I started at CU, the only program I felt welcomed to participate in was the mandatory online orientation. It vaguely helped me figure out how to sign up for classes, yet I still managed to pick all the wrong ones. If I were a freshman this wouldn’t have been a huge issue because you have more time to take classes. But as a transfer student, it was an obstacle. Taking classes outside of my major could have prevented me from graduating in four years. I also could have participated in the optional new student events, but I refused to be a freshman again.
Universities need to be less concerned with singling out transfer students and more proactive at getting them involved. More than 1,000 students transferred to CU for the Fall 2015 semester. These students are only provided online support, from which they are expected to independently navigate a new campus, academic life and social scene. As a new student, my options were to start my new life in unison with the grade below me or to brave the path on my own.
Within my first few weeks at CU I began to question why I had transferred in the first place and even considered the possibility of going back. Everyone had their groups of friends, were taking the best classes and knew where to hang out on Saturday nights. I left a school where I constantly felt alone to go to a different school where all the same feelings were beginning to emerge.
Transfer students often have to overcome social isolation. Participating in communities, whether social or academic, provides support to ease the transition and enhance their overall quality of life. For myself, this transition would have been eased by a transfer-only orientation so I could have met at least one person in the same situation as me.
With resentment kicking in, I turned to the only consistency I had in both places: my sorority. I found out that transferring sororities is as simple as reaching out to the chapter president; the hard part was physically walking into the house. When I finally did, it was worth it. I felt like I gained the support system that I had grown so empty without. I finally had friends to sit by in class and girls to get dinner with. All the gaps in the transition pathway for transfer students was filled by the 300 sisters I gained.
There’s not one track for furthering your education, nor is there any way of knowing if you’re in the right place. Getting involved in social groups is crucial. College can be an isolating experience for many students who choose not to get involved or lack the motivation to do so. It’s not always easy to ask to be a part of something or to add other commitments onto a busy college schedule, but getting involved can lead to friendships and inclusion. I was only able to find the gratification I had been longing for after transferring to my dream school once I became involved in something bigger than myself.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Carlisle Olsen at carlisle.olsen@colorado.edu.
