SMITH: Transferring schools is not as daunting as it might seem
Often, the college experience is not all that it is cracked up to be, and that is okay. Sometimes the reason may be that the college is just not the right fit for the student. If this is the case, the student should consider transferring colleges in order to find a better match and have a better college experience.
While some may hold a stigma against transferring colleges, transferring is perfectly normal. In fact, for the start of the Fall 2023 semester, the number of transfers made up 13.2 percent of the total student population, which was an increase from the previous year.
There are many different reasons as to why students chose to switch institutions. One big factor was the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic, where some students were dissatisfied with universities holding online classes or enforcing stringent restrictions.
Besides the pandemic, other reasons students chose to transfer to a new institution include not being in the right environment (e.g., bigger versus smaller colleges), not having social needs met, going from a community college to a four-year institution, having financial constraints, wanting to go to a more recognized school and many others.
This topic matters a lot to me as I was a transfer student. I transferred from The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) to Rutgers after having a lackluster freshman year. I was unhappy with the social atmosphere at TCNJ, and, living only 15 minutes away from my house, I felt too close to home.
As a result of staying so close to home, I did not really have a choice to live on campus, with it being more financially viable for me to commute than to live 15 minutes away. This really took away from my social experience at TCNJ, as I was never fully immersed in the college experience, which made it difficult to make friends. Further, this was compounded by the fact that TCNJ was not the best college for social events.
While I did eventually make friends at TCNJ, I simply was not happy with my college experience and realized that I wanted to attend a bigger university rather than just a small state college, making me lean toward transferring to Rutgers.
Once I transferred to Rutgers, I became more satisfied with my overall college experience. I felt more fully immersed as I now had more friends, social opportunities and a lively and expansive college environment, especially since I was now living on campus.
Transferring colleges is certainly daunting and many may hesitate to do so out of fear of the unknown or of essentially restarting their college experience. If students are fearful of starting fresh at another college, they can utilize school transfer programs or school resources to help smooth their transition.
Examples of such programs are living-learning communities (LLCs) at Rutgers. When I transferred, I joined an LLC composed of transfer students, hoping it would be easier to make friends if we were all in the same position. I also considered that it was harder to befriend returning students who already had established friend groups.
If the school you transfer to does not have good transfer programs or assistance, then getting involved in clubs, fraternities, etc. is a great way to make new friends.
Though, it is important to note that transferring colleges may not be a viable option for all students who want to transfer due to factors such as financial constraints. Furthermore, it is important that students first try to see if there are any ways they can improve their current college experience before deciding to transfer since it is a big decision to make.
It is important to realize that if you opt to stay in the same college despite wanting and being able to transfer, you will never know what your college experience could have been. Even if the grass is not greener on the other side, you will know that you at least tried to improve your experience.
I am glad that I decided to come to Rutgers, and I feel that I have finally gotten the college experience that I wanted. I would highly recommend that students who want to transfer really consider what they want in a college before making a decision. It is also important to be realistic about what options the student has in terms of GPA requirements and financial costs.
At the end of the day, students should still remember that they are going to college to get educated and earn a degree. But even if education and attaining a degree are the main goals, the student experience should also be a major factor in their college choice.
David Smith is a junior in the School of Arts and Sciences majoring in Journalism and Media Studies and minoring in Psychology. Smith's column, "David's Diary" runs on alternate Thursdays.
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