Revisted: Tales from a transfer student

This blog was first published last semester and got great readership.  In light of the upcoming Transfer Student Career Bootcamp, we're re-running it for your reading pleasure!

My first two years of college were a real struggle. I had horrible study habits carried over from high school which didn't require much effort and yielded good grades. Needless to say, this method did not serve me well in my college courses.

My undergraduate degree took 5 years to earn. I spent three years at a community college and two years at a University. I struggled in general education courses which I had difficulty understanding the purpose.  I struggled to find the right major and changed it 4 times in 3 years and ended up on academic probation at the end of my second year. With a 1.95 GPA at my community college I couldn't transfer let alone earn an Associates degree.

This was truly the most humiliating experience in my academic career. I thought I was a good student!

I met with my advisor and together we worked out a plan to help me get back on track.  I was now in classes that I found fascinating and interesting to me. I found a tutor to help me get through a problematic math course and I visited my professors often during office hours. 

By the end of my third year I brought my gpa up to 3.06, received my AS degree and transferred to a university where I finished my BA degree in Sociology.  This all happened by finding the right major and learning how to study, using my time wisely and understanding the campus resources that were available to me.

By the time I transferred to a university I knew what I was majoring in and what I wanted to do in life. It took a while to get there with many challenges and struggles along the way.

As a transfer student at the four year university that I would only be spending two years,  I went through the normal adjustment phase that I experienced three years earlier. However, it was different this time around. It was a familiar feeling but instead of letting myself get overwhelmed, I sought out similar people. I joined the Sociology Club and met several other students with similar academic backgrounds.

I continued to visit my faculty and become immersed in my department. I found myself sitting on the student board for the School of Social & Behavioral Sciences, Vice President of the Sociology Club, and presented at a National Conference for the American Sociological Association as a student.

Because of the student I became, my professors had no concerns over writing letters of recommendation for graduate school. I applied to one school (something I would not advise), but I was accepted and enjoyed the two best years of my academic career. Students are always a little surprised when I say how easy grad school was-but it was. Not because the curriculum was easy, but because after being in school for so long, I had finally learned how to be a great student, it just took a lot of practice to get there.

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