I made the decision to transfer from a college in Washington to LMU in March of 2018, which was a very difficult decision for me to make. I had made genuine friends at my previous school, liked the faculty, enjoyed the classes I had taken, and even had housing and a job for the next school year lined up and ready to go. Everything was in place, yet there was still something missing. The entire time I had been at the school, I felt like I was trying to convince myself that I was actually happy, that I had made the right decision choosing the school I had been attending at the time. Eventually, I could not think of anything else that could convince me that my college was the place I was going to be at for the next three years. I felt like I was settling at the school I was at, when in reality I knew I could be a lot happier somewhere else. A week before the transfer application deadline, I applied to LMU. It was the only school I applied to, and I told myself that if I did not get in, I would stick it out and spend another year at the school in Washington. I received my acceptance later in March and I could not be more excited. Even though I had not loved the school I was at, I still found it very difficult to leave. Saying goodbye to friends and coworkers, and even leaving the city I spent my first year of college in, was all very difficult for me. But I realized that I was doing what was best for my happiness and future career opportunities.
August rolled around fairly quickly, and I was nervous but so excited to start my sophomore year at LMU. I was nervous about making friends, especially coming in as a sophomore because I knew that most people make friends during their first few weeks of freshman year. But more than anything, I was excited to have a fresh start at LMU.
I was assigned a room in the Transfer Living Learning Community, which is a section of the second floor of Mckay Hall specifically set aside for transfer students. I was randomly assigned a roommate, who happened to also be an incoming sophomore, and it just so happened that we had similar experiences at our last schools. My roommate, suitemates, and I spent the first week of school exploring Los Angeles and what LMU had to offer.
Something I knew I wanted to do differently at LMU was to get involved immediately. Soon after school had begun, I joined the Her Campus team as a writer and interviewed for the Student Ambassador program. I was so excited to be a part of the LMU community and felt super welcomed by both organizations. Even after joining these clubs, I knew that I wanted to join a different realm of involvement at school. I decided to rush and I went through formal recruitment in the beginning of the spring semester. I am now a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority and have met so many incredible and smart women. I am very proud to be a part of such a passionate and driven sorority on campus.
Top pic: Promotional marketing for Her Campus that I was featured in; Middle pic: AXO Bid Night 2019; Bottom pic: your typical initiation picture
Academics-wise, I definitely feel more challenged here than I did at my last school, which is definitely a good thing. Every class I have taken so far has been super interesting and every professor encourages each student to engage and relate the material to their lives, whether they are within the same major or studying something completely unrelated. Being a journalism major and political science minor, I feel as though I am surrounded by faculty who are fully supportive and want to help me as much as possible, whether that be with finding specific classes or even internships.
Both the classes I have taken, am currently taking, and the extracurricular activities I am apart of, have all positively affected my experience here. However, above all, I believe the people I have met here have had the biggest impact on my incredible experience as a transfer student at LMU. Like I mentioned earlier, I was assigned to live in the Transfer Living Learning Community. Going in I hoped that I would, at the least, get along with my roommate, but I never expected that my roommate would become one of my best friends, and even more surprising, that I would become super close with everyone on my floor. Almost two semesters later, the people who were assigned to live in the TLLC, all just a few doors down from me, have become some of my closest friends. Coming into LMU as a transfer, I hoped I would make a couple of friends, whether that be in classes or clubs. Never in a million years did I expect that I would meet the people I did, every single one of them bettering my experience here at LMU.
Top and Bottom pics: some of my transfer friends (believe it or not we do not have a picture of all of us) and i; middle pic: my beautiful roommate/soulmate/partner in crime, Miranda and I
I am so incredibly grateful for LMU, not only for allowing me to join organizations that I am so passionate about, for encouraging my passion I have for journalism and political science, but for bringing people into my life who I cannot imagine the next two years here without.
Transferring colleges was one of the scariest and most difficult decisions I have had to make thus far in my life. But I can definitely say it has been one of the best and most rewarding decisions I have made and I’m am so happy that I chose to continue my academic journey at LMU.
To anyone who may be reading this who is considering transferring, not every transfer experience is the same and I consider myself to be very lucky. Do what you think is best for yourself, base your decision on where you see yourself the happiest, and I promise you will not regret it.