Transferring from a small college to a big and well-established university can definitely be overwhelming. There are unique experiences that transfer students from post-secondary institutions face that fresh-out-of-high school students do not. Feeling like a freshman multiple times in your academic career can be frustrating, but it can also be translated into the useful skill of learning to adapt to newer and bigger environments. At my high school and college, I felt like a big fish in a small pond, but at SFU, I feel like a small fish in a big pond. Although this semester has had its challenges and accomplishments, there are a few insights I’d like to share.
1. You will feel like a late bloomer.
I transferred halfway though my degree. It’s a weird feeling, taking upper-division classes while technically being a freshman at that university. Often, when I would chat with my classmates, they would say things like, “Oh, did you take [insert pre-requisite class] with [insert name of a professor]? Wasn’t that class [insert adjective]?” I’d awkwardly say no, and felt out of place for being the only one who was not able to reminisce with my peers about previous classes we have taken.
2. You’ll feel like you need to catch up with your peers.
I have never really experienced a school where there was a considerable amount of student involvement. This was pretty much non-existent at my previous college. But at SFU, it was like every other person was the president of a club or a member of a student-run organization, or had a cool research position or on-campus job. Then I thought, “Wow, their resume must be impressive. No wonder this school is pretty competitive. I don’t have anything like that on my resume.” Then I would binge-apply for volunteer and work positions. This has resulted in either rejection letters saying “You don’t have enough experience for this position,” or organizations asking for an interview when your application was just a result of an application frenzy during a period of self-doubt, and you don’t actually want the position. Anyways, it’s best just to relax. Your whole future isn’t dependent on the number of extracurriculars you have on your resume.
3. It’s okay if you’re not in “your groove” yet.
With all new experiences you have – a new job, new apartment, new city, or new school – there’s a transition and an adaption period. It might take a while to really feel like you belong. But that’s okay; it takes a while for the small fish to explore all of the big pond. There’s still study spots on campus you haven’t discovered, cafés you haven’t eaten at, and events you haven’t attended. But that’s all a part of the never-ending discovery of university life.
4. Not all of your credits will transfer!
This is a common frustration for students. There might be slight differences with one university’s version of the course and another’s. So, ultimately you’ll have to retake the same courses with “slight” alternatives to the information that you’ve previously learned. Therefore, you’ll have to pay to take the same course twice. This happened to me when I took a course that was unique to my previous school and wasn’t offered at my current school. It felt like a waste of money, but I did enjoy the material that I learned from those courses.
5. Don’t feel let down if someone doesn’t want to be your friend-friend.
Being anxious about wanting to make new friends might feel a bit juvenile. It kind of reminded me of my first day of kindergarten, when my mom kept reminding me that I’ll make so many friends! I knew it would be a little bit more difficult making friends at a bigger school, but at the time I figured, What the heck, it shouldn’t be too hard.
Granted, transferring into my third year, I felt like everyone already had their group of friends that they made during their first year of university. Sometimes I felt like people didn’t want new friends. There is a big difference between a school-friend and a friend-friend. I make school-friends constantly. Those people you sit beside in class whom you do your projects and study with, but it never goes farther than that. If this happens, it’s okay; you shouldn’t try to force a friendship. Finding friend-friends may take some time, effort or sometimes just luck.
And lastly…
If you feel like you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s okay, because neither do most people!