Transferring colleges was a major decision that I did not take lightly, as it had the possibility of greatly impacting my life in every aspect. After months of contemplating the pros and cons of each college I was considering — as well as the idea of transferring at all — I decided to take the leap and leave my small, private, suburban school for a larger, public one in the city.
One year ago, I continued my higher education journey by transferring to Temple University. So far, it has brought me numerous opportunities and greatly enriched my learning experience. My major, Media Studies and Production, has allowed me to get hands-on training with video and editing equipment, as well as meet professionals who have excelled in the television industry. Major and career-wise, Temple has done pretty well with setting me up for success.
Outside of the classroom, my experience at Temple has been pretty great, too. There are plenty of study abroad and study away options in addition to hundreds of clubs to join. I’ve had a lot of fun trying out new ones, like the TUTV organizations that have allowed me to try my hand at writing for television and operating cameras for news and entertainment programs alike. I’m also excited to join some that are more outside of my major.
Oh, and writing for Her Campus Temple has been pretty fun, too.
Temple’s large student population has also definitely been a plus as a transfer student. At my old school, it was more obvious when someone was a transfer student because of the small student body. At Temple though, there are thousands of students from a wide range of ages and backgrounds, so it seems no one really stands out in a negative light. This was great for me, as I’ve been able to meet people and make friends without worrying about my status as a transfer student affecting me.
All this is to say that my experience at Temple has largely been positive. But there have definitely been some aspects of my transfer experience that could’ve used improvements.
The first drawback of transferring came quickly when I was informed that just about all of my credits would only count as electives and that not every credit I had received would even transfer over. This meant that I had to take an entirely new set of general education courses after completing the ones my old school had, and I’d be considered a sophomore for an extra semester. I did end up enjoying the last few gen-eds I had to take at Temple, but it definitely felt a little odd to be back in a classroom with freshmen when I felt like a junior.
The most major letdown of my experience has been what I felt was the lack of a proper orientation for transfers. My orientation mostly consisted of a quick Zoom call to register for classes, and then I took a new-student seminar class that was all about time management and goal setting (a class that was exactly like the one I took as a freshman at my previous college). I think some colleges assume that because transfer students have already been to college before, they’ll know exactly what to do as a new student. In my case, that couldn’t have been more wrong.
On my first day at Temple, I had no idea about the “scanning your ID” rule when entering a building, as that had only been used for dorms at my old college. I quickly got used to it, but a heads-up during my brief orientation would’ve been appreciated. I also wasn’t sure where any buildings or resources were, and some days I’m still not entirely sure how meal plans work here (though that’s less of an issue as a commuter student). I wasn’t able to meet other transfers before classes began either, which was a bit of a letdown since the freshman orientations typically allow you to meet other new students.
Having a more comprehensive transfer orientation would’ve made my experience much smoother, and it probably would’ve helped me to feel like a real Temple student sooner. At the end of the day though, I am happy to be here. I’ve gotten to learn things I never would’ve at some other schools and I get to see new faces every day! My transfer experience got off to a rocky start, but I’ve been learning the ropes, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for me here at Temple.