Transferring schools is a challenging feat to go through, but it can be totally worth it. If you pick the right school, it can be one of the best decisions you’ll make, and I truly believe Temple is the place for me.
When I was beginning to look at colleges in my junior year of high school, I looked everywhere EXCEPT Temple. I have a bunch of of family connections to Temple, since some of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and even my mom went here. I was so determined to not follow in my mother’s footsteps by going to Temple and studying in the School of Media and Communication, but here I am.
In my senior year of high school, I finally decided to give Temple a chance and visit. I fell in love with the school and the campus, and made it my number one choice to attend the next year. I crunched the numbers and tried to figure out the probability that I would be accepted, but it didn’t work out in my favor. My application was on hold for months, then I was put onto the waitlist, and then I was denied. While I was waiting to hear back from Temple, I had to commit to a school, because I wouldn’t hear my result from the waitlist until after the deadline to commit to other colleges across the country.
I committed to West Virginia University without even visiting the school. Looking at WVU on paper, it seemed to have everything that I wanted in a school: a large student population, lots of things to do, successful sports teams, and everything that comes along with attending a large state school. But it was missing one thing very important to me: diversity.
I started my freshman year with a determination to transfer, which may not have been the best idea, but it kept me motivated to get good grades and stay focused. I definitely took advantage of my time at WVU by going to football and basketball games, joining student organizations, and going out with friends occasionally. I made lots of great friends at WVU, and took a few good classes, but I never felt entirely comfortable at the school. This was partially due to how far I was from home, and because of the lack of diversity.
I applied to transfer to Temple at the end of my first semester at WVU, but the admissions office requested my second semester grades as well. I worked extremely hard during the spring semester, and immediately sent my grades to Temple. Three days later, I received my acceptance to Temple and I almost cried.
A few weeks later, I attended orientation, made my first friend, and picked my classes. At orientation, I found out that six of my credits would not transfer to temple, and I had received elective credit for three other classes I took. This was really disappointing because those classes were basically a waste of my time and money.
Finding somewhere to live was one of the more challenging aspects of transferring, since almost everyone was already living in a residence hall or apartment, but since my cousin also goes to Temple, she did all of the research and found us a place to live.
Making friends was hard during freshman year, but it was even harder as a transfer student. Most of my friends at WVU lived in the same residence hall as me, but since I didn’t move into a residence hall at Temple, it was much harder. This is why I call this year, my sophomore year, “Freshman Year Part 2”. It’s difficult to come into a school as a sophomore, when almost all of the other sophomores have established friend groups. I started the semester with a few friends, but I was determined to make more.
Somehow, lots of my classmates in my first semester here were also transfer students, who shared their common experiences with me. They were like my own little transfer support group and reminded me that I wasn’t alone in what I was going through.
Making it to Temple was a long process for me. Transferring was a challenging, stressful, and drawn out experience, which would be a lot to go through alone, and I’m glad that I had the support of my friends and family through the entire process.
Transferring is a hard decision to make, especially after you make good friends and get used to being at one school, but in my experience, it is completely worth it. I am so much more comfortable at Temple than I would have ever been at WVU, and I am so happy to finally be an Owl!