Graduation from the Perspective of a Transfer Student

As I reflect upon my college experience, I think about how I did not begin on this campus. I began at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and then transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

I was not a freshman moving into the dorms, exploring all of the buildings and the dining halls in packs of 10 on this campus. I am not still friends with my college roommate that I met off of a Facebook page four years ago. While I say these things, they seem silly to think I am missing out on. But, I feel like I did not fully say goodbye to my past university and move onto this university.

\I moved into an apartment mid-August on this brand new campus and figured out the grocery stores near me, but I was still wandering around campus just as lost as the freshmen. Starting fresh again was difficult. I did not have others who were just as lost as I was because I lived in an apartment alone. 

Especially because of the pandemic, I feel like I did not have enough time on my new campus. I only had one semester truly on campus. I switched my major when I graduated and I only had one semester to build relationships with other people in my major, and one semester to enjoy the journalism school building. It feels like there is still much for me to do, but I have to graduate. 

Being a transfer student is a struggle. It feels like being the “new kid” but no one really knows you are the “new kid” and very lost. 

So, this is my farewell to both my past university and my present one. They both served their purpose. At both of them, I gained a new sense of independence. They both pushed me to become a better student, and constantly forced me out of my comfort zone and grow as an individual. While my experience was very out of the ordinary, I am thankful that I transferred and I would not have changed a single thing about my college experience. 

 

• college
• graduation
• transfer student