Photo By Caleb Woods Via Unsplash
With the end of this semester almost upon us, WCU will have gotten a solid two academic years out of me. I’m active in clubs, I have active friendships on campus, I’ve built relationships with faculty here and I’ve taken some interesting classes. Yet there’s a part of me that feels like WCU isn’t for me. When I make a generalization about my experience here, I honestly don’t think I’m satisfied.
I’ve always toyed with the idea of transferring, ever since the spring semester of my freshman year. But I have a tendency to make irrational or impulsive decisions, so I put it on the back burner and hoped my sophomore year would change my mind. It hasn’t, and with the combined housing crisis, it in all honesty boosted the idea of transferring more than diminished.
I will say that, as of this writing, I’m 75% sure I won’t be calling this campus home next academic year. I recognize that my mentality and opportunities may change my mind in this last month or so of school. But me being a procrastinator isn’t what this is about. Transferring is a very opinionated topic, and most people go either way on whether it’s worth it or not. I’ve heard all sides of the argument, with some telling me if I were to do it now, that would be the last logical time frame if I wanted to graduate on time, etc. But others I’ve talked to said when it feels right, do it; it’s your life to live. Both are legitimate but depend on how you look at life itself and the goals you have for yourself. Then there’s the whole thing about abandoning the foundation you built for yourself here.
Whether that’s clubs, friendships or just familiarity with the area, it may be hard to give that up, and starting something new can be a little discouraging. But you’re going to have to take that leap of faith at some point in your life, so why not now? Especially if it’s an opportunity to go to another school you’ve always wanted to experience. This goes hand in hand with another reason why students transfer. Bestcolleges.com details that “there’s no doubt that certain colleges and universities hold more prestige than others and therefore look better on resumes. Some students enter college with a plan to elevate their GPA for one or two years before applying to transfer to a more prestigious school.” Which is true, and you can’t shame that kind of mindset because it does make a difference depending on the profession and situation. So, when is the right time to transfer?
The answer is: you decide. You know what’s best for you; you know what you want. College is about trial and error; there’s no perfect college experience or perfect story to tell. There’s no need to be loyal to a school that’s not holding up its end of the bargain.
As much as you can control how college is for you, the university you call home can either uplift or hinder that.
Isaiah Ireland is a second-year Media and Culture major with a minor in Digital Marketing. II978280@wcupa.edu.
Just be sure you understand all the pros and cons of transferring. GPAs don’t transfer. You may want to talk to the Transfer Concierge at WCU as well as the school you are interested in transferring to. Be sure you have syllabi for all the WCU classes you’ve taken, especially in your major. Good luck to you. Don’t cancel your WCU fall courses until you have a fall schedule at your new school. Hoping you stay at WCU and find housing you can afford. 🙂