Transfer Troubles
By: Mark Love ‘16
The Undergraduate Student Government hosted an event about a week ago where transfer students voiced their personal perils of being the new kids on the block. The main purpose of this event was for USG to create programs to ease the transfer experience based on what was said at the event. Regrettably, I had class during that time, but I still wanted to share my journey as a fellow transfer student myself to show that you can find your groove even if you did have a late start.
As a junior looking back on my first semester here, my experience differed from other transfers I’ve chatted with. I lived in Annenberg House, one of the university-owned apartment buildings, and met a group of guys on the same floor as me whom I consider to be some of my best friends today. We had all transferred to USC that same year, and bonded on that notion. Although we had different music tastes and did not watch the same television shows, we still somehow connected and became “bros” in the course of one semester. On top of that, all of my credits from my previous university transferred over without any problems.
Nevertheless, my encounter is an anomaly for the transfer transition at USC. I know transfer students who have pushed through lonesomeness, anxiety, and even pure anger for the circumstances that they have endured during their first semester at USC. Let me shed some light on the under-acknowledged issues that some transfers faced. First, they can barely live in student housing. Continuing students get to choose their university-owned apartments during the spring semester before transfer students even know if they’ve gotten accepted. This causes problems, because transfers are already dealing with the new school vibe, and do not want to add apartment hunting to their to-do list.
On top of that, transfers can be subjected to living with a group of friends who needed to simply fill a bed space to lower the cost of rent. This can cause transfer students to feel more like placeholders rather than roommates and friends in their own home. Friends have actually conversed with me about the awkwardness of living with a group of people who have already established bonds well before they even moved in. To make matters worse, some transfer students are forced to complete additional semesters, because their credits from their previous university failed to carry over.
Unfortunately, once students transfer in, they have to play with the cards dealt to them, and make the best of the game. Regardless of the living situation or academic standing, transfers can muster up a plan to integrate into the Trojan family. I suggest attending the Involvement Fair at the beginning of the semester, and find an organization that fits your personality. With the frats/sororities, intramural sports, and community service programs just to name a few, I genuinely believe transfers can find their college family.
