When to Consider Transferring Universities
I tell my story about why I transferred and when one should consider transferring.
Why I transferred:
When I was first applying to colleges, I made the mistake of adopting this incorrect mindset:
“Beggars Can’t be Choosers.”
Before I explain what is wrong with this mindset, please let me explain the consequences of it.
I thought being a first-generation, low-income student would mean I shouldn’t be picky about where I went to school. I should just be happy if I get accepted somewhere. That is why I applied to QuestBridge’s National College Match.
For those that are unfamiliar with the College Match, it is a scholarship where first-generation and/or low-income students essentially get to apply Early Decision to up to twelve schools at once. This means that if any one of the schools accepts me, I am obligated to go there, at least for my first year of undergrad. The students rank schools in order of which they want to attend and schools do the same for the QuestBridge Students applying. At the time, I don’t think I fully grasped what I was doing applying to twelve schools Early Decision.
Once I got accepted as a QuestBridge Scholar, I essentially had around two weeks to rank the list of schools I wanted to apply to Early Decision before the rank was set in stone, and I could no longer change it. I also had to write all of the essays to these schools within approximately a month before the deadline on November 1st.
Side note: When I told my high school advisor I was a finalist, he told me I was aiming too high, making me feel like I didn’t have a chance at any of these schools. I was fortunate to have teachers at my high school who believed in me, knew I was writing upwards of 4-8 admissions essays a day, and excused my drowsiness in class. One teacher even allowed me to take a nap on the classroom’s comfy chair. I am still grateful for her to this day. When I look back at the essays I wrote during that time of my life, I was surprised I got accepted anywhere. At the end of the admissions process, however, I was informed that my advisor got calls asking about me from all the schools to which I had applied.
Here is how I chose to rank the schools. First I ranked the four that were non-binding with Stanford being first (foreshadowing haha). The first non-binding school I ranked was the University of Notre Dame. I chose Notre Dame because I went to a private Catholic School at the time, and that is where the smartest students in my school were aspiring to go. I didn’t consider anything else. If they wanted to go there, it must be the best for me too.
Notre Dame is where I was matched. If you are interested in seeing the video from when I matched in December of 2017, check it out below. Warning though, it is very emotional as my whole family was there to see me become the first in my family to get accepted to college.
While I will forever be grateful for the opportunities and wonderful people I met at Notre Dame, I realized on the first day of school that it was not the correct place for me. There are some factors I should have considered, but did not, such as the fact that I wanted to pursue an MD-PhD. Notre Dame not only didn’t have an affiliated medical school, but it also did not have MD-PhD in my field of interest. I was interested in Neuroimmunology, and there was no wet lab research in that field at the time. It also did not help that the university did not feel diverse, in the Midwest, and was constantly gloomy and snowing. The last kicker was that I disliked football and I was at one of the largest football schools in the country. I got tired of mentioning I was a Notre Dame student, and the first thing they would ask me was about football instead of what I was studying. All of these factors contributed to my decision to transfer.
Although I knew I wanted to transfer within my first week on campus, I confided in one of my advisors, and now dear friend Alexis, who suggested I wait a year to see if the university would grow on me. What convinced me was that Alexis suggested that applying as an incoming junior transfer student made me more competitive. So I waited a year, did the transfer application process, and got accepted to Stanford in 2020.
“Beggars CAN be Choosers”
Being first-generation and/or low-income does not mean that you shouldn’t get to choose where you spend the next few years of your life. You should get to choose what feels best for you. While you can seek guidance from your close loved one or those you trust, ultimately you should be choosing for yourself. I wish I knew that way back when. A perfect institution does not exist. Not every school is perfect for everyone.
When one should consider transferring:
Transferring is a lengthy process, and if you do consider it, please be cautious of telling all your peers in case you end up staying at your institution.
When considering transferring, consider the following questions:
Are you happy at your institution?
Would your happiness improve at a different institution?
What about your institution do you dislike?
Are those things that can be resolved without transferring?
Does your current institution have your desired major or research in your field of interest?
Are there mentors who you look up to and can confide in?
What limitations does your current institution have? What schools do not have these same limitations?
Do you like the learning environment/location? Do you think it hinders your ability to succeed?
Do you have access to the essential resources you need to accomplish your goals or the next step of your career?
Do you feel safe at your current institution?
Likewise, do you feel welcome there?
While this is a brief list, I think it will help you consider whether you should transfer.
As always I hope this post helps anyone who is considering transferring. Please leave your comments or suggestions on this post.
With lots of love,
Christian Cepeda