Hi
I just finished up my first semester at community college and I hope to transfer to a UC in 2-3 years. Although I don’t have to pay any tuition for the next 2 years, socially I feel kind of empty. Meanwhile, I feel jealous of my friends who are at away at 4-year schools; they’re living in dorms, making lots of friends and having the time of their lives. That makes me wonder, at a 4-year college, do transfer students miss out on anything socially compared to people who have been there since freshman year?
All of my friends who’ve transferred have had booming social lives. I don’t think they really missed much.
Plus, for certain UCs (UCSC comes to mind) there’s a guarantee of one year campus housing for transfers, so you can get the dorm experience too.
Well sure you miss out on things when not starting as a freshman at a 4 year school. IMO it is easiest to make new friends when everyone is coming in new and everyone is eager to meet new people. But, you can catch up. The ease of that transfer experience depends a lot on the person and the school. The onus will really be on you, as a transfer, to seek out new opportunities and friendships. Some find it easier than others. It’s not as if the kids who have been there don’t want to be friends, it is just that they are comfortable in their friend groups and aren’t actively searching for new friends. But, if you are comfortable putting yourself out there quite a few times before finding “your people”, you will be fine.
This question popped up in my mind. Do Transfer students typically take more than 4 years to graduate than those who entered University as freshmen?
@pandemonium1298 It depends on the transfer’s situation.
Keep in mind that a plethora of freshman-admitted college students end up have to do an extra semester (or an extra year). For transfers, it may be that not all their credits transfer and they need to retake some of their courses (which may require an extra semester).
Do many students at University consider freshman year to be the best year? I don’t know if the same could be said for Transfers though.
It definitely is an adjustment similar to being a freshman, but there are unique challenges. Whereas the existing friend groups you see freshman year almost always change or dissolve, the friend groups you encounter as a transfer are pretty solid. Also, you don’t have those freshman events to be with your entire class socially, though you may have some very beneficial transfer events. That said, I transferred last semester and I have a rather active social life. It’s really about putting yourself out there, taking the initiative to meet new people and join clubs, because no one’s ever seen you around before. Everyone loves to show a transfer student around, though. You should be fine!
@pandemonium2 for what it’s worth, I had a freshman and sophomore year at a school before CC. Freshman year was great, but sophomore year was great too. I don’t think I’d feel incomplete not having a “freshman” year—everything is still new as a transfer too.
For any of those who transferred a UC, what percent of transfer students spent 3 years at community college? For those who did spend 3 years, did you feel like you were a year behind people who were there since freshman year? Personally, I don’t mind taking 3 years to transfer because my major has a lot of requirements, but it does make me feel like I’ll be a year behind. Unless of course, there are some degree programs which are supposed to take 5 years to finish.