Students share experiences of transfer decisions
When I committed to USF, it was because I was looking for a place that was as different as possible from home. I grew up in a very rural area, and I wanted to really experience life outside of that bubble. USF offered an exciting, diverse and urban environment.
I was confident that I would find a community here, but as a first year student I struggled to find a church in the city and was disappointed with campus resources for spiritual health. I had moved to a new city where I did not know anyone after living in the same small town for eighteen years, and I realized that most of my favorite activities, hiking, camping and fishing, were contingent on being in the mountains. I felt isolated and so I considered transferring schools.
I filled out a transfer application to the University of Colorado Boulder (CU) in the fall of my sophomore year and got accepted. CU was going to be everything that USF was not for me; I had friends from high school who were CU students and my older sister was getting her master’s degree there.
But when I met with a transfer advisor and put together a class schedule, I realized I would have to drop one of my minors or graduate late, which gave me pause. Transferring also felt like giving up on this big adventure I had started.
I am certainly not the only USF student who has wanted to leave. USF’s first year retention rate for my year, the class that arrived on the Hilltop in 2021, was 81%, which means that almost one-fifth of my year did not return for their sophomore fall semester. Santa Clara University, and Gonzaga University, Jesuit schools that have similar undergraduate enrollment numbers to USF, have 93% and 94% retention rates respectively.
A poll posted by the Foghorn on Fizz on Sept. 18., revealed that of 1,373 respondents,1,055 or 77% said they had considered transferring out of USF.
For many students, wanting to leave comes down to homesickness or loneliness.
Avery Horwitz, a sophomore communications major at Loyola Marymount University transferred out of USF after just one year. “It came down to feeling super out of place,” she said.
Other students are looking for different academic options.
Richard Drezke, a senior computer science major, had the opportunity to transfer to the Georgia Institute of Technology shortly after arriving at USF. He decided not to leave because of some of Georgia Tech’s degree requirements and because of the community he built in San Francisco.
“I made some good friends though so I wasn’t as eager to transfer, I think if I hadn’t built connections I would have completed the guaranteed transfer requirements,” said Drezke. “I kinda regret not transferring because Georgia Tech has a lot more name recognition than USF,” he added.
For most students, wanting to transfer comes out of a combination of personal and academic dissatisfaction.
“While I enjoyed the city, I felt that the school put most of their focus on STEM majors, specifically the nursing program. I don’t think the school could have done much to change my decision,” said Horwitz.
Dorothy Castellana, a junior advertising major, began to consider transferring as a sophomore after a rocky transition into college. “I had a hard time adjusting to life at USF and the weather in SF,” said Castellana, who is from southern California.
She considered transferring to schools in New York to study fashion, but was discouraged by the fact that she would not have time to study abroad and graduate in four years. Ultimately, Castellana stayed at USF.
“I’m glad I stayed here because I’m more than halfway done, I have an established friend group and social life here, I work in the city and really enjoy my major,” she said, “Also, I’ve had great professors here and I think that’s made a world of a difference in my college experience.”
Even though I do look forward to moving in the spring, I am so glad that I stayed at USF. I am grateful to my friends and professors who have made a place that once felt hostile feel a little more like home.
Although transferring can be the right decision, giving USF a second chance has opened up great opportunities, and I encourage students who are considering transferring to think about the ways they can take advantage of all the best things USF has to offer. For me, writing for the Foghorn and getting involved with the McCarthy Center improved my academic and professional confidence. I strengthened my friendships and have had some unforgettable experiences in San Francisco which have made my decision to stay completely worth it.
Editor-in-Chief: Jordan Premmer, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia McCrackin, Managing Editor: Jordan DelFiugo, Opinion Editor: Dakota Duran, Scene Editor: Elina Graham
