Transferring as a Student Athlete
Transferring is always a difficult process regardless if you’re a student-athlete or just a student. It is important to find a school as well as an environment that fits you and is what you’re looking for. You only get four years in college and sometimes only two. Finding the perfect fit is everyone’s dream but it doesn’t always happen. Many students transfer each year and athletes especially when it comes to the program not fitting them as well as they thought. Insidehighered.com talks about how many people transfer at least twice in their four to six years of school. “New data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center show that 37.2 percent of college students transfer at least once within six years. The research is based on the center’s virtually comprehensive database of American college students.”
As I conducted my research I interviewed many transfer students to really understand what it is like. I talked to athletes as well as non-athletes to get perspective on both sides. The first person I interviewed was Ami Diaz who was a transfer athlete from Johnson County and came to Missouri Western to pursue athletics, but recently decided to focus on her degree. “The decision to transfer is really difficult on the emotional side because leaving your school and your old coaches is not an easy decision. Immediately when I transferred to Missouri Western I did feel a sense of relief as I had feel like I finally found my home. Academically Missouri Western offered more than my old school so I felt I would Thrive here because I was passionate about my degree.”
Ami continued to talk about the transfer process for an athlete and how that is very difficult academically as well as athletically. “When you are transferring a lot of times your credits don’t transfer over which is very frustrating because you oftentimes have to retake classes just because the syllabus or the class title is different. I was a nursing degree when I transferred and I recall a lot of credits I had to retake. That became hard as I was trying to get into the nursing program, but fell behind when I came due to credits that I was unable to transfer into Missouri Western.” Many students go through this struggle as every school’s academic standard dependent on the degree is different.
Bestcolleges.com talks about the main reason many students transfer, “Financial Reasons: Some students begin school but struggle to afford unexpected costs for things like room and board. This struggle may lead students to seek out a more affordable institution. Degree Changes: Some students who enter college to pursue a specific major may change their minds and decide to study a different major that’s unavailable at their school. In this case, learners may need to find a new school offering that major. Moving Away: If a student must relocate as a result of work, family, or military obligations, they may choose to transfer to a local college or university in order to avoid out-of-state tuition costs.” It is always important to remember that college is a time of really deciding as well as figuring out what you want to do with your future degree wise.
The pressure that is put on students to figure out what they want to do is high. That’s why a lot of my friends and many people I know have changed their degree and multiple times in college. Sometimes they change their degree so much that they transfer schools because they don’t have the degree they want at their current institution.
As bestcolleges.com talks about moving away is another reason that students pack their bags and leave their school. Many students move away and become home sick eventually so they decide to move back closer to home which leads them to transfer schools. I talked to another college student that was an athlete and she really dove in with me and discussed transferring and switching degrees. She transferred from Stetson University and instantly became in love with Missouri Western, but it did not go without its struggles. “Missouri Western will always have a special place in my heart because of the opportunity they gave me.
Checkout Pinterest which has amazing ideas on how to make transferring easier as well as many college tips!
From personal experience with my previous school was really hard mentally because the athletic program and coaches were not what I was looking for. On top of that I was pursuing a degree. I really only did because of the scholarship that the program offered me. When I decided to go to Stetson a lot of people were shocked, but I needed to go somewhere where it matched up with what I was looking for in a school but also a place that would help decide what I want to do in life.”
Cost is another big factor for students that decide to transfer and is a valid reason. The price of going to colleges or a university is a huge reason why students are in debt or simply do not attend. This can also be a reason students transfer, especially non scholarship athletes. According to Scholarships360, “College is a big investment, with some schools being more expensive than others. If you’re not satisfied with your current school and anticipate that you’ll have trouble paying off your student loans, it may be time for a change.” I strongly believe that if you aren’t happy with the school and on top of that you are out of your price range for college to explore other options as I did and many others.
Another underrated factor that people don’t consider often is the atmosphere as well as the social environment. Sometimes students feel they simply don’t fit in at other schools. From my personal experience with transferring this factor was one of the main reasons that I decided to leave. My school is very small and oftentimes judgmental. Everyone knew everyone and I just wanted somewhere that I could meet a lot of people while still walking down the hallway not knowing everyone I see.
Overall, there is always different reasons people will transfer, but it is always up to the person! Check out the video above with testimonials as well as information about how to transfer.
