My Reasons for Transferring Colleges

High School Graduation

After graduating high school in 2018, my plan seemed pretty straightforward. I applied to over a dozen schools and got into Temple University and Drexel University, while being waitlisted by my top choice—Carnegie Mellon. I really thought I had a shot at CMU, but since rolling admission wasn’t guaranteed, I had to make a decision. I had already taken classes and worked at Temple throughout high school, so I felt confident I’d be admitted. But my goal was to get out of Philadelphia since I grew up in and out of the city. Drexel felt like something new and different, so I chose to go there.

Drexel University

My time at Drexel didn’t go the way I expected. I transferred in the middle of the school year, and the adjustment was rough—especially with Drexel’s fast-paced quarter system. Just as I started to get comfortable and received some exciting co-op offers, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The opportunities I had lined up vanished. Like many students, I faced a lot of personal and financial challenges during this time, which made it difficult to stay on track. Over the next year, I focused on regrouping—living with friends, working, and enrolling in community college courses to stay connected to my academic goals.

Transfer Journey

During that year, I tried to transfer to RIT, but my GPA wasn’t high enough yet. So I used the money I’d saved to return to Drexel for one more semester and worked hard to improve my grades. After that, I applied to RIT again—and this time, I got in for Fall 2022. Some of my credits didn’t transfer smoothly because Drexel uses a quarter system, so I had to retake a few classes. But honestly, since coming to RIT, I’ve had some of the best moments of my college experience so far.

For starters, the classes I had to retake gave me a chance to truly retain the information, and in some cases, my grades even improved. Outside of academics, I made strong connections with the RIT community. At first, I planned to keep to myself and focus solely on finishing school quickly. But during the first week, students began reaching out and welcoming me. Since then, I’ve built friendships that I know will last long after graduation.

Lastly, I finally got the chance to go on co-op. Due to the pandemic, I had missed out on that opportunity earlier in my journey. At RIT, not only did I secure co-ops, but I received strong offers. I had the chance to live and work in North Carolina with Bridgestone Firestone Americas and in Florida with Trane Technologies—each for over seven months. These positions not only helped me earn income, but also gave me a real preview of what life could look like after graduation.

Transferring to RIT has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. While I’m a little sad that my time here is coming to an end, I’m excited to make my senior year the best one yet.