This week’s front about spring transfer students wasn’t a random divine inspiration.
It actually came to me because I was a spring transfer student myself last year. I transferred here last January as a freshman from SUNY Fredonia.
I felt a little obnoxious asking the new transfer students the questions for the article, because I used to get the same questions over and over and over. “Where did you transfer from?” “Why did you transfer?” “You didn’t like Fredonia?”
No, I didn’t like Fredonia. That’s why I transferred, actually. Fredonia was small, everyone lived off-campus, and it was literally in the middle of nowhere. If you think there’s nothing to do in Rochester — or if you really, really like dollar stores — you should definitely check out the Dunkirk-Fredonia shopping plaza.
My aunt went to UR in the early `90s. She told me to come here because all the guys are hot and all the girls are ugly. I don’t really know how true that is, but people have chosen schools for worse reasons.
The most unfortunate circumstance about my decision to transfer here is that I was offered the Xerox scholarship back when I was in high school, but didn’t even apply here. So if I had applied here in the first place, I would have about an extra $24,000 kicking around right now.
Contrary to what most people would think, I’d have to say that transferring in the spring of freshman year was probably a lot easier than transferring at any other time. I knew what I wanted to do and I did it, before I got too attached to the other place and changed my mind.
Also, since I was both a freshman and a transfer student, people gave me twice as much leniency when it came to not having a clue what was going on. The downside is that it’s logistically really hard to do and you have to become really good friends with the people in admissions.
A year later, I tend to forget that I didn’t come here in the first place. The other sophomores have only been here for one semester longer than I have. And now, having gone to two schools, I feel like I know what I’m talking about when I say that this school is a good place for me to be.
Smith can be reached at ksmith@campustimes.org.
