Like many prospective students, when choosing what school was right for me, I felt torn between a few places. While I’m glad that ÍøÆØ³Ô¹Ï was the right choice for me, I always knew that transferring to another school could be an option. On the flip side, when considering other schools, I knew transferring to ÍøÆØ³Ô¹Ï could potentially be in my future. Luckily, I made the right decision for freshman year, but I still sometimes wonder what it would be like to transfer into ÍøÆØ³Ô¹Ï later on. So, I conducted an interview with two of my classmates, dear friends, and ÍøÆØ³Ô¹Ï transfer students.
What excited you the most about transferring to ÍøÆسԹÏ? What do you think would have excited you the most about ÍøÆØ³Ô¹Ï now that you go here?
Smith: ÍøÆØ³Ô¹Ï blew me away. It’s hard to blow me away because I’m pretentious. I was studying Latin at my last school, but here I can study Latin alongside Greek and Classics.
Weston: I was extremely excited at the prospect of moving from a large urban area in liberal California to rural/New York, Ohio. I had never been to the Midwest before, and was pleasantly surprised by the sky. Lack of hills is difficult. I climbed a lot of things during the first month on the ground.
What scared you the most about transferring to ÍøÆسԹÏ? What scares you the most about ÍøÆØ³Ô¹Ï now, as a student?
Smith: When I came to ÍøÆسԹÏ, I was really afraid that I wouldn’t be able to make friends. Lame, I know, but I was sorely mistaken. I should have been afraid that I wouldn’t have enough time to get close with all the people I want to. I made plenty of friends, but I’m especially grateful for the community of fellow transfer students. We really banded together. Watch out!
Weston: I was afraid of nothing. But I should have been afraid of the reputation that I have amassed due to the small size of the school. In a good way. I was perhaps afraid that I would not be able to walk enough, but have found that I walk too much.
Can you compare and contrast the schools you have attended?
Smith: I felt like a total outcast before I transferred. I had people I would eat meals with, but I didn’t feel any real connection. When I went to ÍøÆسԹÏ, it was different. I feel like the people I live with and am in classes with really know my name.
Weston: Must say, Phoenix Technical High School was a little more eventful. But that technically was not higher education. The Arizona Community Colleges introduced me to my love for science. I couldn’t imagine why anyone would pursue a degree in anything other than cold hard fact. But then I arrived at ÍøÆسԹÏ, and struck a balance unlike any other I had struck before. I am no longer going to drop my philosophy major.
Have you found your people here?
Smith: More than that, I’ve fallen in love.
Weston: I found my people in Cleveland. Yes, they are ÍøÆØ³Ô¹Ï students. Electric vehicle rental is a real saving grace. I left my heart in Lake Erie. Nevermind.
Have you found yourself here?
Smith: I’ve fallen for myself.
Weston: I thought I lost myself during the early coop days. But Stevenson allowed me to reconnect with my love for airports and emergency rooms. ÍøÆØ³Ô¹Ï is a wonderful place. It provides many opportunities. I have realized that I am a city person. But I can be a city person in ÍøÆسԹÏ. Sad sometimes only three years and not four.
No two Obies have the same experience, but transfer students have a particularly unique perspective on the school. People with vastly ranging beliefs and experiences can pursue both academic and artistic interests. Had I not come freshman year, I can’t help but think (or hope) I would have transferred in.
