Major: Biology, Health, and Society
Hometown: Annapolis, MD
Where did you transfer from? University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Why did you choose to transfer to the University of Michigan? My first year of college was during the pandemic, which really put a damper on my experience. Even though I was at home, I realized that the school I was at was not the best fit for me and what I wanted to pursue. I decided to transfer to the University of Michigan to have access to all of the opportunities and programs that this school has to offer, as well as to be surrounded by like-minded individuals to find my sense of community, especially after the isolation of the pandemic.
Based on your personal experience, what is the one thing you want to tell new transfer students? I would tell new transfer students to not focus too heavily on feeling “behind”. When I transferred to U-M I felt a lot of anxiety about accomplishing all that I wanted to in three years over the traditional four, while still trying to make the most of my college experience. Focus on making friends and getting acclimated to the new environment, and naturally opportunities will present themselves that will allow you to be successful in however long you have here.
How did you make friends and meet other students on campus? I became involved with a lot of different clubs and organizations at the beginning, which allowed me to be surrounded by people who I shared common interests with which made meeting other like-minded students pretty easy. Coming into U-M I was already involved in the Honors Program as well as the UROP Changing Gears Program for transfer students, so this gave me two places of connection before I even stepped foot on campus which took some of the anxiety about meeting other students away. Specifically with UROP, being surrounded by other transfer students was a great opportunity because we were all in similar positions and looking to make new friends. I also lived in the dorms my first year here which allowed me to be constantly surrounded by people who were looking to meet new people and make friends, and I made some of my closest friends through people I met there.
What is your favorite part about being an LSA transfer student? My favorite thing about being an LSA transfer student is having a different perspective on my time here at U-M because I originally came from a different university. I really feel like I have been able to appreciate everything that is unique to Michigan because of my experience transferring.
What do you know now that you wished you knew before transferring to the University of Michigan? I wish I knew how common it was to be a transfer student at such a big university like Michigan, and how other students and professors are not going to look at you differently because of it. I had a lot of anxiety prior to coming here about sticking out because I was a transfer student, especially because I came from another big four-year university. I truthfully did not realize how not only do you blend right in as a transfer student, but also from my experiences there is no judgment or stigma from everyone else because of the different path that you took to get here. U-M is such a big school and there are so many people all coming from different places, so you are almost guaranteed to meet someone who came here on a similar path as you.
Why did you choose your specific major(s)? I chose my major because I am interested in pursuing a career in medicine, and wanted a major that both provided me with a curriculum to prepare me for medical school, but also allowed me to explore some of the social concerns that I am also passionate about specifically related to the healthcare field through the “societal” aspect of the major.
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