Isabella AugustineBiological Sciences Senior & Transfer Student from UPG Hi everybody! I hope that your semester is great! I am going to tell you a little bit about my unique transfer experience. This is a bit of a sensitive topic, but one worth sharing.
After graduating high school, I decided to attend the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, one of the four regional campuses of Pitt. I had a really great experience there! I lived on campus, was actively involved in various clubs and organizations, served as a Resident Assistant for a semester, and was a campus tour guide! I really enjoyed the smaller campus feel, especially as a first year college student. As my sophomore year came to an end, there was a lot of talk amongst students about relocating to the Pittsburgh campus. I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to relocate or not. I enjoyed UPG, but I’m the type of person who pushes myself to try new things. I think a little change every now and then is healthy, even if I know there will be difficulties. There were so many factors that went into my decision to stay or go. So, I sat down and wrote out a list of pros and cons. The pros ended up winning, and I decided to transfer! (Disclaimer: I’m now really glad that I did). My junior year got off to a rocky start; to be honest, I was not very happy. I had moved back home and decided that I would commute to Oakland for class. I live approximately 17 miles outside of Pittsburgh, straight up Route 28. In an ideal world, that commute time is less than 30 minutes. With Pittsburgh traffic, it takes so much longer than that. I also had the most unreliable car at the time and I would break down a lot. (R.I.P. 2002 Jeep Liberty). In general, I had a really difficult time adjusting to the new campus, larger class sizes (especially Physics), and the much faster-paced environment. Not to mention, I only knew a handful of people. I wouldn’t consider myself a very shy person, but everything seemed so intimidating in this new environment. Originally, I was hoping that by transferring I would be able to set my career goals in stone. However, transferring had made me only MORE confused about my career path. I could drone on and on about my struggles, but I want to get to the point here. If you need help, please, do not be afraid to reach out. You are not alone. It wasn’t until I met with my advisor in the biology department for the first time, who shed some light into my life during this transition, that I finally felt at ease. Looking back, I wish that I would have spoken to an advisor sooner. At the time, I was struggling internally; I felt so embarrassed and I felt like no one would understand. I was a junior in college. I had done this all before. Why were things so difficult? My advisor really gave me the extra push and kind words that I needed to hear. It was only a matter of time before things started to fall into place. The next semester was much smoother. I was much happier. By the end of my junior year, I finally made the decision to pursue a career in dentistry. I was hired in the Graduate School of Public Health and spent the entire summer in Oakland (which really helped me to become so familiar with the campus!) Best of all, I became a peer advisor! I love being able to share my experiences with others. Now that I am in my senior year I can look back on last year’s events with knowledge that I made it through. I am so grateful for those challenges and it was a learning experience that I will never forget. If you’re a transfer student and/or are looking for some support within the Department of Biological Sciences and the University in general, feel free to visit me at my office hours from 2-3PM on Fridays.
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Pitt Bio BlogThe Pitt Bio Blog is maintained by the Department of Biological Sciences Advising Office. Posts are authored by our students Archives
January 2022
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