Transferring from one institution to another can be very difficult. Not only are you leaving the familiar to venture into the unknown, you are doing so with the hope of not losing all that you have already gained—accreditation, friends, and relations with previous faculty members. Starting over in any aspect of life is scary. In my opinion, this is because as humans, we tend to fear the things that we know little about. The Admission team understands and recognizes this. As a result, they worked hard to ease the uncertainties that surround the transferring process. At transfer orientation, we had the opportunity to get a feel for the beautiful campus, learned about many of the resources available to us as the newest Tulane students and mingled with other transfer students before the beginning of the school year. We also went on a boat ride along the Mississippi River and took a tour of the famous French Quarter—all to help us begin our first semester with our best feet forward.
My reasons for transferring differ from that of many transfer students. I didn't leave because I disliked my old school, or because I felt that I did not have enough resources or opportunities available to me. In fact, it was quite the contrary. I was well established and comfortable at the university I attended. My degree plan required that I transfer to a school that offered my specific area of interest so I decided to make the switch. I was forced to leave my comfort zone and enter a land of the “unknown”. The effort put forth by the admissions team, to ensure that I became accustomed to my new environment, was significant in making my transition a successful one. With their help, and the help of the Tulane community as a whole, I began to realize that although it can seem intimidating at first, sometimes turning over a new leaf and starting anew can reveal a side that is fresh, bright, and GREEN.
