Few decisions in my life have been more difficult than choosing to transfer schools. It was hard enough to pick a school during spring 2020, and it felt just as hard to pick a major, dorm preferences, classes, and more. I began my college “career” at UW-Madison. After two years in America’s Dairyland, I ultimately decided it wasn’t the school for me. Looking back, it certainly seems reasonable. Making a major life decision when you’re 17/18 is, well, difficult, especially when, scientifically, your brain is not even fully formed. Yet, I look back on this decision, and I am happy with how it turned out. I want to preface the next few paragraphs with the following message: this is simply my opinion on transferring to Bentley.
My first semester at Bentley was a mixture of good and bad through the many different aspects of college. As a junior, returning to freshman-level classes was difficult. The “300-level” classes I was getting used to quickly turned into déjà vu from my senior year of high school or freshman year of college. The first major struggle of being a transfer student pertains to credits. College is expensive! We want to transfer as many credits over as we can. I was able to transfer a fair number of credits, but one class that I could not get out of was CS 100. This class is very valuable to new freshmen with little experience working with Excel and introductory programming languages. Yet you can probably imagine how I felt having to wake up at eight a.m., twice a week, for a class that I had taken at my previous institution. But that is simply the nature of transferring. Not everything will transfer – the sooner you accept it, the better. Outside of academics, being a transfer student yields many other difficulties. Starting at a new school means adopting a new lifestyle that is conducive to oneself. You don’t know where your classes are. You have to make new friends. You have to take chances at the dining hall to learn about what to wait in line for and what to avoid at all costs. Now that I’ve laid out some of the difficulties of transferring to Bentley, I want to discuss some of the positives.
Because I came in with a fair number of credits, my schedule was not all introductory-level classes. I was able to take a 300-level finance class, which, when combined with more menial classes, allowed me to really learn the course content. Now, in my second semester at Bentley, most of these classes are behind me, and I have significant flexibility to take classes that appeal to me. Additionally, the class TS 222 (Transfer Seminar) was my best resource for all things transferring. A special shoutout to Meghan Charbonneau, who made my transition to campus as smooth as possible. This class was essential for getting “up to speed” at Bentley. I learned where to find different academic services, how to enroll in classes, and how to take advantage of career and advising services. I think the fact that Bentley offers a six-week course designed to help transfers acclimate to the school is an incredibly powerful tool that makes our school even more welcoming.
I want to highlight that my experience at Bentley has been overwhelmingly positive thus far. I also acknowledge that the process of being a transfer still has kinks to be sorted out. Yet it would be both unproductive and ignorant of me to criticize the university over broad policies that have been in place for many years. While getting hosed on credits was not a great feeling, there is a reason Bentley has to put a cap on this number – if you want a Bentley degree, you have to take classes at Bentley, not other schools. I sort of look at transferring schools as a trade-off. The student gets to find a new school that fits best for them, and they must give up some of their academic flexibility, at least at the beginning, if they wish to transfer schools. That is a gross oversimplification of the process, but I think you get the point.
People transfer schools for a plethora of different reasons, and none are “right” or “wrong.” What matters most is that students who transfer to Bentley can create a more positive college experience for themselves. All institutions have problems – big or small – that students can always complain about. It’s just human nature. However, I think it is important to recognize that we are lucky to attend a school that is so welcoming for transfer students – I know I am. While many of the things I’ve discussed are through the lens of a transfer student, they can be applied to any students at Bentley – transfers, traditional, international, exchange, etc. The way I look at it, college is too expensive to waste, so take advantage of what Bentley has to offer.
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