#Belonging: Student Wellbeing

Looking back, I feel that transferring to USC was one of the best decisions I made about my education, albeit a very difficult and stressful experience for my family and I. As a commuter student, feeling a part of the vibrant student life was exceptionally challenging at first. Sometimes, after spending two hours on the metro going to and from USC, I felt exhausted and physically distant from campus life, where I wanted to get coffee, study late, and party at late-night events with fellow Trojans.

Secondly, when accepted as a transfer, I was not placed in my degree of choice in Marshall, and spent an additional year and a half trying to get into that competitive program – always wondering if I could have saved my valuable time and money if I transferred to a different institution. During this period, I came across many administrators who did not know how to properly advise me due to my transfer status, where rules on internal transferring felt structured around freshman timelines rather than sophomore and junior transfers. 

Being a transfer at USC, and not having a clear internal pipeline into top programs like Marshall and Viterbi meant that my academic and professional goals were postponed and ultimately re-routed. I felt socially isolated without a USC Transfer Center, transfer-specific admissions staff or large-scale orientation events for transfers to find community. 

I finally declared a new major AND progressive masters program in the Price School and have not looked back since! Commuting every day gave me the grit, perseverance and time management skills to balance my many interests. I learned to be extremely social and open with people, because you never know where you will find a new friend!

Most importantly, I knew after my experience that I never wanted someone to go through the social isolation and stress that I had as a transfer. After seeing a flyer on Facebook for transfer mentors, I joined the Transfer Student Community in 2018 and helped plan events for the transfer community. In TSC, I met some of the most hardworking and amazing transfers, who knew how to have fun, listen with a kind ear, and work toward their goals 24/7.

Over the years, I worked as secretary before taking on the co-directorship and successfully raising our club status to Transfer Student Assembly. Now, with transfers having a seat at USG’s table, we advocate for transfer resources, collaborate with other student groups and centers, and continue to plan social events. Ultimately, we at TSA help set a tone for USC’s tradition of welcoming transfers, for semesters to come. 

My advice to any prospective or current transfer at USC is to stay curious and self-reliant. Resources are available a few clicks away if you look for them. Be it at the Career center, First Generation Plus Success Center, or Kortschak Learning Center, there are people who can cater to your transfer status and help you get on the track you want to be. Be outgoing and forward about your transfer status, so peers, professors, and friends know where you are coming from. Don’t feel discouraged if you find yourself feeling alone – be patient with yourself, fill your time exploring campus, and in no time you will have found your Trojan Family!

During my first semester at USC, I expected to feel isolated as this was all brand new to me. I was not familiar with any clubs, people, and just the whole system in general. However, I remember joining a TSA meeting and everyone was so welcoming to me and it felt like I was a longtime member even though it was my first ever meeting with everyone. From there, the people I met in TSA were able to connect me with a bunch of their friends and I did not feel alone or a sense of imposter syndrome at USC. 

The TSA community really kicked off my social circle at USC as I felt more comfortable meeting new people and getting situated into the system. From there, I was able to join other clubs such as USC Christian Challenge, which is where the majority of my network is at. Overall, I would describe my journey to finding community at USC as a very welcoming experience. The people at USC are very open to meeting new people and helping each other establish our network. People were able to connect me with fellow peers, clubs, and even professors. If it wasn’t for TSA, I don’t know where I would be now.

Part of the struggle was transferring in a pandemic and part of the struggle was being in a new place without much guidance. Until I met with TSA, at the time TSC, I had no orientation experiences geared toward transfers. Since I am fairly outgoing, I felt compelled to explore other organizations that matched my interests but it was disheartening to see freshmen enter and find belonging with their cohort, and mine was scattered and lost. The only thing I felt was done to help was the USC-owned Transfer Admit Facebook group. This served as a hub for me to meet people and we took it upon ourselves to organize events but it would have been nicer if the university organized events since there were a myriad for freshmen.

My sense of belonging increased as a result of seeking out groups on my own that aligned with my personal and professional interests. Joining yearbook and my greek organization are the experiences that helped me form connections the quickest but each of the extracurriculars I involved myself in helped me find belonging across communities. I formed connections with professors by going to office hours and the professors that I clicked with the most I still have working relationships with. Classmates would usually form connections through GroupMe with all of the class members or private messaging someone over Zoom. 

My number one advice to any transfer student is to stay hopeful because sometimes through the journey to get into USC, you feel less than others or not good enough. The truth is not only are you good enough, but you are also smart enough. My transfer experience has been nothing short of incredible: I can afford to attend USC through scholarships earned by maintaining a high GPA from the institutions that I came from. I also am fortunate to be surrounded by hard-working, committed, and dedicated peers who are always welcoming and encouraging me each step along the way. Use the resources available to you, from the writing center, career centers, to the cultural centers. Remember: true Trojans always, FIGHT ON!