My Advantages in the Transfer Process Coming to the Georgian Court University

Coming to Georgian Court University, I feel that I have had a significant advantage in the transfer process. I didn't base my decision to come here strictly because of the beautiful campus or the fact that it provided an education for my career goals. Instead, I decided to attend because a lot of the women and girls that I work with in my current position have attended or are currently enrolled in the same program that I have just started. I felt that joining these women would be beneficial to my education because I would have access to used books and added classroom support, along with faculty intel coming from first-hand, recent experiences rather than checking online from a student who had a professor three years ago.

Adjusting to a professional four-year university from Ocean County College didn't prove to be a difficult feat. I had always known that OCC was simply a stepping stone in my college career; teachers in high school, peers that went straight to four-year schools, and OCC professors themselves continued to push me into going to a 'better school.' I constantly heard that things would be harder once I went to a 'real college.' I'm not going to lie, it hurt to hear that people thought I wasn't going to a 'real' college, and it made me feel insignificant, dumb, even. However, I can see that those words were what helped prepare me for my new college career. I knew that this journey, the one I am taking at Georgian Court, was going to be different—not necessarily harder or easier, just different—and that is what I prepared myself for. The transition has been smooth and practically effortless because I knew I was going to have to change how I acted, studied, and thought.

Coincidentally, what has had the least impact on my transition is one of the things that were continuously pushed onto me as a transfer student: becoming active in the GCU community. As mentioned before, I chose this school because many of my coworkers and now friends attend here; and perhaps it is for that reason that I don't feel the need to get involved on campus. I am here for one reason and one reason only: do what I need to do, complete the necessary coursework, and graduate so that I may further pursue my career goals. I understand that transferring can be difficult; it's like starting at a new school because you don't necessarily know no anyone, and it can be difficult to get into groups and make friends because most of the students in your junior class have already been here and developed their relationships. So, the school tells you to get involved, find people with common interests, and make new friends, and your experience will be ten times better. However, I did that prior to entering, which has made my transition ten times smoother. I don't believe that not participating in clubs or groups will detract from my college experience, but contrarily it will enhance my concentration and drive towards the goals I stated previously: get in, get my degree, and get out.

So far, the hardest part of this semester has been trying to understand why the transfer seminar is a required course. I feel like a lot of the things that I learned in the short seven-and-a-half weeks are things that are not necessarily going to impact my college career, with the exception of the information literacy section, which I have already learned in my intermediate issues in psychology class. What is the importance of how the school began? Why is it important to know and understand who Catherine McAuley was and her impact on the school? I'm sure that if she hadn't started the Sisters of Mercy, then someone else would have been sure to start a college, even if not based on the same principles.
As for the significant lessons in this course, I feel that I had two: one is a lesson that we learned actually from the class, and the second is a lesson I am taking away from the class. The information literacy section we did was helpful in association with my psychology class on how to research and how to appropriately utilize the library to its maximum capacity. However, as I said previously, I did learn that in my psychology class, but this lesson was still helpful, especially had I not taken this particular psychology class.

Lastly, the biggest lesson I am taking away with me from this class is about time management and online classes. I was never really good at online classes, but I feel like this short semester class has significantly impacted how I utilize my time and computer. The course itself has helped me work better online, complete assignments in a timely matter, and allows me to complete things early, which essentially frees up more time for studying in-class materials.

I am very much looking forward to the rest of this semester and my career at Georgian Court University. I am excited to be a part of a school that makes students feel even wanted. If I am not interested in the closeness, it is still a nice feeling to know that you are an important part of this intricate process of life.

 

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