Growing up in the desert of Joshua Tree, I noticed at an early age that education was not a priority for a large part of my hometown. Many people were not expected to go to college after high school, and those that only attended the local community college for their Associate’s Degrees, with no intent to transfer. I came up a little different. I had always held the goal of a bachelor’s in mind, and although I attended that same community college as so many of my peers, the ultimate goal was university. Near the beginning of my final semester of college at Copper Mountain College, I was still unsure of where I wanted to go for the last two years of my undergrad. A myriad of different filters had been turned over again and again in my mind when it came to choosing the right school: Am I looking for rankings, or location? Do I want to stay in-state? Do I want to go to school with people like me, or surround myself with individuals from different cultures, backgrounds, and histories?
As I was running through all of these thoughts, we had a University Day at my school. The lineup was mostly Cal States and privates, but UC Riverside was the only UC that decided to visit my small little college in the middle of nowhere. As I spoke with the recruiter, and asked her questions about my major, she suggested that I visit the campus on Highlander Day, UC Riverside’s biggest day of the year for prospective students. When I visited later that month and took my first tour around the campus, I realized what exactly I had been looking for in a university all this time. Instantly, UCR felt different from the other schools I had visited. Everyone here was... friendly. Like I was an old classmate they hadn’t seen in years who had finally blown back into town. Now, I know, of course they were friendly, it was Highlander Day. Well, I decided to come back a couple more times over the year. I would walk around the campus, go read in the libraries, and check out the surrounding areas like Downtown Riverside, Redlands, and Moreno Valley. Everywhere and every time I went, I was met with the same general feeling of friendliness and respect.
For some transfer students, transferring to university is also our first time living on our own in a new city. It is important that the new city has elements that remind us of home, but expand upon them and open us up to new opportunities. That’s what UC Riverside felt like to me: an enhanced version of my home. And I finally knew that is what I was looking for in a university. I signed my SIR after receiving my acceptance, and have just completed my first year at UCR. For transfer students, we have to essentially “hit the ground running” at university, as we are so close to completing our undergrad. My fears that I would not be able to have a “college student experience” have now evaporated. I was able to get involved in clubs, campus life, gain research opportunities, and gain important networking contacts and relationships with my professors. Not once was I ever treated like any other student. My path as a transfer was just that, a different path. I am proud to call UCR my future Alma mater.
Now accepting Transfer Applications for the 2018 Winter quarter! Apply from July 1-31 to join the Highlander family! http://go.ucr.edu/apply
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