Confessions of a Transfer Student

Hi folks! It’s your friendly neighbourhood student ambassador, back with another blog!

As you may already know, I’m a transfer student, which means I was previously enrolled at a different university before attending Ryerson. Everyone has a different reason for transferring, and mine simply is I wasn’t happy with where I was. 

Let’s talk about my journey.

Starting the conversation

It was really hard bringing up transferring to my family because it was something so unheard of. I approached the situation by talking about not liking my experience at my current university, and subtly mentioning going somewhere else. I would do this practically every day until they finally took the hint and brought up the option of transferring themselves. Not a lot of people we how had transferred to a different university, so this all was uncharted territory. 

The transfer process

It was a similar experience to when I applied to university the first time, except as a current university student applicant, I used the 105D application (external link)  instead of the 101D application I used as an Ontario high school student the first time around. Being familiar with the platform made applying a little less intimidating. 

Something else that differed was I had to send in my high school transcript AND current transcript from the university I was attending. It was all very straightforward.  

And then came the worst part…waiting! 

I got my offers by mid-June and had only a couple of days to make the decision. 

Spoiler alert! I picked Biomedical Sciences at Ryerson.

The next chapter

Before school started, I was BEYOND nervous. A new environment, new people, new experiences, new everything. All I knew was that I had to give it my all.

I attended the virtual orientation in hopes to make new friends, and that’s exactly what happened. Well, I didn’t make friends (plural), but I made one friend who’s now one of my best friends. This proves putting yourself out there really works.

I really wanted to get involved, so I was always on the lookout for opportunities. This led me to find Stem Cell Club (external link) , SAVYNTECH (external link) , and our Instagram (external link, opens in new window)  account!

Getting acclimated to the new study environment wasn’t too difficult. Classes being online helped in the sense that it was easy to navigate the web. I was also able to get familiar with the learning platform Ryerson uses, D2L, rather quickly as I had used this in the past. 

Here are some takeaways if you’re considering transferring:

• Do a lot of research online about where you’d like to go
• Take chances and don’t be afraid to make mistakes along the way
• Get as involved as you can, while also maintaining a healthy balance for your lifestyle Reach out when you need help to platforms like our social media accounts (it makes things easier)
• Put yourself out there and make FRIENDS

I hope sharing my journey helps you a bit with yours!

That’s all folks.

“See” you soon!

– Nishka