By Aaron Rogers
“What year are you in?” is a question so many of us are familiar with, whether you are in high school or college. For many students, this question probably doesn’t present as daunting, but as a transfer student, it initially was.
At the beginning of the semester, it was common practice for me to hesitate and stumble over my words when attempting to answer this question. “Why am I so reluctant to answer such a simple question?” became a prevalent thought in my mind every time I conversed with a new peer. I felt as though I could never quite find the correct response to my class status; claiming myself as a sophomore made me feel too young, but stating that I was a junior didn’t feel reflective of my college journey. After trying out different responses, what felt most accurate, even if it was difficult to persuade myself to say, was the truth: “I’m a second semester sophomore”.
Uttering the words “second semester sophomore” always warrants far more questions from my conversational partner than their response to the same question. Instead of hearing “What’s your major?” or “What dorms are you in” in response, I’ve become accustomed to preparing to answer questions like, “How does that work?”, “So you live in Smiley?” or just using the look of puzzlement on my peers face to hasten my next response of “I’m a transfer”, prior to even receiving a question.
Being one of 23 students who transferred to Pomona this academic year, I knew that my identity as a transfer student would at least partially separate me from the general student body, but what I didn’t yet know is how I would respond to this preexisting division. After working up the courage to consistently respond with my true class status, I was able to reflect on the demeanor of peoples follow up questions, and to realize that it was not judgment, nor criticism coming across in their responses, but instead genuine curiosity.
Going straight to college from high school is the path of most students, so when presented with the knowledge that one of their peers had an experience different from their own, the curious nature of the Sagehen student takes over, and they just want to learn more, (about me? I’m flattered)! Realizing this, and opting to fuel the average Pomona students educational experience even outside of the classroom (we get it, Pomona students love to learn), allowed me to become more comfortable claiming my identity as a transfer student. My hesitation in loudly identifying myself as a transfer student stemmed from heavy imposter syndrome. Engulfing myself in the Sagehen student community and challenging myself to be more open about my status as a transfer student has actually significantly improved most feelings of inferiority often synonymous with being a transfer.
If you are an incoming transfer student reading this post, my best, albeit cheesiest advice, is to be proud of your college journey, and confident that your presence in Pomona’s student body is not a mistake, but instead a deliberate result of your hard work. My untraditional college path led me to Pomona, and in a weak effort to avoid sounding like I’m spewing Pomona propaganda (this is genuine, I pinky promise!) I couldn’t have found a more accepting academic and social community to continue my college journey with.
