By Jordan Givens and Mackenzie Langham | What Jordan Givens says:
So you’re thinking about transferring. You probably have some people looking at you like you’re crazy and telling you there’s absolutely no reason for you to transfer.
What if I told you, thinking about transferring is okay. You’re not crazy for thinking about going somewhere else for college other than Howard Payne. In fact, I thought about transferring too. My advice to you is to go visit other schools. Tour all of the schools that really peak your interest. Ask questions, go to the preview days, really research the places you might want to transfer to. After you do that, make a list of pro’s and con’s for transferring. Sit down and really think about what the benefits of transferring to a new school are, but also think of all of the downsides to transferring as well. After you make your list, see which one has more convincing arguments. For me, my pros were 1)this school has better facilities 2)it’s cheaper 3)better program for my major, etc. My con was these other schools do not offer the type or community and growth opportunities as HPU. That outweighed my list of benefits.
If you really want to transfer, do it. Don’t let anyone make you feel bad for leaving. If you transfer, make sure you’ve done all of your research. HPU is what you make it, just like any other school. If you make it a place of community, it will be a place of community. If you make it a place of loneliness, it will be a place of loneliness. The choice is yours, but do your research.
What Mackenzie Langham says:
First of all, I’d say to pray, pray, PRAY! Before leaving Howard Payne, make sure you have prayed it through.
Next, I’d ask if you are plugged in on campus right now. What have you gotten involved in? If you have not attempted to be, and are not involved in anything on campus, I would suggest that this could be a big reason you are leaving – a disconnect. In order to want to stay where you are, and to enjoy it, I would encourage you to find a way to stay connected. There are so many good organizations on campus, including sororities (Pi Theta Chi, Delta Chi Rho, and Chi Alpha Omega) and fraternities (IXA and Delta Epsilon Omega). If I’m gonna be honest though, Greek life was not my thing although I tried it. So, if you are anything like me, you may enjoy the Baptist Student Ministry (BSM). There are also plenty of other orgs like Student Activities Council (SAC), Student Government Association (SGA), Gaming Guild, Psych Circle, Intramurals, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), Black Student Association (BSA), etc. The list goes on! Getting plugged in has really helped me find friends and feel more connected on campus.
Honestly, in my opinion, HPU is a great place to call home. No school is perfect, and some days will be better than others. But for me, the benefits of this school outweigh the negatives.
However, if you feel strongly about leaving, it’s ok to make that leap! God may have better things for you at another school.