My Transfer Experience - UC Berkeley.
I was rejected from all my UC's as a high school graduate.
This was probably one of the saddest and discouraging moments in my life but it was also one of the most eye-opening. It was where I had to make my first big decision as an adult and see where my priorities were.
Upon my rejection, I was extremely discouraged and doubted myself all while being furious at the world because my 17-year-old ego at the time thought I was totally prepared and that I deserved it, news flash: I totally did not.
My options were simple: attend a State University, have that 4-year experience, and be in a sorority from the start OR sacrifice 2 years of college social life, and gamble with the pending "what if" in my life. At that moment, I felt like I transitioned into adulthood because I had to make my first long-term impacting decision. UC Berkeley has always been my dream and I couldn't fathom the thought of what could happen I chose to transfer instead?
Fast forward 2 years later, I'm at my dream university, UC Berkeley. Transferring was a controversial option to me and I was always against it because I felt it would mean I wasn't good enough or I was "sub-par". Instead, transferring from a community college has done so much for me because I was able to mature more and leverage very broad resources in my favor. My ambitions were in the driver’s seat, and I was forced to push myself harder since no one was there to take control of my car (I don't know why I'm using a car metaphor but just go with it). PLUS. I saved so much money. Like. SO MUCH.
3/4 of my girlfriends in this photo are also transfers! I was able to build a close bond with these girls and I can confidently say they'll be lifelong friends.
The most important lesson I pulled from my transfer experience is to really put yourself and your values first. If I overlooked my options at the time, my life would have been completely different and my personality would have been much less goal-driven and ambitious. The opportunities I've had today would have never existed.
Because I transferred, I had the opportunity to meet people of all ages and hear their stories, travel to places I've never been to before, do things I've never done before, and create life long friendships. I was even able to stand 350ft away from MICHELLE OBAMA (yes I got teary-eyed), network, participate in internships & have incredible experiences. All of this ultimately prepared me for the chaos and mayhem at Cal. To sum it up, if I didn't go through all of this, I probably would not have been able to stand on my own two feet to survive at Berkeley.
Of course, there was no guarantee I was going to get in. Though this sounds extremely cheesy, I knew what I wanted and where I needed to be to flourish, and I did all I could to make it happen. I think passion and vision are what got me to where I am today and I hope this inspires you too because I believe anyone can do anything they want if they put their mind, body, and soul into it.
It was stressful, but do I regret my transfer experience? Not one bit, because I came out with unforgettable experiences.
The world is your oyster! Sometimes you just gotta go crack it open on your own the hard way. If there's a will, there's a way.
XO, Fiona.
Photos by @letmecaptureyou