The Struggle of Being a Transfer International Student

I would not really change anything about my college experience so far, but I must admit that missing the whole “freshman experience” at an American University made my transfer experience a little bit of a challenge.

Westcott Fountain at Florida State University

I started my college education in my home country (Panama), where Florida State University actually holds a campus. I did two years down there and then transferred to Tallahassee Spring of 2014. Before coming here I never really put much thought to the fact that I was a “transfer” student. I had the opportunity of traveling to the US before coming for college, so the whole transferring issue did not represent too much of a  challenge; especially because I did not think it was going to be a cultural shock. I did think about it as a totally new experience, but I did not necessarily see it as a challenge… Until I got here.

Being a transfer student already puts you in a position where you have to adapt to the policies and the general lifestyle of your new school. But on top of that, being an international student, it sort of forces you to adapt to the culture. Although I consider my home country to be very influenced by American culture, I realized (when I got here) that that cultural influence applies only to the broad picture: the business industry, the marketing and adversing industries. College wise, we do not have anything near the college experience that you get when you go to college in the US. Because no, FSU Panama was not the same at all. So, I kind of missed out on the whole “freshman experience”.

My first two years of college in Panama, I lived with my parents, did not know how to cook or how to manage my finances, had to ask permission when to go out, had a curfew, and overall had to follow the rules of the house. I sort of missed out on the whole experience of being a freshman in the United States, the part where you are able to do whatever you want so you can “find who you are.” The part where everyone is trying to make you feel welcomed and there are tons of opportunities to “get involved.” The time when you were allowed to make a ton of mistakes, and you had someone explain to you what greek life was and how to join. The opportunity of living in a dorm for a year, meeting your life-long friends in the elevator on the first night, and making memories with that crappy first roommate. Instead, when I came, I was a Junior (Senior by credit hours), and people expected me to have had those experiences already. People expected me to be involved within the university, to have friends (at least a few; and I mean American friends), to have goals for the future and a decent resume. But the truth was, I did not know anything at all. I had no work experience, no involvement on campus, no “American” friends, and overall: no knowledge about what it meant to be a Florida State Seminole.

Landis Green at Florida State University

Nobody told me what “Landis Green” was, or that there existed such a thing as the “Night Nole”. Nobody taught me about our traditions such as getting thrown in the “Westcott Fountain” when you turn 21 or that we own a horse called “Renegade.” I did not know school spirit was as important as it is, and I had no clue about the existence of the “Marching Chiefs,” the “Seminole Chop,” or the “War Chant.” I did not know what greek life was at all. To sum it up for you, I have never been inside a dorm room at Florida State University, how’s that?

The point is, I had to learn those things on my own. I was literally thrown into the world (living on my own in a country with a different language… and no car), without a single clue of what I wanted to get out of my college experience, who I wanted to become, and what was I going to do to discover that. I was not even sure what I wanted to major in… but I managed. I set a goal for my self each semester and I pursued it with everything I had.

So, if you ever find yourself in a situation where people are expecting something from you because of the label that is on your forehead (in this case, my forehead said “College Student – Junior/Senior”), do not let that influence your choices or ruin your experiences. I mean, I was able to join a co-ed business fraternity, an honor society, a student association, and reach a position within the football recruiting department, all without knowing anything about “how to get involved” or how to be an “American college student.” You just have to want things enough.

I guess in the end it all worked out pretty well. I ended up making the most out of my college experience and I changed my forehead label to “Senior with an aspiring vision for the future; the unknown but exciting future.”