Transferring to a New School - Take 2

As most people know, I've been on my post-secondary journey since March 2022. However, that

journey has been rocky and included a lot of unnecessary roadblocks. Please note that all of the

statements in this post are personal opinions/experiences; I was also an online student so

naming the schools has no correlation to my location or where I reside.

I started my journey at Purdue University Global, a well-known and highly regarded school. At

first it went well. Then I had an issue with my professor being transphobic against me and, in

front of the rest of the class, out me. After ing my student advisor and getting nowhere, I

found out that said professor was failing me due to identifying at the time as transgender. In the

end, I withdrew and filed a Claim of Discrimination against the professor (which again, led

nowhere). I was a student from March to June 2022.

The next school, one that was better for a while, was Post University. I’d talked to a few students

before transferring and heard of no issues relating to the school. They have an Online Student Government, which I was part of for a bit and enjoyed. However, in January I experienced some

issues with the school that put me behind - I had no access to my classes and nothing was

resolving it. I finally got access back the last week of said term and tried to catch up and finish

the classes - it led to failing.

I was told I could retake the classes, so I did. I believed the issues had been fixed and nothing

would happen. I was wrong. Not even two weeks into the term, I lost access again. My

professors continuously were unhelpful, my student advisor was unhelpful, even IT couldn’t

help. It eventually led to being ed by the Dean who threatened academic probation for

something I couldn’t control and his staff wouldn’t fix! I eventually started the withdrawal

process, which they screwed up the paperwork for. It took much longer to withdraw than it

should have because the Registrar’s office didn’t do their jobs right. I finally was withdrawn on

February 16th, 2023. I was with the school from June 2022 to February 2023.

After a ton of research, interviewing students, and even visiting the campus, I decided to

transfer to Grand Canyon University. I start March 6, 2023 and will graduate in June 2026. It is a

Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education and Special Early Childhood Education. I will take one

class every 7 to 8 weeks and believe that I will finally graduate without transferring.

A good question I’ve been asked is, “Why did you transfer twice?” In the long run, I want to be

happy with my education. If a school isn’t meeting my needs or is causing issues, I’m not going

to stick around and experience hatred for my education. In the long run, it might not look the

best on resumes and on record, but I’d rather earn my degree with a school that I enjoy instead

of being bogged down and wondering why I’m still in said school.

Many people may judge me for my choices to transfer. I’ve heard a lot of things about

transferring twice and not earning a degree yet but I’m not going to let it slow me down. I’m

doing what I believe is best for me as anyone should do for themselves.

If you’re in the same boat, wondering if you should transfer - go for it. Do your research but go

for it. Don’t be discouraged if one school isn’t a right fit, you have other options. If you’re

experiencing any kind of discrimination, report it as well. The staff member or school needs to

be held able, and if they’re not, it’s time to move on.

I wish everyone luck in their studies, and I hope this post gave an insight into why I transferred

twice and what schools I went to.

~ Kota 🖤