@TransfersofVU
Each year, more than 200 new faces enter Vanderbilt’s campus who are not freshmen. They may be sophomores, they may be juniors, or they may have yet to determine the number of semesters needed to fulfill their degree–we are the bold, the brave, the transfer students.
I transferred to Vanderbilt three years ago, somewhere in between sophomore and junior year credit-wise. I personally decided that I wanted to stay at Vanderbilt for three full years to finally feel continuity in my college experience. However, most people do not know that about me–unless they ask or I feel comfortable enough to divulge it. Though it is very much a part of my story, I have always feared judgment from letting people actually “see” me, and letting myself be vulnerable. The lack of conversation and inquiry besides the dreaded “So why did you transfer?” question lead me to think of the transfer population as a whole, and how each of us has had our own nontraditional educational journey to help form who we are that often goes unrecognized.
Thus, “Transfers of VU” was born. Inspired by Humans of New York, we simply feature a picture of an individual with a sampling of their story as the caption. I want to touch upon the transfer process, interesting things that our new students have done (ex. traveling to almost every continent!), their favorite thing about Vandy or Nashville, and other random subjects that would create an interesting dialogue. The goal is for the page to focus less on people’s accomplishments and what they have done–there is enough of this at Vandy– but instead who they are as people. Transfer students are sometimes lost in the mix; I am eager to show other students the great new people they may see on campus!
And whether you are a prospective transfer student, new transfer student, friends with a transfer student, or just love transfers (which includes the aforementioned categories), GO FOLLOW @TRANSFERSOFVU on Instagram!
#transferstudents2017 #transferstudentsrock #TRANSFERmation #transfersofvu
If you would like to nominate someone (including yourself) to share their story, please feel free to reach out to me at hannah.e.dighton@vanderbilt.edu.