Dayon Hokim Jr | Contributing Writer
When I first walked onto FIU campus a year ago as a transfer student, it didn’t feel like I had made it —it felt like I was starting over.
Transferring to a university like FIU is often painted as smooth and a straightforward process. First I received my Associates degree, I applied to FIU, I got accepted and then I found myself at a brand new university almost triple the size of my old one.
When I first walked onto campus for my first day of school, I walked to the wrong building three times trying to find my classes. At one point, I stopped and asked a girl for directions and she smiled and said, “Are you a freshman?” I wanted to say that I was a transfer but I realized that it didn’t matter. I found my class 10 minutes late, sweaty and embarrassed sitting in the back hoping the professor wouldn’t call me.
Everyone else looked like they already belonged and knew exactly where they were going.
It is a change that is often glamorized but in reality I was dropped into a massive academic system with new expectations where most of the support is geared towards freshmen, not transfers. What many of us transfers are missing is a community.
Transfer students need more than a checklist, we need connection. I know my transition would have felt less isolated if FIU hosted events that acknowledge our unique path, not ones where we’re just expected to blend in. When I transferred to FIU from Broward College, I remember attending a welcome event during the first week. It was filled with freshmen excited about dorm life and exploring campus for the first time. I was already two years into my college journey, commuting from home and balancing a job.
FIU could improve this experience by hosting events that speak directly to students like me, students who have already been to orientation, who might not be looking for icebreakers, but for belonging.
Mentorship throughout the semester would help us stay connected and seen. Having someone who has already navigated the transfer process — someone who knows what it’s like to walk into a class where you don’t recognize a single face — could make all the difference. A mentor could answer the small questions that you might feel silly asking and point you toward resources you didn’t know existed.
It’s very easy to get lost in the pack and I’m not asking for special treatment, I’m asking not to feel like an afterthought.
Don’t get me wrong, FIU has resources and great energy. It’s the big stage for a reason but as a transfer student, I wasn’t handed a spotlight and struggled. When I look at how FIU supports first year students, it is clear they got it down for science. There is the first year experience office, advisors checking in and even student mentors assigned to guide them.
It’s like they are wrapped in this academic safety net from the second they step on campus — transfers students should get the same kind of structure.
Transferring isn’t just a physical shift, it’s mental and emotional adjustment. It’s rebuilding confidence you didn’t think you’d have to rebuild. While the degree might look the same at graduation, the journey getting there feels very different for us.
DISCLAIMER:
The opinions presented on this page do not represent the views of the PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.
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