Why some students leave USD

Reasons students transfer from USD and how the university responds 

KARISA KAMPBELL / NEWS EDITOR / THE USD VISTA

As the novelty and excitement of going away for college wears off and reality sets in, many begin to wonder if the university they chose is actually right for them. 

From not enjoying the culture of the school, to unforeseen financial circumstances, there are many reasons why a student may choose to transfer from USD to a different university. However, a general consensus from the student body is that there appears to be an alarming amount of students transferring out of USD. 

Sophomore Blake Burke shared his experience with friends and acquaintances transferring away from USD since his first-year.

“A huge portion of the people I regularly hung out with during my first year here left,” Burke shared. “Talking with my friends who go to other universities, it seems that they didn’t experience the same thing. I don’t know, it’s just weird to me.”

While Burke’s account could be specific to his own first-year experience, it could also be specific to going to a smaller school, and knowing a large percentage of one’s class. USD, however, is boastful about having a high first to second year retention rate. From the most recent data available on USD’s website, the cohort of 2020 first-years had a 92% retention rate. This is a significant boost from the nationwide average retention rate of 78%, according to collegetransitions.com. 

While USD is transparent about this number, certain data regarding the number of students transferring from USD after their first year of college is missing. According to a 2015 report by the National Student Clearinghouse Report, 36.6% of students transfer for the first time from a university after their second year of college, as opposed to 14.1% of first-year students. This suggests that the reason students, like Burke, feel as though an abnormally large number of students are transferring is because they are; however, they are just not included in the first-year retention rate data because they do not fit that demographic. 

Regardless of when students transfer, there are a variety of reasons that a student may decide that transferring is their best option. Assistant Vice President for enrollment Stephen Pultz spoke on what some of the reasons may be. 

“I think that the reasons students leave USD… historically are around a couple of things. One is changing circumstances. Students thought they might want to come to a place like USD when they just didn’t. The culture wasn’t a right fit, those kinds of things,” Pultz shared. “I think we also find financial is a big cause as well. The family’s financial situation changed, or you know, they thought they could make this work. A lot of students leave to pursue a different major. They want to pursue something that maybe we don’t offer.”

A student’s decision to transfer from a university is a large decision that one may make for a variety of reasons. Sophomore Bella Syslo shared the reasons why she transferred to University of Nebraska – Lincoln, after her third semester at USD. 

“My transfer experience was really personal and relied a lot on being closer to my family and support system,” Syslo said. “The academic side of USD was really awesome but I think a lot of my reasons were personal and individual to me and transferring closer to home.”

While Syslo’s experience in transferring may have been mostly personal, others view students transferring out of USD as a result specifically of the culture at the university. 

First-year student Jake Luko shared his frustrations with USD and why he has thought about transferring from USD. 

“USD is a great place if you you are a straight white cis male or female. As a gay guy, I found it incredibly hard finding a community, and lucky I found two gay best friends or else I would have transferred,” Luko said. “It’s not very welcoming if you do not not fit the mold of what most people are at this school.”

Luko continued by stating how it feels impossible to make new friends at USD sometimes due to its culture, and how Greek Life almost feels like a requirement if one wishes to have a social life. 

“It’s very cliquey which makes it really hard to find new friends because it feels like everyone is settled into their groups already,” Luko said. “USD claims their school is not a Greek (Life) school because there is technically no frat or sorority housing, but in reality, Greek Life is extremely large and they run most outside school events. It’s hard to socialize on the weekend if you are not interested in joining Greek Life.”

Students who decide to withdraw from the university are required to take a withdrawing student survey. This survey gives USD context and information about reasons why students choose to leave. 

Vice President of Student Affairs Sabrina Nelson discussed the withdrawing student survey and the implications that it has on the university. 

“My understanding is that it helps inform the types of programs and events that we have, types of mentorship opportunities that we provide at the institution,” Nelson said. “It really informs the different types of programs, initiatives, and events, and such that we’re hosting at the institution.”

Some programs that were created as a result of the feedback given to the university through the withdrawing student survey include the Out of State Student Initiatives and the Commuter Commons. Both of these programs were created to help connect students to other students with similarities, such as being from the same state, or being commuter students, and help build a sense of community among these populations. 

While the university is listening to the needs of students who are leaving, taking initiatives to encourage students to stay, and helping promote community, some students, like Luko, argue that the university isn’t doing enough to keep students at USD. 

“I don’t know what the school could do to fix it (the culture of USD), because the school just attracts that demographic,” Luko said. “They could broaden who they let in and pay more attention to demographics during the admissions process, and maybe that would help change the culture.” 

The idea of transferring may seem foreign and complicated to some students, however, Nelson emphasized that choosing to transfer to a different institution is normal. 

“I think that it (transferring) is really normal,” Nelson said. “It’s not something that is unique to the University of San Diego. Students’ plans change. It’s a very normal part of the college experience.”

Transferring is not a unique experience to the University of San Diego but it is a complicated decision for a student to make. Always talk to an academic advisor before deciding to transfer schools.