From my own experience, I can say that transferring isn’t easy. It takes the combination of difficult situations, circumstances, and lots of consideration to take a big step and change plans.
It feels like it is so common to hear that someone is transferring (especially within athletics), and it can get a bad reputation with how much movement is happening within the college athletics word.
The Drawing Boards
The recruiting process was tough.
One day I thought I was going to commit somewhere… coaching change.
Loved a program… didn’t love the financial aid they offered.
Perfect fit academically… roster full.
The list goes on.
The clock was ticking and it felt that everyone around me was committing to their dream schools. I thought I was “late” for not being committed by my junior year of high school.
During spring break of my Junior year, I had it narrowed down to three schools and went on a road trip to visit. By the end of the trip, I had a few offers on the table, but had one week to make a decision which resulted in my commitment to my previous school.
My Time There
My time at at the first school wasn’t wasted. I grew in my faith, leadership, knocked out quite a few credits, I played a considerable amount, grew in independence, seriously… the list goes on and on.
After my first semester, we had some coaching changes that took a while to get finalized.
My second semester, COVID hit.
My third semester, I decided that if my experience was not everything I wanted it to be (and more), that I couldn’t go any further. I didn’t want to look back on my college experience and wish that I had made changes.
Ultimately, I was not having the experience I had hoped for and I entered the transfer portal.
In the Portal
What surprised me is that when you are put in the portal, you are not given some magical login info to a recruiting platform of some sort. Only college coaches can see the inside. There’s a serious level of unknown when you enter.
Now, in the middle of this process of entering the transfer portal, I had quite a few things going on in my life.
1) I was transferring mid-year
2) I had to move out
3) I didn’t know where I was going
4) My grandpa was ill
& in the mix of all of this, I had to take finals… OOF!
I waited until the week before finals to enter the portal. In between classes, I had phone call after phone call lined up. If I wasn’t in class, I was packing or on the phone.
Research
It is so important that you know what you are looking for BEFORE entering the portal. I had a list of schools that I was interested in. I looked at their rosters to see if they would need my position, if they had my degree, distance from home, etc.
I was very thankful for how small the volleyball world is. Either reaching out to a past teammate who plays for the team, played against the team, or knew someone on the team. I reached out to my club directors and previous coaches throughout high school to let me know if they heard of any opportunities.
In total, I was in the portal for about a 1-1.5 weeks before deciding on Belmont.
Others in the Portal
Since I transferred, several people have reached out and ask about the process – how it works, the proper steps, and how to go about it.
There’s debate on if it is too easy to transfer, if people transfer for the right reasons, how many times someone should be allowed to transfer, etc. I’m not going to be the judge of that, but what I will say is that every single student-athlete that I’ve spoken with has had fair reasoning to why they’re looking for a new home.
If you or someone you know is struggling where they are at, you’re are not alone! There are options and resources available to make your situation better fit you and your family’s needs.
Transferring doesn’t solve all problems, but it is possible to find a better fit!
