Transferring Colleges, Finding My Niche

An LIM College student writes about her experience transferring to LIM, moving to NYC, and finding an academic environment where she feels she belongs.

Kimberly

Let me take you back to the semester before I graduated high school. I was indecisive about where I wanted to go to college. The summer before my high school graduation, I attended LIM’s Summer Fashion Lab for two weeks. I took four classes (Fashion MagazinesThe Stylist’s RoleVisual Display, and “Project Fashion”) and absolutely loved it! But, I wasn’t sure I saw myself living in such a big city like NYC. I decided instead to go to SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) down in Georgia.

I was excited about attending SCAD, and friends from high school were going to attend, so I didn't feel alone. Orientation week approached, and I was feeling uneasy about this transition because I didn’t know what to expect. I was worried about my future. So many thoughts were coming all at once.

My mom and dad moved me into my new dorm. I had never shared a room with anybody, let alone people I didn’t know. Two other girls were dorming with me. Orientation week ended, and it was time to say goodbye to my parents. Wow, what a hard moment. I cried the whole time. I didn’t know how I was going to adjust.

I started classes, and I quickly realized I didn’t fit in. I was taking design classes where professors expected me to know how to draw—I couldn’t even draw a stick figure. “What have I gotten myself into?” To make matters worse, I didn’t like the people I was dorming with. We were so different, and we couldn’t find common ground on anything.

I said to myself, “Give this a chance and see what happens,” but as the weeks passed, I found myself sadder and sadder. This wasn’t the right choice, and I needed to make a change.

I started looking into transferring schools. I immediately thought about LIM, where I’d had that great experience as a high school student. I thought, “Would I be able to do it? Move alone to NYC and start all over?” It was a risk I was willing to take.

I applied to LIM and got accepted. As the weeks went by and finals came and went, I started feeling more relaxed. Christmas break came, and I started packing for NYC. Now, I was so excited—it had always been my dream to study in New York, and I was about to make it happen.

I arrived at LIM and told myself to get as involved as possible at school. It really helped with my transition and making friends. I joined any club I could find that interested me, like the Styling Club and the Student Life Activities Board (SLAB), which took us to different restaurants around the city once a month! I also became a Student Mentor for incoming students at orientation and throughout the year, helping make their transition as smooth as possible. Plus, I started a retail position at Ann Taylor, where I met my BFF! None of this would have been possible if I had not made the decision to step out of my comfort zone and say yes to new things.

LIM made me feel like I belonged because it was so different from my previous college. Also, I'd finally found my academic niche, focusing on business rather than design.

There's a lesson to learn from every situation. What happened at SCAD motivated me to grow and get more involved at LIM. I strongly believe that starting my LIM experience when I did enabled me to make my life what it is now. It made me stronger, more eager, and more passionate.