If Freshman Mya Knew What She Knew Now

The best decision of my life was transferring when the school I picked during Covid didn’t feel right in my gut. A big thank you to my amazing parents for always believing in me and my dreams because now I can proudly say I have a B.S. in Biomedical engineering along with an Artificial Intelligence Specialty.

Provide a statement that addresses your reasons for transferring and the objectives you hope to achieve.

After almost halfway through my second semester at Syracuse University, I have been doing some deep introspection within myself. I have come to realize how unhappy I have been at Syracuse. I have thought back to how I decided to come to Syracuse University, and I reminded myself of how much I doubted myself in high school while I applied to engineering programs. After doing well academically this semester, I realized that I am resilient and intelligent enough to get what I want out of Biomedical Engineering and that I am capable of much more than I give myself credit for. I feel I also listened to much of what others wanted out of me over what I knew would make me happiest. I realized how quickly I made a decision to go to Syracuse after losing my senior year to coronavirus, and it seemed at that time I was never truly in love with the school itself, but just the convenience of it pleasing my parents and others around me. These realizations came to fruition once I started involving myself socially through theatre, club lacrosse, and academically by taking advantage of my classes, yet still feeling incomplete at Syracuse. I came to realize later on this semester that no matter how hard I have been trying to immerse myself into the Syracuse community, something doesn’t feel right. It has been very hard to come to terms with the feeling of making the wrong decision in a school and that my time here has been put to waste, but I have realized it is never too late to choose a new path.

Academically, the Bioengineering program I have been in has left me many days questioning if I’m in the right major when I feel that I am. I have felt uninterested in my major at Syracuse because of the lack of biology involved in the curriculum. I was looking over what USC’s Biomedical Engineering program has to offer, and one of the first things that struck out to me was how there were Biomedical Engineering programs with core focuses involved, like cellular engineering versus biomechanical and electrical engineering. I am very interested in cellular engineering and the biology part, and it is sad to say I have not even touched a biology class, while other school programs like yours would have shown me otherwise. This immediately made me think that maybe I am not as happy as I could be because of the program I am in at Syracuse. I began to research USC’s Biomedical Engineering program and realized how much I have been missing out on academically that would enrich my passion in my career of choice. The opportunity to focus my Biomedical Engineering on the molecular and cellular aspects interested me. Syracuse’s curriculum map doesn’t even show me taking biology classes until my junior year, which I know will significantly impact my curiosity and love for the subject as a Biomedical Engineering student. Also, the Syracuse community and environment have been very different from what I expected. I haven’t felt as welcomed and at home as I feel I could at another school that would be providing me with a better program along with a better environment for my happiness.

I hope to achieve a degree in Biomedical Engineering in a place that enriches my passion and makes me feel sure of where I am. I want a university that doesn’t make me question whether I belong or whether I am truly happy. I want to feel more support from a university and have engaging, motivating, and inviting professors because I have been mostly surrounded by teaching assistants at Syracuse. I want passionate professors who excite my interest. Even besides academics, I know I can involve myself in school extracurriculars, as shown by my involvement in theatre and club lacrosse. My decision to transfer comes from the desire of making myself truly happy in a place I will thrive not only on an outer level like grades or involvement but on an inner level where I wake up happy to learn each day with the certainty I am in the right place for the next 3 years of my academic endeavor. I feel that the University of Southern California could be the place I could excel in and challenge myself in ways that could never have been imagined because I will seek discomfort, and with that comes growth.