I saw many people come and go my first-year at Hamline. I assumed this was them not being able to handle college life and simply dropping out. For some, it was. However, for others, Hamline wasn’t meant to be their new home. I thought I would be perfectly happy at Hamline and live out these few collegiate years making friends and learning countless new things about the world around me. While I believe that now, I lost a lot of my faith right after first semester my first-year.

I was lonely, anxious and losing patience that life at Hamline would ever get better. However, I stuck it out and I’m glad I did—but that’s not what I want to talk about. After my first-year ended, I was immensely looking forward to spending time with the new friends I had carefully chosen to cement into my life. This is when the transfer train began.

Kira Sheahan is a sophomore currently studying at Inver Hills Community College, but is planning to transfer again to the University of Minnesota. She is a friend I got to know in my first-year seminar class. We are now close friends, and still are, but she transferred out after our first-year. Although I was devastated, I could understand why she did it.

“I decided to leave Hamline because I did not see a point in spending such a significant amount of money on my undergraduate degree when I could spend equal to or less on my master’s degree,” Sheahan said.

The cost of Hamline is an important factor for all of us. Many students here have FAFSA and scholarship money lined up, with loans looming over their heads, just so they can attend our fine institution. I wonder why so many people attend Hamline knowing they can’t afford it in the long term. Is it really worth it to come for one year, only to be in debt and start the college process all over again somewhere new?

Madeline Muotka attended Hamline last year as a first-year, but withdrew early during this semester. She’s currently on break from college, but is deciding on attending either the University of Minnesota Duluth or the University of Alaska Anchorage.

“The only thing good about [Hamline] is the professors,” Muotka said.

I candidly agree that every professor I have taken a class with has been stellar. I especially loved all the ones I had my first-year. (I even had the opportunity to have the same professor, David Hudson, twice in one year!) Is the time and money spent at Hamline worth it just for the professors?

Muotka believes that “a lot of people transfer from Hamline due to the size of the school and the overall clique-y nature of the school.”

This is something I whole-heartedly agree with. I’ve known several people who have considered transferring because they felt like they didn’t fit in and that it was just too much like high school. I’ve seen this in the reputation of certain sports players or stereotyped groups of people. It’s definitely evident, if you look hard enough. I think the chance to experience this is quite important. You can learn a lot of things in just a year or semester.

Muotka is glad she came for the time she did: “I do believe it was worth it for me to only go to Hamline for a year because I realized what I didn’t want and what I didn’t need in my life.”

In the end, I’m happy I stayed at Hamline my first-year. Like Muotka did, I learned what I did and didn’t want. That year gave me a chance to reflect on how to make my college experience the best for me. The summer before this school year also gave me time to marinate and think about if I really, truly wanted to stay at Hamline. It was a chance to talk it out with my family and friends from back home. During the school year, I didn’t really bring it up with anyone and lived in a silent sadness of uncertainty. I know not everyone gives it a whole year to see if their college is a good fit for them, but I think it’s the right amount of time. Who knows, if you stick around, you might actually learn to love it here.