Transferring to ECU?
Fun with my Loggerhead Sea Turtle friend named Castor during my internship at the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher through ECU
Considering transferring to ECU? Unsure about how the transition will go? Well if you are anything like me, you might be a little nervous about changing schools and moving to a new area; but let me tell you…transferring to East Carolina was the best thing that I did!
I transferred to ECU my sophomore year from a local community college. Applying to ECU was a very last-minute decision. I woke up one night and filled out an application, paid the application fee and just waited. I didn’t tell anyone that I had applied because the plan was to do another year at community college. I found out I got accepted to ECU the day before my birthday, which was a great early birthday present!
The next steps after getting accepted were pretty basic. I scheduled my orientation that was meant solely for transfer students! During orientation, I got answers to all of my questions, like: do I have to get a meal plan, do I have to live on campus, what is PiratePort and more! On orientation day, I also met my advisor and walking into her office for the first time and seeing her smiling face will always be one of my favorite memories. She talked me through the classes that I would take throughout the next three years and explained how the registration process would go each semester. Since I am an Elementary Education major, I had to choose a subject that I wanted to have a concentration in and I had no idea. After talking to my advisor for just ten minutes, she gave me suggestions for a concentration, and I chose science which has turned out to be amazing!
Black Pearl – ECU Women’s Club Ultimate Frisbee
My first day of classes in the Fall of 2018 was a little nerve wracking but I got through it. I showed up on campus two hours early because I did not completely know how the bus schedule worked yet. (I have now figured the schedule out, but I still get to campus crazy early…oh well!) Even though I had paid attention during the orientation tour, I could not remember where any building was, so I used the map on my phone all day. By the end of the first week, I had finally gained an understanding of the campus layout and where all my classes were. Pro tip: look up a map the night before, screenshot it, find your class building, circle it, make the picture the background on your phone for a few days.
The first few weeks in Greenville were odd and I was unsure if I had made the right decision, but with help from my advisor, professors, and friends, I started to believe that ECU was meant to be my home. I have enjoyed every second of living in Pirate Nation and I do not believe any other college could compare to the community and passion that lives here.
Flash forward to now. I am currently in my second semester of junior year and I am preparing to start my senior internship. I am a part of ECU Women’s Club Ultimate Frisbee where I have met the people who I know will be my close friends long after graduation! (If you can get involved with ANYTHING on campus with other students, I promise it will make the transition so much easier…especially ultimate frisbee!) Transferring to East Carolina has formed me into the person I am today and has opened so many doors for me to meet new people, travel, and become the educator I aspire to be.
If you are even slightly thinking about transferring here, I want to encourage you to just apply. Come tour campus a little and get to know us. I promise you, you may very well fall in love with the good ol’ purple and gold like I have! Go Pirates!
-Emily Whaley