For some students transferring to Tampa, USF St. Petersburg isn’t the right fit.
For others, USFSP is a stepping-stone—a place where they can get a feel for what they want out of college. For at least one student, the grass actually looks greener on the other side.
Kelly Romero is transferring next year because USFSP does not offer telecommunications, her major of choice. But she doesn’t regret starting her college experience here.
“I like this campus, and the smaller campus atmosphere,” Romero said. “It was a perfect place to adjust to college life. I think it’s important to think about education first, and then think about what kind of experience you want out of campus life.”
Like Romero, many students transfer for academic reasons. Tampa currently offers 89 undergraduate majors, compared to only 22 at USFSP.
“I personally think the small, close-knit atmosphere we have at USFSP is golden, and if we had more majors to offer, more people would be willing to stay as well as transfer over here,” said Aziz Batihk. Batihk is a sophomore temporarily majoring in environmental science and policy until he transfers to Tampa for computer science and engineering next semester.
Students cite the allure of the “big campus” experience a reason for leaving St. Petersburg. Tampa has 606 student clubs and organizations, compared to 48 at USFSP. There are more than 20 dining choices at the Tampa campus, including four dining halls. Among other attractors: Greek life, more sports opportunities, the population, “the beautiful landscaping”, separate buildings for each college, a bigger library with more computers, multiple parking garages and multiple residence halls.
“I feel like I’m in a new city when I’m at the Tampa campus. Although the St. Pete campus is really nice, I’m just more about a large college campus,” said Imran Ahmed, a sophomore and biology major who is switching campuses next semester. He is also switching for the “more college-like experience.”
“The diversity of students at the Tampa campus makes it feel very college-like,” he said. “I feel like it’s easier to make friends at a larger campus where you have a higher chance of meeting people with your common interests.”
Batihk finds the size of the campus to be a little bit intimidating, though he admits it does present more chances to connect with people.
“I felt like it was too huge,” he said. “It definitely lacked the close-knit environment of USFSP. Though I’ve also heard that the Tampa campus has more activities and events geared towards uniting international students like myself, which is something I haven’t been able to do [at USFSP].”
The university does not track how many students transfer within the USF system, but it seems to be a substantial amount.
“We’re just happy to have the ones we get,” said Tom Scherberger, USFSP’s director of communications.
Tampa students have a slight advantage when it comes to picking classes—they can register for any course on any campus in the USF system, while USFSP students need to have a 2.5 GPA and 24 credit hours earned. If they want to transfer, they need a 3.0 GPA and 30 credit hours.
Bailee Wolfert graduated with an associate’s degree from Edison State College before she finished high school, so she came to USFSP with a junior’s standing. Her major is elementary education with a minor in Spanish and Latin studies, but she is switching to Tampa for a secondary English degree.
“Tampa was my first choice before I got deferred,” Wolfert said. “Luckily, I make the requirements to transfer so I took advantage of that opportunity. It is the only option for furthering my career since there aren’t any classes that I could take at USFSP that would count for anything I plan on doing later on.
“I never pictured myself at a small university such as USFSP,” she said.
Wolfert found there were “a lot of things that needed to be checked off of a list” before she could transfer.
“It was slightly complicated and stressful mostly because I have limited contact since I’m not at that campus every day,” she said.
Batihk also found the transferring process to be precarious.
“Timing and preparation is key. I personally found it difficult to transfer over in a timely manner for the spring semester when I was only about to meet the requirements at the end of the previous fall semester,” he said.
Wolfert also found her work-study was temporarily dropped because she wasn’t registered at her new home campus.
Having spent time at both campuses, Romero feels that there are characteristic differences in the mindsets of students at the two campuses—though the differences aren’t enough to stop her from transferring.
“Kids here are really mature and smart in my experience. There’s something different they want from life,” she said.
Ahmed described USFSP as the perfect school for freshmen.
“A lot of people aren’t ready to make the full blown transition into a college setting. This campus at St. Pete makes it a lot easier because the class size is smaller and there is a much higher chance of being in communication with your professor,” he said.
Students have a lot of opinions about why one campus is better than the other, but all of the transferring students agree that they both have their merits.
I wouldn’t change going here first,” Romero said.
The transferring students will miss USFSP, but are excited for the experiences that await them on the other side of Tampa Bay.
“Honestly, I think I will miss my roommates the most,” Wolfert said. “We’ve gotten so close over this past semester that I know we’ll have to keep in contact even when I leave. Other than that, I’ve had my heart set on Tampa from the beginning, and I’m ready for the right change.”
