The Trouble with Transfers: The Unheard Stories of New and Transfer Students

**The media below contains the opinion of an individual student and therefore does not represent or speak to the values of Vestavia Hills High School and Vestavia Hills City Schools**

Image courtesy of Mean Girls Wiki

I remember having an army of tabs open, searching up everything I could on Vestavia Hills High School the week before I transferred here. I found an impressive amount of information, from VHHS’s old mascot, to notable alums, and even my way to Pillar. It was a nerve-wracking experience, to say the least; however, looking back after two years spent in the familiar halls of Vestavia, I’ve learned that I should have probably read up on how to cope with being a transfer student instead.

VHHS sees multiple new transfer students each semester, supported by the school’s New Student Committee that serves to help these students adapt to the novel environment and culture here. While the majority of students at Vestavia did indeed grow up in the Vestavia school system, a considerable number are actually transfer students who are hiding in plain sight. We, as transfers, are a wide spectrum: I, an international transfer, came all the way from Hong Kong in my sophomore year, while some transfers I know moved from other states, and some from schools we play against. It’s a diverse set of backgrounds and experiences that have led us all to Vestavia, but quite a bit of us face the same transfer-specific problems.

Problem #1: This is the big one, so I’m going to get it out of the way. Grade inflation here is something out of a fantasy novel. I’m sure it’s meant in good spirits, and I’m certain it has helped many Vestavia students in securing a good scholarship. But that is only if you started out as a freshman here. For most transfers and new kids, we come to Vestavia between semesters or school years, disrupting the grade-change flow. We have to re-evaluate our entire transcript, all according to Vestavia’s standards and/or interpretation, which becomes especially complicated when you come from schools or places that:

A) don’t use GPAs and, 

B) don’t follow a hierarchy of rigor. 

Point A comes into question when we sit down with our counselors to see what baseline GPA we will receive as a starting point for our academic careers here; I don’t think it would be unreasonable to say that it’s disconcerting to have your entire academic past be decided by completely unfamiliar educators who are not aware of your performance. Point B relates to point A in that the weighing system of classes becomes obscure and unreliable when evaluating transcripts. Oftentimes, credits are lost, reduced, or misinterpreted in the name of efficiency.

Problem #2: The New Student Committee (NSC). It is certainly a humble and noble cause, and I genuinely do believe that students, transfer or otherwise, benefit from NSC. The issue is, I can’t name that many people who have. For most transfers I talked to for this article, NSC was one of the first organizations we were introduced to, but soon enough had to take the manual route of acclimating ourselves to Vestavia. NSC has a pretty solid system of assigning guides and buddies for new students when they first arrive, but this agenda falls loose further into the year. It would help many prospective transfer students in their first semester here to meet a Vestavia student and actually get to know them better than the casual hi and hello. Not to say that NSC is a lacking organization at all, but it definitely is a group that could use a reformed system.

Problem #3: Course Selection. Honestly, I feel this may extend beyond transfer students. Speaking as a senior, I am personally so glad I do not have to peruse the Course Selection Livebinder again, trying to choose which AP class of doom and despair I want to take—but I digress. Vestavia is well-known for having a rigorous academic scene, with plenty of AP, Honors, and Dual programs to choose from. What I and many other transfer students have been told is that we may be “unprepared” for the level of rigor here, and should opt for classes that aren’t as ambitious or demanding. Now, I understand that this is in good faith and that students can struggle in classes any time, regardless of status. But to tell a student who has no prior experience sitting in one of Vestavia’s classrooms that they should aim lower is not exactly a good look. If students, and by that I mean all students, were able to have a preview of class rigor prior to selecting courses, perhaps no student would need to be told they are reaching too far with their decisions. 

All that said, I understand that managing transfer students as an administrative body is not an easy task, and that there are constantly improvements being made. I can confidently say that I enjoyed the years here, but I would be a liar to say that I haven’t had issues. It would most certainly be ideal if I could bibbidi-bobbidi-boo the problems of being transferred away, but until I invent one of those magic wands, speaking out about them in the school newspaper will have to suffice.