How has Florence impacted you academically?

Well, right before Florence hit I changed my major to Public Health. I had all these plans and ambitions… take multiple science classes and get really into lab, you know start researching with my science professors. Then the one building that took the biggest hit from Florence was Dobo Hall. While that was insanely unfortunate, it forced me to consider the fact that I might have to transfer to get the science education that will better my future for myself.

My whole thought process was like, if I have the means to transfer why not do it? The last thing I want to do is leave UNCW. I love this school, I love the people, all the opportunities it has, but I’m at the point where I feel like it’s kind of a test. Do I really have what it takes and am I willing to sacrifice certain things for my career? I think transferring is making a huge sacrifice. That will say something: while it’s probably a really hard thing to do, and it’s the last thing I want to do, it’s something I have to do if I want to reach my own personal career goals.

And what are those?

Medicine, cardiology, cardiothoracics. It’s extremely competitive. It’s not the only competitive job, but, because it is so competitive, I feel like going to a more accredited science and technology university would probably help me out more than staying at UNCW because of UNCW’s current lab situation.

If you do transfer, what are you going to miss the most about UNCW?

Just the atmosphere it provides. It’s laid back, but not in a bad way. It’s a very nurturing environment. Everyone is so nice. It’s not like a hard, rough city environment, you know? Everyone is so supportive of each other. Everyone loves the school so much. There’s hardly any complaints about UNCW- well there’s a couple- for the most part it’s fine. So yeah, definitely the social environment.

Have you heard of other people in the same boat as you?

Definitely. Since I’m out of state, I would be transferring to my home state. But I’ve heard of other people trying to transfer to NC State or different places in North Carolina. A lot of people who are in my exact same position with the worrying about chemistry; they are the ones who I hear are definitely worried and definitely considering transferring. That’s kind of where I got the idea, too. Once I heard the first person say “Oh maybe I should transfer,” then I thought oh my gosh, maybe I should transfer.

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