Noah, right, at the San Diego State University radio studio with his KCR co-host Roman Aguilar.
Credit: Victoria Finn
I started attending San Diego State University in August 2022, but I was already two years behind.
I transferred from Irvine Valley College, a community college in my hometown. I spent the majority of my three years there on computer screens, as the COVID-19 pandemic prevented students from returning to in-person classes.
While I was thankful for the money I saved, the credits I fulfilled and the skills I gained, I felt like I was in college purgatory — a step above high school from an academic and social standpoint, but lacking the thrills of being a university student.
In May 2022, my collegiate dreams came true as I was offered admission to San Diego State University. I eagerly accepted the offer and wasted no time doing a deep dive on all the campus’s resources. Since I was only planning to get a bachelor’s degree, I had a limited amount of time to get connected.
I am a self-proclaimed extrovert. But I hate approaching people; one of the biggest hurdles to fostering community at my new university was being able to simply walk up to a stranger and introduce myself.
This was undoubtedly exacerbated by the pandemic, when I became reluctant to get within six feet of someone I didn’t know. Missing out on months of social interaction left me anxious when I encountered new people.
Even though I had a sinking feeling in my gut before I approached anyone at SDSU, I forced myself to become involved in extracurricular activities.
I immediately joined the school’s student-run publication, The Daily Aztec. This was my first time writing for a school paper, but I figured a trial by fire would be better than treading water.
At the initial meeting, I accepted the first story pitch I heard: cover a six-hour reggae concert in the heart of downtown San Diego. Sure, why not? Less than two weeks later, I accepted another pitch: a concert review for a pair of pop stars, Lauv and Hayley Kiyoko.
From there, I published over 20 articles for the school paper, hosted a show for the campus radio station, KCR, attended three major music festivals, visited several resource centers on campus and interviewed four musicians. All in a year’s work. I also picked up freelance writing as a hobby, because I love overbooking myself.
I learned a valuable lesson in my first year at SDSU: Transfers don’t have a lot of time to experience college, so they have to make time and be bold. And I hope other transfer students will heed this advice, since according to a California State University study on graduation rates for transfer students, 40% of those who enter via community college graduate in two years. This is a short amount of time for students to complete all required coursework, form deeper friendships and gain valuable life experiences — all key tenets of the college experience.
I’m so glad that I took those uncomfortable, yet enriching steps out of my comfort zone. Through the publication, I made some great friends and gained incredible experience. At the college radio station, I found a creative outlet for my endless Spotify playlists and a good excuse to talk with my co-host for an hour. With music festivals, my passion for the industry grew, and I began to consider it as a potential career path.
None of these opportunities were dropped onto my doorstep or hand-fed to me by the school. Nobody forced me to approach the editor-in-chief of The Daily Aztec, although the event having free doughnuts certainly motivated me to show up. I had no obligation to attend meetings for several different clubs, including KCR.
I had to deliberately push myself and do so with haste. With just two years to spare, I had less time to find myself or slowly draw out my extracurricular activities. I encourage my fellow transfer students to follow the same path, even if there are some growing pains.
The result for everyone will look different, as each transfer student brings a unique personality and background to the table. What most of us share in common, though, is that we have the opportunity to close that gap and make up for lost time.
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Noah Lyons is a third-year journalism major at San Diego State University and is a member of EdSource’s California Student Journalism Corps.
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