Buffalo State, you’ve let me down. I transferred here at the start of the semester and encountered more problems than I ever thought I would, primarily in regards to registration.

One thing I wish I knew before I transferred is the fact that grade point averages are not transferrable. My GPA was wiped clean when I became a Buffalo State student, starting me at zero, rather than averaging my new grades into the GPA I worked so hard for.

In the grand scheme of things, this isn’t a big deal, but it becomes problematic when signing up for classes. Most, if not all, majors require a minimum GPA in order to sign up for certain classes, which is rather difficult when you don’t technically have one.

Although I obtained an Associates Degree, and the proper prerequisites to sign up for a course, I cannot access it due to my insufficient GPA. Transfer students are penalized for starting their education elsewhere, and cannot sign up for the classes they need. Buffalo State denies them the basic rights they were promised coming into this school.

This simply is not fair. Sure, the argument can be made that life isn’t fair, but something needs to be done here. I am paying for an education; I have put in the work, yet I am not allowed to access courses that are rightfully mine. Transfer students are being denied resources despite having proper requirements.

It’s rather strange that every single one of my classes transferred over, but an overall grade did not. Two years, 64 credits, courses that consumed my attention, assignments that I lost sleep over, and tests that required weeks of studying, are all suddenly considered irrelevant.

My tuition, and that of other transfer students, is a bill that consists of simple electives. We came here to receive an education related to our majors, not to explore the wonders of general education courses. How am I to graduate in two years when I cannot access the classes I need, to then gain those prerequisites, to achieve the next round of courses?

The issue is that Buffalo State does not have any form of insurance to help students in a situation like this. After meeting with a few different advisors, it became clear that Buffalo State expects students to figure these things out on their own. We’re provided with advisors, but they can’t help us.

Buffalo State suggests that students email their professors if they believe they have the proper prerequisites. Professors then check the student’s Degree Works, and grant them an override if they indeed have the accurate requirements. While this sounds straightforward, not all professors respond to such a request.

This leaves me, and fellow transfer students, in quite a predicament. We’re between a rock and a hard place—trying to get the education we were promised, but coming up short. Unable to sign up for the classes we need for our first or second semester and failing to succeed, despite doing everything right.

People claim “It’s just the way it is,” but the way it is isn’t right. Transfer students should have the same opportunity as everyone else, rather than getting kicked out of the classes they need. We shouldn’t be punished for starting our education elsewhere.

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