Hey everyone,

Today's post is going to be more of a somber one. I don't know why, but this semester I have done a lot of reflecting and, as a result, have been thinking a lot more about whether or not UH Manoa is the right school for me. I know that last semester I would often talk about how much love I have for this school, and at that time I did, but currently I am not so sure. I do like Hawaii, and I love the beach, but today I spent some time reflecting on a number of things and have decided that there is no better way to voice my opinions than by writing about it online. 

Before I list off my reasons as to why Manoa may not be the school for me, I would like to make it clear that this is not an easy thing to do. The idea of transferring colleges, something that has been on my mind lately, is quite daunting. While thousands of students do it each year, this is not something I ever thought I would so much as consider. However, because transferring is so common (from Manoa especially) I wanted to make this post and hopefully help explain why I'm feeling the way I do. 

April 4th, 2016, when I first got my acceptance to UH Manoa

Reason #1: The "Traditional" College Experience

Manoa is not a school that you will find traditional. If you're looking for a university that is going to give you the experience that you read about and see on tv, Manoa is not that school. And this is not something I knew I wanted until I really thought about it. I've always been very interested in the "College Experience", and I remember sitting in my room watching move-in videos and youtube videos about college during my sophomore year of high school- envisioning what college would be like for me. I wanted a college with variety, a larger school with a lively environment, that also has that small community feel. This was a huge criteria for me, as I ruled out countless schools based on the lack of "community feel" alone. When thinking about other universities, I can't help but think about their community, both on campus and off. 

Hawaii is an island. There is limited space and little room for growth and development. This is another thing I did not consider when coming to Manoa, and something that I did not realize during my first semester. When I look at other colleges I like to read up on their campus (buildings, dorms, etc) and the towns surrounding them. What I've learned is that the colleges with the small town feel but the ever growing campus is something I'm really drawn to. 

And Manoa just does not have that.

Manoa is a nice school for those that appreciate change that happens off campus. Waikiki is always under construction, and since being here I'll be there's been at least a few more hotels opened. But these are things that do not impact the university. When I look at these other colleges, I see towns that have an impact connected to their campus. I see colleges who have agreements with the surrounding area to help students. For example, one city in particular made an agreement with their university to offer student discounts in most (I wont say all because I'm not entirely sure) stores. Additionally, meal swipes can be used at shops and restaurants off campus. This is something that, maybe because of the lack of community or lack of space, Manoa just does not provide. 

Reason #2: Connections at UH Manoa vs Elsewhere

The whole event that set off my consideration at other schools was a Facebook status I saw a few weeks ago. Granted, up until then the idea of transferring just seemed like a "phase". I did not realize that I was unhappy with my university until I went online and saw a post from a former classmate that exclaimed "I am excited to announce that in the fall I will be studying abroad at Oxford University!" To me, this was shocking. Even if you are unfamiliar with college rankings, there is a high chance you at least aware as to how amazing of a school Oxford is. In fact, my freshmen year of high school I did a report on which college I wanted to attend when I was older. It was between Oxford and Cambridge, and I even remember going over it with my advisor before settling on Cambridge. Of course these were both pipe dreams, but the point is I have been aware of their excellence from a young age. (Ironically this was only a few years ago, so not that young.) To me, it wasn't the fact that she would be studying abroad that got to me, but the university itself that she would be studying at. Manoa has no such connection, and this is something I did not realize until this post and the research I did afterwords. I did not realize it, but attending a school with connections is something I take very seriously. I'm not saying Manoa doesn't have connections, but, quite frankly, their connections are not to the Oxford standard. I am also aware that Oxford is in the United Kingdom, and as a Chinese major I'm sure you're wondering why this would matter, since I'm trying to go to China and not England. Ultimately, you're right. If I'm going to study abroad ideally I would like it to be somewhere where I can use my Chinese. Because of this, I went to UH Manoa and looked at their options for studying abroad in China. Simply put, this school has no connections to highly ranked schools. The programs that I got into, out of the one based in China, is not one of the top Chinese colleges, like Oxford is to England. This is something that made me step back and question why a school like Manoa doesn't have greater connections, especially if their East Asian Languages department is one of the largest.

Rankings matter. 

This is something that is going to be drilled into your head. That rankings from Princeton Review and US News Weekly matter. While my family was the opposite, encouraging me to look beyond rankings and more-so at the composition of a program, it is something that I have found to be very important. Rankings should not be the end-all-be-all, but surely they should be something one considers. 

I remember when it came down to UC Davis and UH Manoa. I was torn between a school with high rankings and a school with a good program. My logic for choosing UC Davis was that the rankings were indicative of the student body. I wanted to surround myself with students of a higher caliber and with great potential, something I saw of the student body at UC Davis. For Manoa, I saw a program with a variety of classes located directly between Asia and the Mainland. I remember telling my mom that I wanted to attend a school that is highly ranked, as the value of that diploma would hold more weight than one of a lesser school. I remember even telling her that I wanted to go to a school with higher rankings because that's what draws in an international student body, because somehow the correlation between high ranks and more international students was relevant to me. Now, I don't care so much about the international student body, but that may just be because I am used to it since attending UH Manoa.

We all know how this ends, so I will leave it there.  

But, what you don't know is the research I did on her school. Her school, which I won't name, has connections to highly regarded Chinese universities. Ever heard of Tsinghua University? How about Peking University? If you haven't, google "top Chinese universities"- they're the first two to show up.  That is the kind of connection I want my university to provide me. That is the kind of experience I want abroad. I don't want to say that I just studied abroad, I want to show future employers and those concerned with my resume that, while abroad, I attended an amazing school. Quite frankly, Manoa does not offer me that opportunity. 


Reason #3: Religion

So throughout my posts on this blog I will occasionally mention that I've gone to church on this day, or that I started reading a devotional on that day. I'm going to be honest and vulnerable here, which I believe is going to make this post all the more real. 

In high school I was not religious. I did not care too much about it and did not make it a priority of mine to attend mass. But for some reason, and I couldn't say why, when I came to Manoa I began to want to get more religiously connected. Not enough to make me want to transfer to a Catholic university, but enough to where I've attended mass more times this semester than I have all throughout high school. I've been to churches off campus and on, and somehow they are not satisfying. 

When I read my friends' posts about their college experiences, the ones that seem the happiest are the ones also involved in a church group, or the ones exploring their faith more. I reached out to other people at Manoa, hoping (begging, really) for someone to encourage me to join them at a mass. When no one did, and when I was told that the student masses are not orthodox, something that I prefer, I decided this was not the religious environment for me. 

And this is perfectly okay, because, let's face it, I did not pick Manoa for it's Catholic ministry. If I really wanted a religious environment I could have applied to a number of other schools. However, the longer I think about it and the more I pray about it, the more I'm beginning to realize that I would like to be in an environment that encourages me to grow in my faith. Or, at the very least, has a welcoming Catholic center for students. 

Reason #4: Sororities (Or their sense of community)

This is something of a lesser reason, primarily because it piggy-backs off of reason #1. Sororities are most certainly not something one should base their entire college decision on, but to me, is something that I wish I put more higher on my list. Sororities offer a sense of community and family, usually with dozens of girls all living under one roof. They appear to have each others backs, be philanthropic, and relatively positive and encouraging of their sisters. At UH, while there are sororities, I would like to highlight that they are not the sororities you see on tv. I can't talk about them too much, because I'm not a part of one, but I can share what I do know. 

There are three sororities at UH. One of them is a Hawaiian-Only one, which means I am automatically ruled out of so much as even looking at that one. The others are relatively small. Their presence isn't really noted and they don't have a home. You can't really tell who is in one, either, as there are never groups of girls walking around in their greek letters. While bid day looked fun, that is really the only time I've ever seen the sororities outside and active. This is not to say they aren't, but from my perspective they don't appear as active as some other colleges. And that's not a bad thing, but its something that I want in my experience. 

When I was coming up with my list of criteria for my colleges I knew I wanted a group of friends who have my back and encourage me to do my best. While the friends I have now are great, I feel like the experience of a sorority is something that should be taken advantage of. At Manoa, greek life is not a big part of the campus. This is perfectly okay, it's their own prerogative, but part of mine would be having that sense of family and solidarity that comes with greek life. 

Reason #5: School Spirit

The culture of sports at UH is nothing that I have ever experienced before. There is no March Madness here, no SEC, and no real pride. The tailgates are fun, or rather, the tailgates are fun for the first few minutes before the cops show up and shut everything down. From my experience at football games, the student body goes to the tailgate and then leaves. Very few, handfuls, really, stay for the actual game. When I look at other schools, they appear to have large crowds at their games, with faces painted and colors on display. As with everything, this could be because of a multitude of factors, but I really believe that the school spirit at UH is next to nonexistent. I am not too big of a sports fan, but what I've come to miss is the sense of pride and excitement that would be present when it was game day. I miss the rivalries and the hoards of people all chanting and jumping and screaming for our home team. At Manoa, I would say the only sport that really gets this kind of attention is volleyball, so if you're an avid volleyball fan, Manoa may be the school for you.

Overall when it comes to school spirit, I guess what I'm looking for is the excitement and anticipation again. I know that, culturally, if I wanted a school that was sport-heavy than I should have given more schools in the south more thought, but this is just another lesson I have come to learn.


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I understand that many of my points are things that have little to do with my major. And, in all honesty, shouldn't the major take precedence over everything else? I believe at one point I used to think this, but as I type this post I have also come to realize that college is not black and white. College is a multitude of colors and an array of experiences. College is not something that is only academia, but is a collection of events that involve more than just your classes and major. If these things are important to you and your college experience, than they should be something you place high on your list. 

Earlier I felt guilty about thinking poorly about Manoa. But I read something online that, in describing why transferring colleges was okay, explained that at 18 years old, and having never experienced college before, how are any of us supposed to truly know what we want in a university? This has provided me with some comfort, but for now I will continue to appreciate where I am and work hard in classes. I don't know if I'm going to transfer, but for now I will tell you that there is a school I have in mind. 

I hope this wasn't too negative of a post. Maybe I should post some of the positives of attending UH Manoa in a future post?

Until next time,

Aislinn