by Sarah Thomas
When you think of advice for a freshman, you normally imagine people giving advice about campus study spots or generic advice about going to class and getting involved. While this advice certainly provides valuable perspectives, one point of view goes largely unheard: transfer students. According to UGA’s Department of Statistics, transfer students make up approximately twenty percent of Franklin College undergraduates alone. In spring of 2025, the University of Georgia accepted around 2,460 transfer students. One of these students is Kennady Hale, a transfer student from Kennesaw State University and a third-year intended public relations major. While this is her first year at UGA, Hale’s college experience gives a unique perspective on what it means to find your path in these formative years.
Q: What advice would you give a freshman?
A: “I would say to just slow down. That’s actually advice my roommate gave me. Sometimes you go so fast that you don’t even stop to realize what you’ve accomplished. College really does go by really quickly. This is my third year, and I still feel like I just started. So, I’d say, slow down and take the time to do things that you may not do, like hang out with friends. Studying is important, but also the stuff you do outside of studying is equally as important to building your character.”
Q: Why did you decide to transfer?
A: “The reason I transferred is that I kind of felt kind of a lack of passion [at KSU]. I knew UGA would be able to open more doors for me, related specifically to the industry I wanted to get into, which is very heavy in networking and connections.”
Q: What advice would you give to any college student unsure of their current path?
A: “There’s a lot of need to rush really quickly into something that you should be doing. You feel like you might be falling behind if you don’t know what you’re going to do in college or what job you’re going to do. You feel like you need to have everything perfectly laid out. I think my best advice is to really reflect on what truly interests you and what you’re most passionate about, and try to run towards that. Just run towards any opportunity or something that interests you. Eventually, stuff will pop up that will show you that you are on the right path, but sometimes you don’t know that until the end.”
Hale is currently enrolled in JRLC1001 (Career Explorations in Journalism and Mass Communication), which is taught by the Dean of Grady College, Charles Davis. Davis has served as Dean since 2013, and has taught JRLC1001 for multiple semesters. From his wide net of experience with students and academia, Davis also recognizes the importance of introspection for freshmen. “You’re never going to have more time than you have in college to self-reflect; think about what’s important to you; and begin to order that sort of continuum between autonomy, reward, and effort,” Davis said. “You’ve got to be having those deep internal conversations with yourself in college, because you’re not going to have time to have them after that.”
Whether you’re unsure of what path you’re chasing or you’ve got a set plan, college is a fundamental chapter of change in your life. This is the period where you define who you are and what values matter most. Your goals may change as you discover yourself, similarly to how Hale transferred from KSU to UGA, and that’s okay. As long as you follow what makes you happy, everything else will fall into place.
Resources
Graves, D. (2025, March 21). 2025 transfer admission Data. UGA Undergraduate Admissions. https://www.admissions.uga.edu/blog/2025-transfer-admission-data/
Transfer students. (n.d.). Department of Statistics. https://www.stat.uga.edu/transfer-students
