Senior Spotlight: Sydney Bowie's Transfer Paved the Way for Success

Jun 7, 2023

Sydney Bowie, a member of the recently graduated class of 2023, is someone who knows exactly what she’s after and makes the effort to go after it.

She came to Xavier in a way that was different than many of her friends and classmates—that is, she entered Xavier as a transfer in her sophomore year. She admits she found it challenging to jump in after other students in her class had gone through the traditional experience of Manresa. Originally, Bowie had attended a university outside of Pittsburgh.

“I really liked their curriculum,” Bowie said. “But the thing was, I wasn’t really happy with their student life.” She described the challenges she felt around the location and a lack of diversity. “I felt really secluded,” she said. “So I just didn’t really go out to social things… And so I knew. Probably after like two months in, I was like ‘okay, I need to find a second option.’”

Her connection to Xavier came through friends. “My boyfriend went to Xavier… I would always come and visit since it was a four-hour drive. Whenever I would come and visit from that Friday to Sunday, I enjoyed so much—the parties, meeting people, hanging out, events on campus. So I filled out my entire application. I didn’t even tell my parents.” She worked hard to continue to improve her GPA to make the transition an even better one, and submitted her application.

Thankfully, her parents were supportive of her choice to make a change. Bowie made a special trip with her mom to Xavier after applying for an official tour. “Right before we left, [we were able to meet with the transfer admissions counselor] and then I got accepted on the spot. And I got more money—it was cheaper to come [to Xavier], no kidding. All my credits transferred. I didn’t have to re-take a single course.”

Unlike most students when they begin their career at Xavier, she didn’t have a typical Manresa experience to act as a foundation for her social network. So to in order to make new friends, she was determined to find her place.

“I was like, all right, I have to get out there. Luckily, the main thing was Club Fair. I joined Women's Ultimate Frisbee because I really wanted to do something to stay active. And then after my first semester, I joined eXchange, which was also super important to get out there more. And I think that was like what was really, really helpful for me — just to be able to get out in the community [and] to be able to see Cincinnati.”

Bowie’s Musketeer mentality shines when you see the totality of what she has accomplished in only three years at Xavier. Not only did she pursue her accounting degree, but she became a group leader and then board member for the eXchange program, she rose to captain of the women’s Ultimate Frisbee team and has continued to keep a part-time job at a local branch of a bank.

On top of it all, she has been applying to two of Xavier’s graduate programs and hopes to begin in the Business Administration MBA program or the Accountancy M.S. program this fall, hoping to take advantage of the Loyal Musketeer Scholarship.  “I really like the programs,” Bowie said. “I already know a couple of people that are in the program, and I’ve already [got] a community here, friends and stuff… So why uproot myself?”

Whichever way her path leads, Bowie's future looks bright and her community is strong. After all, she’s made successful transitions before and she’s ready for it.

Her advice to other students who are also considering a transfer? She says this:

First, do your research.

“It’s one of those things that was really important for me — like knowing ‘will my credits transfer?’, and ‘how will my next four years pan out?’” Because [you don’t] want to start your whole degree over. And then, also, look at the student life — I really think that was super important for me.”

Second, get involved.

“I had friends here, but knowing what clubs were on campus was super important for me... even if you’re tired, go to Club Day. It’s one of those things where it’s super important because then you get to see so many different things on campus. If you go, you’ll find a club—there’s something that definitely aligns [for everyone]. And it helps to see different people on campus, different age groups — because not everyone in the club is a first year or sophomore. I think that is what glued me down to Xavier whenever I came. [I didn’t have the same kind of] Manresa experience, so it’s how I connected with what Xavier is all about.”