Each year, new students join and leave the M-A community, coming from schools all around the world. While most transfer students have unique reasons for why they made the switch, nearly every student who transferred from Eastside High School had the same reason—time.
Eastside College Preparatory School, a private high school in East Palo Alto, is committed to “opening new doors for students historically underrepresented in higher education.” Uniquely committed to academic development, the school requires students to stay on campus until 5 p.m. to finish work and meet with teachers, making students feel restricted in having the time to do what they want. This, along with other characteristics proved disagreeable for some Eastside students, causing at least a dozen to transfer to M-A in 2024 alone.
“I wanted to go to Homecoming dances and football and basketball games—things that we didn’t have at Eastside since our school was really small,” junior Monte Galvin said. “All of our activities were academic-based, so they weren’t fun.” Since transferring to M-A this year, Galvin has enjoyed attending the homecoming dance and games while meeting many new friends.
“I like that M-A is a bigger community,” senior Emi Jackson added. “I can choose my classes at M-A, versus at Eastside, I couldn’t [choose any core classes].” Jackson, who transferred in the middle of her junior year, noted that being able to choose classes she was interested in helped improve her GPA.
“I left because it was stressful and a lot of work,” senior Mayoni Williams said. Like Galvin and Jackson, she appreciated M-A’s many sports—like cheerleading—and interesting classes.
“It was really hard for me to keep up with sports [practice] and heavy tutoring and teaching,” junior Ape Ulukivaiola said. Ulukivaiola is an avid basketball player and chose to attend M-A because of its more dedicated program for the sport.
The influx of students transferring to M-A from Eastside raises the question of how to facilitate a school that balances the fun of high school with academics. Some praise Eastside for its dedication to academic growth. However, some students disagree, emphasizing the importance of social development in the education system.
“I miss how small the community was. It was kind of like a family,” Williams said.
“When it comes to academics, I am zooming through everything. I don’t really feel as challenged as I was over there,” Galvin said. She mentioned this could be a drawback to the switch or a benefit since she has more time outside of school with less challenging work.
Ultimately, transferring has allowed students to determine how they will use their time in high school. “I feel like I’m having way more fun at M-A,” Galvin concluded. “Learning to balance social life and academics is really the main thing.”
