Sophomore Eliska Injayan: Palo Alto High School in Palo Alto
For sophomore Eliska Injayan, transferring between local rival schools Palo Alto High School (Paly) and Gunn hasn鈥檛 proven to be a major culture shock. Injayan transferred from Paly to Gunn at the beginning of this year to start her sophomore year as a newly-established Titan.
Having previous social connections at Gunn made the transition easy for Injayan.鈥淭he transition for me wasn鈥檛 very hard,鈥 shesaid. 鈥淚 only did my freshman year at Paly, and I am friends with more people at Gunn.鈥
The social aspect of high school was Injayan鈥檚 reason for transferring. 鈥淧ersonally, I have more friends at Gunn, which was the reason I transferred here,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been easier for me to talk to more people at school here.鈥欌
Many people consider Paly and Gunn to be very different environments; Gunn is often considered the academic school, while Paly is known for its athletics. Injayan, who attended both schools, feels differently. 鈥淚 think people generally have this misconception that the learning at the two schools is聽 different, or that one school is harder academically than the other,鈥 she said. 鈥淔or me, the learning and academics have been relatively similar at both schools.鈥
Injayan has particular likes and dislikes about the two schools. 鈥淚 like the organization of Paly鈥檚 campus much more,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot nicer, and I think they have a better
learning environment. Some of the classes were harder at Paly, but that was more dependent on certain teachers than the school itself.鈥
Injayan also finds that teachers across both schools have similar teaching styles and classroom formats. 鈥淪ince Paly and Gunn are in the same district, they have a lot of the same policies,鈥 she said.
Something that has made the transition difficult for Injayan is simply the physical distance between the two schools. 鈥淥ne thing that has been harder about moving to Gunn is that it is farther from my house,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t takes a lot longer to get to school.鈥
In the end, however, Injayan feels like she made the right choice by transferring. 鈥淥verall, I am happy with my decision,鈥 she said.鈥淚 get to see my friends a lot more.鈥