Saving/exporting files not showing last used save location

Hi there! I've been experiencing this problem since switching to a new user account on my iMac and I can't seem to figure out how to fix it. Any help would be appreciated!

Let's say I try to save or export a file — out of any program, it doesn't matter. On any other Mac or on my previous user account, the default view would be the column-style view (preferred) and it would show the exact folder in which I last saved as my save location. Now, what it does is default the view to my "Documents" folder, and while the last save location is listed in the drop-down menu as the folder to which the file will be saved, it becomes quite confusing to navigate 6, 7, 8 folders deep every time if I'm trying to save many different files. I can toggle the different view options to fix it, but still — it keeps tripping me up.

I've attached a screen shot of my default save view so you can see what I am talking about. I've also attached a screen shot of my desired (previous) save view for comparison. I'm running OS X Yosemite, version 10.10.5.

What it shows:

What I'd like to see:

Thanks so much for your help!