5 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Transferred To A New College

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1. You don’t have to be a freshman to feel like one.

College can be really fucking scary…for anyone. On top of figuring out who you are and what you want to do with your life, you also have to figure out where your classes are, how to do laundry, and why you (maybe) shouldn’t finish a pint of ice cream and call it a midnight snack. You’ve got a lot on your plate and its okay to feel scared whether you’re a freshman, a senior, or a transfer.

2. Even when you’re at the right school for you, some days will really suck.

It seems obvious to me now, but when I transferred I expected everything to fall into place perfectly. It doesn’t. There are going to be days when all you want to do is go home and hug your mom. Unfortunately, you can’t. But what you can do is grab a spoon and a jar of Nutella and binge-watch The Mindy Project until you feel better.

3. Sometimes the school isn’t the problem, but you are.

This isn’t to say that the school had nothing to do with my decision to transfer, it obviously did, but some of the problems I faced at my old school followed me to my new one. And those problems were my own. No matter how far I got away from any school, they would follow me. So just make sure it’s the school and the environment that causes you to transfer, and not something you can fix yourself.

4. People think you’re interesting for transferring.

For some reason, when I tell people I’m a transfer they act as if I just told them goldfish can turn white if they’re in a dark room long enough (I think that’s super interesting). Regardless, moral of the story is that people might think you’re interesting for transferring, but don’t let that be what’s interesting about you because that’s pretty lame. Instead, be interesting by showing people you can stick your whole fist in your mouth or by telling people you went to the moon because that’s fucking awesome.

5. Despite having to go through the entire college process again, it’s totally worth it.

Yes, it sucked having to fill out applications in my dorm room while other people were hanging out with their friends in theirs, but when you’re at the school that’s right for you, you won’t even remember those moments. There’s something about waking up in the morning and enjoying where you are that’s pretty freakin’ nice. While transferring wasn’t always easy or fun, getting to a school where you don’t need to call your mom every minute to update her on your newest breakdown, is worth it.

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