Another year and another school. You have no idea where your classes are and everyone you pass by on campus is a stranger. There are things a glossy brochure can't prepare you for when you transfer to a new school. However, after making it through a semester after transferring to Texas Woman's University from a school a thousand miles away, I'm here to tell you that you've totally got this. And you're definitely not alone.

1. You're basically a freshman again.
   Your backpack might not be stuffed and you ditched that lanyard a long time ago, but that lost and confused gaze is back with a vengeance. Even the smallest of campuses (the entire length of Texas Woman’s University can be walked in 10 minutes) will seem giant when you have no idea where anything is. It’s normal for students to wander around on their first week of classes, constantly checking their schedules, but for a transfer student that can last even longer. There might be buildings you didn’t even know existed and all you have to go on is some initials on a map to find your way.
   To add on to getting lost, you don’t know where the good food is. You don’t know where all the cool kids go on the weekend. You’re not quite sure if anyone actually goes to student events. You don’t have the same insider knowledge or know the school’s traditions. It’s pretty embarrassing when you feel like the only person who doesn’t know what’s going on. The desire to hide your shame and not ask questions is real, but no one is going to make fun of you. (Well, probably not.) You’ll never learn if you don’t ask!
   
2. You’re probably going to have to take some intro level classes again.
   If you’re coming from a different school and all of your credits transferred, you’re in the lucky minority. Every university is different. That’s great for educational diversity, but not so great when the Neuroscience class you worked your butt off to get an A in doesn’t count toward your degree at the new school. Transfer students almost always end up having to take introductory level courses most freshmen have already taken. That can get pretty frustrating when the course content is similar to what you’ve already learned in other classes. But hey, at least you’ve already mastered the content and are the smartest kid in class, right? If not, maybe you needed the review after all.
   
3. You're in classification limbo.
   With the mess that is transferring credits, your official transcript is likely a mess. Extracurriculars here, core classes there, major requirements here, more extracurriculars… When I first transferred to Texas Woman’s University in the fall, my resume was a jumble of AP credits and two separate school transcripts. That mess often leads to an ambiguous classification and awkward laughter when asked what grade you’re in. My go-to moniker was Super Sophomore, because there was no way I was going to miscredit the three years I’d spent in school just because I was transferring. Just be honest, make a joke out of it. The truth is that no one really cares except you and your advisor.
   
4. You might feel left out in your department, not knowing who is who in the faculty.
   Rate My Professor is going to be your best friend for at least a year. You’ll be an upperclassman in the department and have no idea who any of the professors are. You won’t know whose classes to take, who is known to be a pushover, who gives way too many group projects. There’s a professor in my department known only as Dr. T and I have yet to meet or even see him. His name is brought up in one of my classes or by a friend at once a week. I have a sneaking suspicion he might be a shared delusion by everyone else in my department. In a small school this can be even more frustrating when professors sometimes know students by name. Your little transfer heart will be broken every time your professor calls on everyone else around you. When you raise your hand in class, they might give you a lost stare, not sure if you’re even in class. Of course, this can be fixed by introducing yourself to your professors at the beginning of each semester and going to their office hours. You have less time than the other students to build a relationship with the department faculty so it’s important to quickly make an impression.
   
5. People will try to talk to you about something that happened last year and you will have no idea. And then they will do it again a month later, even though you always tell them you’re a transfer.
   No, I don’t remember the Spring Fling from last year. I wasn’t here last year. I don’t even know what the Spring Fling is. Maybe it’s a testament to your excellent skills at blending in that people forget you’re a transfer (or probably that they don’t care) but you’ll end up correcting people every so often. This usually happens when major events happen on campus or when your friends are reminiscing about their freshman dorm.
   
6. You're like that annoying girl from the magic school bus talking about her old school.
   I feel like I’m always bringing up “my old school” when I’m at a loss for words. When people talk about their freshmen years I can’t help but want to reminisce about my own golden days. The problem is that this can quickly turn into a crutch and you might be turning people off when you keep talking about all the fun you had at another school. Reversely, it’s never great to complain about your old school all the time either. Just like how you have difficulty connecting to your peers when they talk about the new school pre-you, your friends can feel left out if you talk about some random school they know nothing about. Plus, do you really want to be like Phoebe?
   
   
   
7. It's a lot harder to make friends.
   It’s human nature to form cliques and posses and crews and whatever words people are using these days. As a transfer student, you’re not automatically going to have a study squad. You’re not going to be able to say hi to every random friend you see as you walk through campus. Chances are, you will not know anyone, and you might feel like you don’t need to. Freshman year was an exhausting lesson in rapid fire friend making that no one wants to go through again. That’s why as a transfer student it can be easy to get caught in the trap of just going to class and not making the effort to get to know people. Sometimes you just need to channel your inner freshman and fearlessly reach out to others. Making connections is an essential part of life and getting used to a new school without a support system is unnecessarily difficult.
   
8. You might feel “too late” for student organizations.
   The easiest way to get involved and meet new friends on campus is to get involved with clubs, but it’s easy to think you’re too late or too old to join a club. This is usually the hardest during fall semester, when all of the student groups and Greek councils are recruiting those pure freshmen. You might start to feel like you’re unwanted because you won’t be a member for the full four (or more) years while you’re on campus. It might feel harder to fit in with a group when the other newbies are mostly freshmen with their own unique experiences. While I personally decided to focus on academics my first year at TWU, the good news is that most clubs don’t care what grade you’re in. You might feel a little awkward at first if you decide to rush for a greek organization as a Junior but it’s the lasting impact it’ll make on your school life that’ll count. As with anything, if you truly want to join an organization on campus, you shouldn’t let your fear of not fitting in stop you.
   
9. You have to balance your different academic identities.
   As you start to settle into your new school, make new friends, join some clubs, and make some connections in your department, you might start thinking about your last school less. You’re a transfer student, and while you’re not the first person in the world to transfer schools, that does make you unique. You’ve had the opportunity to experience more than one institute of higher education. Your horizon is just a little broader than the “typical” student. Do you stop wearing your old school shirts you bought as an excited freshman? Do you shun everything you once knew for the university you will (hopefully) graduate from? Maybe, it’s honestly up to you. I had a hard time at first thinking I wasn’t a real student just because I hadn’t entered as a freshman. I thought I couldn’t identify with my current school or my first school completely because I hadn’t attended them completely. It’s important to accept your new school without holding any resentment from your last one. Every school you went to, every person you met, shaped who you are as a person. There’s a line from some awful 80’s movie called Buckaroo Bonzai that has always stood out to me: “No matter where you go, there you are.”
   
10. Embrace the change!
    Coping with change and adjusting to a new environment is hard, but you did it, transfer student! You’re automatically a little bit better equipped to deal with the harsh realities of the adult world. Your educational journey is a little bit different, but that doesn’t make your achievements any less awesome. When you graduate and start your first big kid job with your degree, you’ll have an easier time adjusting to the change. When you get another job, when you move to another city, when you decide you might want to go back to school. Having transferred to a new school means that you have the experience of adapting to a new environment. So, embrace all the newness, oddities, and changes for the invaluable lessons they present.