The academic year's either over or we're in the midst of finals week, and some of us transferred here, regardless of whether or not we decided to be freshmen again. For the most part, it's probably the best decision we've made in our young lives, but it can be even more draining than being in middle school.
Throughout the time that I was in Southern Maine Community College, I was determined to transfer to a four-year school. I actually wanted to transfer to Curry College because it was closer to Boston, but because my mother complained over how expensive it was there, I ended up settling for the Nest. And for the record, my sister went here a decade ago, but she couldn't deal with all the pressures, and ended up going back home.
The transition for me, was a roller coaster ride in and of itself, but I'm still holding onto my goal of my Bachelor's Degree, now that I've got my Associate's Degree from two years at community college. And I can honestly say that, there have been points where I could really grasp that everything about transferring was not what it seemed.
While we have different friends and majors, there's some things every transfer student has in common:
1. You're feeling old
It's easy to feel like this, because most of your peers have known each other for a year. Not to mention, some of them STILL haven't dropped that high school mentality and gone through life's challenges.
2. You don't know how everything works on campus
But don't worry about this too much if you're going to a smaller college, okay?
3. Loneliness is a familiar friend
You can have a giant circle of friends, but still go back to bed every night feeling isolated in the worst way.
4. You've got some advantages
Who said transferring all your credits to automatically pass classes was a bad thing? Because, truth be told, you can actually focus on your degree more if you've got those credits already under your belt. And it's even better when those credits count towards your major!
5. You're still unsure about your major
Even though I've got some or all of the general education classes taken care of, the requirements for our major might be enough to make me have second thoughts all the time. Plus, it never hurts to explore my options!
6. You gotta introduce yourself over and over again
Seriously? You're in college and have the memory of a goldfish?
7. You procrastinate on most of your homework
It's SO tempting to when your friends offer to binge watch on Netflix with you, or go out and party when you can't even think of doing a twenty-page paper due the next day.
8. You can't do everything you want at once
How do you accomplish everything you dream of in just, like, three years? Because it's all so new to me.
9. Learning your way around town
As if navigating campus wasn't hard enough!
10. Creating new memories
It's all worth it in the end. Come to think of it, you might enjoy being at your new college so much you go to all the reunions in the far future, and even by then, your classmates won't even care that you transferred!
