In January of this year I flipped my entire life upside down and changed colleges. One minute I was living at home and going to a college with 12,000 students and the next I was six hours from home and attending a college with 37,000 students. I will be the first to tell you that it was the best decision of my life. I will also be the first to tell you that I certainly wasn't immune to the challenges that come with such an overwhelming task. These are the 13 things I did (or wish I had done) as an incoming transfer student.

1. Don't freak out.

I know, the application deadlines are piling up, you feel like you're forgetting something, and transferring colleges doesn't mean you can just quit classes at the college you already attend. It will all be okay. Have some ice cream, pet a dog and just breathe.

2. Don't let FOMO rule your life.

It is so easy to get caught up in wishing that you were at your new college that you forget that you're still at your old one. Don't focus so much on your fear of missing out that you lose control of what's in front of you. You'll get there when you get there.

3. Have a process.

Plans and checklists aren't fun, but they are important. I recommend writing down literally everything that you need to do and crossing it off the list one thing at a time. The college your transferring to might even provide you with a handy checklist as well.

4. Keep up with deadlines.

Trying to do things for two colleges sort of feels like trying to juggle 46 tennis balls that all weigh 100 pounds, believe me, I understand. Despite the struggle, it is of the utmost importance that all deadlines are met. If you miss one, you might not be transferring.

5. Get involved.

My biggest source of anxiety when transferring colleges was that I didn't know a single person on campus. But then I pledged a sorority, joined a couple of organizations, took some classes and that all changed. If I hadn't done all of that, I probably just would have been sitting in my apartment all alone most of the time.

6. Tour your new school more than once.

I can't stress enough the importance of knowing the layout of your new school, especially if you're transferring from a small college to a large one. Make sure you know where your classes are and where you go to eat to avoid a meltdown on the first day.

7. Make sure that your courses will transfer.

Here are three words that I hope you're very familiar with: course conversion tables. You need to find them for the college you're transferring to and make absolutely sure that all of your courses will convert. If they won't convert, you probably shouldn't transfer to that institution, unless you want to do some classes over.

8. Attend orientation.

Don't be too cool to attend another college orientation. There's nothing uncool about knowing what you're supposed to do next and where everything is. Also, there's usually a lot of free stuff.

9. Do your research.

There's this thing called Google now, and you can actually learn a lot about your new college by using it. I highly recommend skimming your college's website, especially the section especially for transfer students. It's a simple task that is likely to help you out a lot.

10. Get to know other transfer students.

Most colleges have groups that are just for transfer students, and the best way to get to know other transfers is to join one. It's the perfect way to connect with others who you can obviously relate to. They know the struggle.

11. Meet with an advisor.

It's really important to get to know an advisor at your new school ASAP. They are literally the people who help you keep your college life on track, and transferring will likely already make it difficult to graduate on time. However, with their help, you may even be able to graduate early.

12. Make friends within your major.

Another easy way to make instant friends is to seek out people within your major. You'll probably meet them anyway through group projects, and it will be nice to have someone to call when you're struggling with your homework.

13. Attend office hours.

It's important to make friends, but it's probably even more important to get to know your professors. If a professor knows who you are, their willingness to help you when you need it automatically goes up by about a million. Attend office hours with each professor once or twice, even if it's just to introduce yourself.