I had a very rough freshman year of college. I decided to take a leap of faith and go to a school out of state. I quickly learned that my school was not what it had seemed to be. It took me the whole year to really think through my decision to transfer or not. At the end of day, I came to the conclusion that transferring colleges would be better for my present and my future. I went through all of these questions during my decision process. They may be helpful for you if you are trying to decide what the best option would be.
1. Can I see myself graduating here?
I always thought, "can I see myself walking across that stage to get my diploma here?"
2. Am I getting a good education?
Is my program well known within this school?
3. Do I feel comfortable at this school?
Do I feel safe? How is the environment? After all, you are living in that area for about 7-8 months out of the year.
4. Why did I choose this school to begin with?
What made you decide to go to this school to begin with? Did things seem different after you got to college and began to see how the place really was?
5. Do I feel that I am missing something at this school?
Do you feel like there is a void somewhere in your college career? Do you look at your friends from different schools and wish you went to a college like theirs?
6. What are the pros of transferring?
How am I benefitting my present and future by staying at this school?
7. What are the cons of transferring?
What would be the downside to leaving this school? How is this going to affect my future?
8. Do I want to be further/closer to home?
Would I benefit from being at a school closer or further from home? How does this compare to where you are at now?
9. Financially, which school would be the better option?
College debt is inevitable. Which school would be a better financial option in the long run?
10. Am I being challenged enough at this school?
How are the academics at your current school? Do you feel like you are breezing through all of your courses or not learning much?
11. Do I feel safe in my environment?
How is the neighborhood around your campus and even on campus? Do you feel safe going out alone or at night? How is this affecting your education?
12. Will my degree be worth more value from this school or a different school?
Is my program well known within this school? Would I get more value after graduation from graduating at a different college? Even with the same major, if your program is more well known at a different school, you could have better job opportunities after college.
13. Do I think I will regret leaving/staying at my current school?
If I do transfer, will I regret my decision? If I stay, will I regret not applying to other schools just because I was afraid of change?
14. Am I happy here?
Am I truly content with where I am? Depression is high within students who first go away to college. If you are not happy at your college, it is going to be a miserable 4+ years. Life is too short to be unhappy for that long.
