6 Things You Learn When Transferring Schools

It can be a struggle to realize that the place you thought would be your new home is anything but that. But once you know that your university is not everything the campus tour made it out to be, there's a few options you have to consider: Dropping out (because we all want to be a stripper at some point), Pushing Through (because suffering is easier than doing paperwork), or Transferring Schools. If you choose the last option, congrats! You're one step closer to not living out your dream of being a stripper! Say bye bye to the singles and hello to six things you learn when transferring schools:

You Look for Schools with a Better Mindset

Rather than having your parents breathe down your neck to make a decision, you get to go into each campus tour with a clearer mind. You start to look at the campus differently than you did as an eager-to-be-out-of-the-house senior in high school. You look at it as a possible place to study, to find friends, and to call home. When I went on my campus tours, I asked questions like "How many transfer students do you have per year?" and, when able to talk to an actual student, "What's your least favorite part about this university?" I had the chance to take my previous experience at my other university to really decide if the school I was touring was right for me. Which made me enjoy the school I chose that much more.

You Understand the Application Process Better

As a senior in high school, I had ZERO idea what the heck I was filling out when I applied to my first university. I had no idea how FAFSA worked (and I still don't) and I had no idea what the next step was or when I was going to be told what it was. When I transferred for the first time, I sorted it all out. I knew what resources to use and where to go and who to talk to because I already did all of it when applying to my first school. I didn't need someone to tell me that the next step was to figure out room & board because I already went through the process. My previous experience made the entire application process that much easier.

You Have NO Need for "New Student Orientation"

Seriously. If you have been through one, you have been through all of them. You do not need someone to teach you the Fight Song, the Alma Mater, or anything else you will pick up at a football game or ceremony. You're not going to need someone to tell you where the Financial Aid office is or how to contact them because you've already googled the info (and spoken to them 15 times in two weeks). The only thing you need to learn in the NSO is the specific programs your new school uses for grades and such (i.e. Blackboard, Canvas, etc, but both are useless). Yes, NSO is nice to meet new people, but let's face it, you're going to have new people in every class your in. So spend the weekend prior to classes moving in to your new home or spending one extra day with hometown friends and family.

You Know EXACTLY How and What to Pack

Ever seen those articles titled "Ten Things to NOT Pack for College"? Yeah, you really won't need to look at those when transferring. You've already had, at minimum, a semester's worth of experience with what you "really need." So just continue that. Also, one of the BIGGEST perks of moving many times is being able to pack efficiently. This last move took me, in total, about a single day to pack. I didn't have to think about what to give away or keep. I packed it all knowing that it all is useful and matters to me (because have four rulers is useful and meaningful to me, don't judge). I hate packing SO little now that I might open my own packing business. Hmm...

You Quickly Learn How to Make Friends

Remember how I mentioned that you'll have tons of new people in your classes? I wasn't lying! If you're transferring within your first two years of college, most of your classes are going to be full of other majors, people that have probably never seen each other before. So the perk is, you're just as new as the next person. If you're transferring after your first two years of college, most of your classes should be related to your major. So a lot of people have probably been classes together for a few semesters. This shouldn't be an issue for you because you chose the school that you thought was best for you and at this point you're (hopefully) experienced talking to people that making small talk shouldn't be an issue. If not, trust me, no one actually bites.

You Can Use Your Experience to Better Others

With all the new things being hurled at you between schools, you can help freshmen and other transfer students when they ask questions that you've had before. You can show people the least occupied bathrooms, the best routes from building to building, or how to use the on-campus bus system because you've sorted it all out. You also hold more experience than other students, new or current, so answering that ridiculous question from anyone is easy because boy did you have those too. Now if you just hate all humankind and don't want to be helpful, that's okay too. Just keep your knowledge to yourself and watch the world burn.

Transferring is a tough decision to make, but in the end, you become a better person than you were before. You discover things about yourself that you never even considered. But, hey, if you find that the school you transferred to isn't the one for you, then you always have the dream of being a stripper!