I had no idea where I wanted to go to college or why I even wanted to go. I sent out applications to a bunch of schools that I didn’t even really care to go to. I was doing this to prevent hearing “You have to go to college” from everyone around me.

School has never really been my strong suit. I get average grades and stay involved as much as possible, but doing the book work is very difficult for me.

I went away to Wesley College at first because it was the only school I got accepted to. It was a beautiful campus and I had begun to make friends, but something was missing. I wasn’t sure that it was the place where I wanted to spend the next four years figuring out who I was. So, I worked my booty off to raise my grades and applied to Rowan as a transfer student. A few weeks later, I got the best news of my life. Rowan was in my top three when I started applying to schools my senior year of high school, but I didn’t get in the first time. I think it’s safe to say that my grades and letters of recommendation gave me the extra push that I didn’t have the first time.

Once I finished up at Wesley and returned home for the summer, I couldn’t wait to start at Rowan University the following fall semester.

I got all my paperwork done early, picked housing and even visited a few times with some friends so that I could get the feel for the campus. When September rolled around, I couldn’t have been more excited. My parents moved me in and I said my goodbyes early that day because I couldn’t wait to start my new adventure. My first impression at Rowan was not too special, but it got better and better as time went on.

I joined a sorority and made more than 80 friends right away. It was like transferring here was meant to be. I spent a lot of time in the library and working part-time during my sophomore year, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. The people I met and friends I hung out with, I still talk to today. I found where I belong and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Some people say it’s hard to be a transfer student because you don’t know anyone, and a new campus can be a scary place. But that wasn’t my impression at all. I instantly felt safe and at home here at Rowan. The professors I have had and classes I have taken also make all the difference. Like I mentioned earlier, I am not the best student around, but Rowan has changed that for me. I found my passion for writing and have learned that I am pretty good at it! My writing style has developed over the past three years with the help of the writing center and my professors always pointing me in the right directions. I have changed my major a few times now, but settling on writing arts was the best decision I’ve made yet.

If you are unhappy in college and feel like you don’t belong, it is never too late to apply and try to go somewhere else. Transfer students tend to get the best and worst experiences but just like anything else, it is what you make it. Enjoy college because once those years are up, and you become an adult, you cannot re-do it. Transferring was a blessing for me and I hope that others can find their way the same way I have.