Encouragement for those beginning again:
Millions of articles (hardly an exaggeration) have been written about bright-eyed and bushy-tailed freshmen entering college. Anxious and excited, seeking inside secrets to get a leg up on how to avoid being the quintessential "awkward freshman." We admittedly all probably read a few of them before leaving our parents and friends behind for the ultimate four-year adventure. Expectations are sky high for this time of our life!
Some folks have had their sights on their dream school since they were kids, and it has fulfilled, no exceeded, every expectation, but some do not choose the right school initially. Some people find themselves in the disillusioned gray area that is being a transfer student. I feel that transfer students are in need of the same, if not more, encouragement than freshmen because their expectations for college were not met for one reason or another, so they decide that it is best to begin from square one again. For them, college may no longer be a shiny new toy on Christmas morning, and they are still waiting to be struck by that, "Wow, I love my school moment."
Currently living in a hall full of transfers and being one myself, everyone has unique circumstances. Some of us found our way to Grove City because our old school was too large, too far from home or too urban. Plenty of students transferred in from a 2-year community college. Others have overcome incredible challenges and are picking up where they left off.
To all of the transfer students wading their way through the first couple weeks at a brand new school ....again, I have a few words of encouragement since I assume logistically you've got the "college thing" down.
1. First off, BRAVO! You have dusted yourself off and suited back up for Round 2!
Just like Rocky who came back to defeat Apollo Creed, you're back in the game and ready to win it.
You have already overcome the hardest challenge associated with transferring. Deciding to be thrown back into a brand new situation with entirely new people is a testament to your perseverance. I may or may not be alone in this, but I felt as if I had failed whenever I was not happy at my prior college. I felt a level of shame for not being so exuberantly satisfied when everyone around me seemed to be having an amazing time. There is no shame in needing to find a school that is a better fit, be it one with a smaller or larger campus, urban or middle-of-a-corn-field feel or the general culture of the student body. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, "The average worker currently holds ten different jobs before age forty, and this number is projected to grow." The first job you get after college likely will not be your only job the rest of your life, so change is going to come. Don't sweat it if you did not find the right fit off the bat, be proud and thankful that you are learning to identify which environments you thrive in. This experience will probably also help you down the line as you do begin the inevitable job search.
2. It is OKAY and NORMAL to compare your new school to your old school.
If you find yourself comparing the food in the dining halls, the look of campus, the size of your dorm, or your school's policies, that's totally normal. Since you entirely leave your home and immerse yourself in a college, it essentially becomes your second home during the school year. It is natural to pick out similarities and especially differences. Hopefully, the differences are favorable and become favorite features of your new school.
3. God is GOOD; Surrender to His plan.
He will use all of your past experiences for HIS plan. I repeat for HIS plan, not necessarily yours. Maybe you had an infallible plan mapped out for yourself: go to school at blank because it is blank and blank, study blank and get a job as blank. Fill in your blanks... I thought I would love all of the blanks I filled in freshman year, but lo and behold, I quickly realized I despised my own plan and reality fell way short of my expectations. I realized my passions and skills had no basis in what I was studying, and the environment was not what I had imaged. I was devastated and upset that God did not facilitate the amazing first-year-of-college experience I watched all of my friends have. Did anyone catch the flaw in my thinking? It is not merely that God should shower blessings upon MY plan, but that I, and we, are called to surrender our will to His.
In Isaiah 55:9 God says, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. God asserts that His ways and thoughts are higher than our own. Despite what we may think is the best, most surest plan for our future, God is working in ways we cannot even fathom. Additionally, we are told in Romans 2:28 that, "We know that for those who love God all things will work together for their good, for those who are called according to his purpose." So not only are God's plans higher than our own, but His plans are also working for our good. He is working to fulfill His purpose through us, and we must surrender to Him even whenever it is not part of OUR original plan because His is greater than ours could ever be.
This was the hardest lesson I have ever had to learn. I realized I had not fully surrendered my whole life to God. I was still in the driver's seat clutching the steering wheel, flooring it towards a brick wall. I was defiant and unbelieving that my own plan would lead me somewhere I did not want to go. It took all summer praying to the Lord and the input of many awesome people to reveal to me that I had not let God be in complete control of my college plan. This is an easy mentality to fall into, believing that you have control over X, Y, and Z and God should merely shower blessings down upon them. However, it is not the life we are all called to live, fully surrendered to Him.
So be encouraged that the changes in the direction of your college plan are being led by a God who sees far beyond where we can see and enjoy the new experiences and embrace the people He is bringing you to.
