I thought I hated my hometown before my first year away at college. I was only forty minutes from home, but my life turned hellish the second I moved in. I won't go into all the gory details of what happened because, quite frankly, it's very personal to me, but what happened will never be forgotten. Furthermore, what happened after--the way I was treated--will forever be with me.

People say that they hate my school now, but, honestly, I don't think they understand what it's really like to hate where you go to school. I listen to my friends consider transferring, but none of them feel it is absolutely necessary as I did. So, if you really hate your school, this is for you.

It's scary looking for your next school. It's actually insanely terrifying. When you transfer, that's pretty much your school unless you drop out or you actually decide to transfer again. Honestly, transferring a second time is really difficult due to graduation necessities; unless you want to graduate late, I don't suggest it.

At your new school, you'll probably be pulling twice as much weight as student who are already on track with graduation. Not all of your credits will transfer, and most of the time they don't transfer for very stupid reasons. Sometimes they do transfer, and yet you still have to take the same class again! That is what happened to me with philosophy. The first day of my Ethics class, my professor asked if any of the students had taken a philosophy class, and if so where. When I rose my hand to tell him, he said "Well, you have an advantage; this is the same class."

Not to mention, any friends you had at your old school will most likely lose touch with you. Occasionally, you may get a text message from them, but eventually, you become nothing more than facebook friends and free instagram likes (cue "Somebody That I Used to Know" by Goatee).

When you visit schools, you can see a world of opportunity and greatness. You imagine yourself at every school as you did in the beginning; except, this time you are older and a bit wiser. You know what you need in a school. Moreso, you know what you want in a school. That will make the entire process easier.

I want you to know that the second you choose your new school, it gets easier. The semester starts to fly by, and you don't really worry about what people are saying anymore. Allow yourself to breathe; allow yourself to have fun. Make good memories to look back on, instead of always remembering the bad.

The day you move into your new school, your whole life changes. You're lowkey terrified. Especially if you're like me, I left my home 7 hours away from me, but I can tell you that today, I am the happiest girl in the world. You will find a good friend group, a group of people that accepts you for your quirks and enjoys your company. You will enjoy the majority of your classes and professors. Life will be so good that you won't think about the dark days in your life at your old school. You will find new opportunities and success. You will make this school yours. This is your new home. This is your oyster. You are the pearl.