Our senior years of high school we all applied to one, two, or maybe 10 different schools. We celebrated our acceptances, and mourned our rejections. Then, we finally made up our minds and picked one school. We celebrated our last summer with all of our friends and with no responsibilities. At the end of that outrageous summer, we packed all of our favorite things, and our parents dropped us off at our new home. We made friends, took classes that we actually wanted to take, and got comfortable in our new homes. This isn't reality for everyone though. Some people pick a school and when they get there, settle in, and make friends, then they change their minds. This letter is for all who are transferring, considering transferring, or have a friend who is deciding whether to leave or not.

Dear friend,

You are loved. You have chosen a school, and you have stuck it in there for a whole semester. But you now have the choice: transfer or stay. I have a completely biased opinion, and I think you should stay. Now obviously, I understand that people transfer for all different reasons. I think that you chose your current college for a specific reason, and you have consequently made some incredible friends. I am a very firm believer that everything happens for a reason. You were called to be at (insert the name of your school here), and you were called to be in the community that you are in. Whether you are itching to get away from your hometown or thinking that another school has something more to offer you, just remember that you chose this school, and it also chose you.

Sure, you have changed your major and there is a school out there better suited for you, but you also need to consider where you will be the happiest. This is not a letter telling you not to follow your dreams. This is a letter telling you to realize where you are the happiest, and where you will best succeed. No matter how great the program is in your field of study at that other university, it won't make any difference if you are sad, alone, and not thriving there.

If you are seriously considering transferring, then I want you to think about a few very important things. First, why did you choose the school you are currently going to? If you chose the school because your high school boyfriend or girlfriend was going there or because you liked the school's mascot, then yeah, I suppose you may realize you aren’t happy there since you based your initial decisions off of unimportant aspects. But if you chose the school because of the beautiful campus, the academics , a specific sports team or organization, or the distance it is away from home, then take a moment and appreciate these things you may have forgotten about.

Now think about the things that you completely love about your current school. The aspects and people about it that you would be devastated to leave behind. Imagine at your new school no people that barge into your room and demand that you all hang out no matter what time it is, doing homework until crazy hours of the night with your best friends, and being annoyed that they won't leave. Trust me, you might be thinking that these things sound great now, but in a few months or years, you will look back and miss us. And we will miss you too.

Remember that you are loved when you make your decision.