I first want to start by saying that I am completely aware that people transfer schools for many different kinds of reasons. College is expensive and many people are forced to transfer for financial reasons. College is also one of the most stressful times of a person’s life so people transfer or move home for that reason as well. Some people go to certain colleges with the intention of transferring to a better school academically as well. These are all completely valid reasons to transfer schools and I respect anyone’s decision to do so 100%.

That being said, If you are someone considering transferring because you feel like you’re missing out on what is happening at other schools, you are generally unhappy where you are for no particular reason or something just “doesn’t feel right,” then this article is for you.

I first decided I wanted to transfer schools my second semester freshman year. I was really set on transferring, but I didn’t tell anyone at USC in fear that they would judge me or try to convince me otherwise. When I finally did tell my family and close friends, the main question they asked was simply “why?”

I dreaded this question more than anything else because I didn’t have a clear answer. I really didn’t know why I wanted to transfer. All I knew is that something didn’t feel right about where I was and I wasn’t entirely happy. I figured that leaving USC and going somewhere new would allow me to start over and feel like myself again.

Shortly after, I went home for the summer. After a few weeks of being with my family and my high school friends, I felt back to my old self and and decided I was going to give USC another shot.

That fall, I returned to USC. I moved into an awesome apartment with one of my best friends, participated in recruitment and got a hilariously funny little, and had a perfect class schedule. Despite all of this, once again I felt like something wasn’t right. After months of going home or visiting friends at other schools every weekend, I decided I would finally transfer.

In the spring, I transferred to a school close to home where many of my high school friends also went. I got there expecting to finally feel like I was exactly where I was supposed to be but instead I was filled with feelings of regret. I missed my sorority sisters, going out in Five Points, walking to class on USC’s beautiful campus, working out at Strom, the weather and pretty much everything about South Carolina. Finally I realized USC wasn’t the problem, I was.

My negative attitude kept me from seeing how truly blessed I was to be able to go to either one of those schools, especially South Carolina, which had been my dream school for as long as I could remember. I left Columbia every weekend because it was “boring”, but how would I know if it was boring? I was never there to experience all it had to offer. I always felt like I was missing out on what everyone else was doing, but why? I could’ve been enjoying myself in Columbia, just like everyone else was doing wherever they were.

After a lot of attitude adjusting and soul searching, I transferred back to USC for this Fall semester and I have never been happier with a decision I’ve made. With a new positive attitude and an appreciation for things that I once took for granted, I am certain that this year is going to be the best year yet.

That being said, if you are considering transferring schools I want you to think about a few very important things. First of all, why did you choose the school you are going to in the first place? If you chose the school because your high school boyfriend was going there or because you liked the school colors, then yeah, I suppose you may realize you aren’t happy there since you based your initial decision off of unimportant factors.

But If you chose the school because the campus was beautiful, the academics were outstanding, and it was the perfect distance away from home, then take a moment to appreciate these things which you may have forgotten about. I chose USC initially because it was an excellent school and not too far from home, but also far enough away to separate myself from people from my high school. I transferred to a school that was lacking in both of these areas, which finally allowed me to appreciate USC. If only I had stopped to acknowledge these things and more before making such a big decision.

Now, what do you love about your school that you would be devastated to leave behind? Imagine yourself no longer being able to walk through the horseshoe on a perfect sunny day (aka everyday) or no longer going to eat lunch at your sorority house with all of your closest friends you’ve known since bid day Freshman year. Imagine no longer longer being able to eat endless amounts of pizza at Village or no longer ending the night on Pav’s front porch. Trust me you don’t want to imagine it, let alone live it. A life without dollar slices of pizza is a life I don’t want to live.

If you are considering transferring because you want to be near your high school friends, remember that high school was such a small insignificant part of your life in the grand scheme of things. The people you meet in college are just as awesome as the people you knew in high school if you just give them a chance. Doing things that scare you make you grow, so even if being away from the familiarity of your high school friends scares you, it will benefit you in the long run.

If you are considering transferring because of a boy/girl, remember that there are plenty of fish in the sea. As cliche as it sounds, it's true. If the person you are considering transferring for is that important, the distance part will work itself out and they will be happy that you’re happy, no matter where you are.

If you are considering transferring because you’re not having fun where you are, you’re doing something wrong. There is a saying “college is what you make it”. I refused to believe in this saying for the longest time and always blamed my unhappiness on USC, but now I know this saying is true. If you spend nights locked up in your room watching Netflix or constantly leave on the weekends, you’re not really making the most out of your college experience. If you want to have fun, have fun. If you want to be happy, be happy. It’s simple.

If you still want to transfer schools after reading this, that’s okay. There are plenty of legitimate reasons to transfer. I just hope that a few lost souls ,like I once was, will realize all they are leaving behind if they leave a place that has grown to be so important to them like Columbia, South Carolina has grown to be to me.