While doing college tours, I fell in love with the very first school I seriously toured. This school was Utica College. I walked through the quad, academic buildings, the athletic center and the Utica Memorial Auditorium where the ice hockey teams played. This school took my breath away. I got into the car after seeing the school and during the four-hour drive home, I kept telling my dad that was where I belonged. I looked at a few other schools but nothing compared. It was Utica College for me. I sent in my application at the end of August before my senior year of high school. That November, I was accepted and immediately sent my deposit in order to enroll for the fall of 2015. I thought I had it all figured out, but, less than a year later, I found myself sending in new college applications and touring schools all over again. I was back to square one.

At the end of my freshman year, I decided I was going to transfer out of Utica College. While most of my fellow classmates were studying for finals and getting situated with housing for the following year, I was mainly focused on doing the common application and finding the right place for me. It was with a heavy heart that I packed up my dorm room and said goodbye to the friends I made in Utica. Not all knew that this goodbye was not just until next August, which made moving out harder. While most of my friends spent their first week of summer at the beach and doing other adventurous things, I was touring colleges. I was in a place I never thought I would be.

It was very hard for me to think about transferring. I was afraid I would be put down for it. I also was afraid I would be admitting failure of some sort. This was not the case at all. My parents were instrumental in making me realize this was not the case. I should not have been afraid to tell people I was transferring, once this feeling went away, I got excited. Then I finally settled down and decided I will attend New England College in the fall of 2016 and announced this to my friends and family. With this announcement came a lot of questions. Throughout the rest of this article, I am going to answer a few of those questions to the best of my ability to help tell the story of why I decided to transfer.

The most frequently asked question I got was "Why?" It is hard to exactly pinpoint an answer to this question but it mainly boils down to distance. I found myself four hours away from the people I loved back home. I wasn't able to come home just for the weekend and when I did, it was expensive and inconvenient. At one point, I went two months without seeing my family. This made things hard for me because I am extremely close to my family.

The next question I want to address is the most important one. I was asked multiple times, "Was it because you were unhappy?" I want everyone to understand that I am not transferring because I was unhappy. I enjoyed every minute I spent at Utica College. I met friends who I know I will have for the rest of my life and made incredible memories. Leaving Utica isn't because I was unhappy.

Then, "Did you not like it?" The answer to this is no, I loved it. It would be a lie for me to say that I did not like Utica College. There were great programs, athletic facilities, class sizes and professors. It just was not what is best for me at the end of the day. I was able to find a school an hour from home with many things to offer me. This just made more sense.

Lastly, I want everyone to understand that just because I am transferring doesn't mean that I made a mistake. I do not look at going to Utica College as a mistake. I learned many valuable life lessons at Utica, made memories and met incredible people. I would not take any of these things back if I had the chance. Transferring is not about not being happy; it's about doing what is best for me. I will miss Utica and the people I met there, however, I am very excited to see what New England College and the future has in store for me.