Transferring schools can be the best decision of your life, an absolute nightmare, or in my case a little of both. The idea of transferring and starting over seems so appealing; you have a clean slate to be whoever you want to be. But the reality is that starting over is a lengthy and tiring process. Many people can't just start over and make a perfect life for themselves in a week. It takes time to adjust to your new surroundings, make new friends, and feel like you're at home.

Now I'm not saying that transferring isn't worth it, because for me it is. But finding the strength to leave a school that no longer served its purpose to me was only the first half of the battle. I had fantasies that I would transfer schools, make awesome friends right away, and magically know my way around campus. But reality check, it didn't happen like that. I've gotten lost on campus more times than I'd like to admit, and have made an easy 15 minute walk into a draining, sweaty 35 minute walk. I'm still figuring out where I fit in on campus, and who my life long friends will be because, SURPRISE, most people already have a definite friend group by senior year and are less willing to branch out to the "new girl". You have new roommates that you pray you get along with and have to readjust nearly everything you've known for the past few years to this new place. It's been far from my dream, but I still stand by my decision, transferring was worth it.

At my new school, I no longer have to walk around with my head down or my headphones in all the time trying to scurry to class before anyone noticed me. Now I take my time and I admire the campus, thinking how grateful I am to be at such a beautiful school. Just by transferring, I've felt more myself than I have in years and find myself being truly happy. I have rediscovered my love for sports, learning, writing, and hey, even the gym (I know, I'm as surprised as you are). But it's the best feeling to find myself again after being somewhere that changed me for the worst.

But I do have bad days.

There will always be days where I miss my friends from my other school, and wish I back with them going out and eating pizza at 2am. And there are moments where I think how much easier it would have been to just finish out one more year at my old school and not have to worry about making new friends and rebuilding my life. The fact is, it would have been easier, but I wouldn't have been this happy.

I am happier now having 4 friends at my new school and not knowing how many credits have transferred in than I was with a million friends and an easy 5 minute walk to my classes at my old school. So was transferring worth it? Absolutely. Because I would take a life that is complicated yet happy over a life of misery and simplicity any day.

So thank you, to my new school. I can't ever say enough thanks for turning my life around and giving me a new found hope for myself. And a thanks to myself, for taking the plunge and making a change that was difficult, to put myself on the right path. It's not an easy road, but it damn sure is worth it.