As expected, being a transfer student isn’t easy. I’m not afraid to admit that even on my small campus, I’ve gotten lost more times than I can count on both of my hands. It took a few weeks but once I got the hang of it, I felt right at home. Most people I talk to say they could never imagine being a transfer student and to be honest, I never thought I would be one either. Even though I’ve been at my new school for a semester now, I still feel some of these struggles on a daily basis.

1. Having to go through orientation yet again

There is good and bad to having to attend orientation twice. I completely understand that it’s important that we attend it the first time, but the second time can be slightly overkill. The good side to orientation is that you meet other students who are in the same boat as you, and you get the opportunity to make friends before you start the school year.

2. Wondering if you picked the right school or if this is another doozy

The process of finding the right school isn’t easy for everyone. If you live on campus, your college is essentially your second home. Pick one where you feel comfortable and where you know you will thrive.

3. Not knowing where any of your classes are

On my first day of classes, I took the longest route around my campus to get to my first class. Needless to say, I walked into class with two minutes to spare and I was trying to cover up my panting from speed walking. I found out later that day that there was a shortcut that leads right from my dorm to the building I was trying to get to. College: 1. Me: 0.

4. Walking into the wrong classroom, and not realizing until it's too late

The good news is you can use the excuse that you’re a transfer student and hope that your crush wasn’t in that class. I managed to avoid this until my sixth week of school, and at that point, saying that I was a transfer student wasn’t really a valid excuse. All you have to do is put your head down, walk out, and pretend it never happened!

5. Trying to figure out what's safe to eat and what to avoid at each dining hall

This is one of the few times when the saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” is not applicable. Judge your food by its cover! If something looks weird, just avoid it and save yourself the trouble. Another thing I did when first trying to figure out what to eat was following the flock of people toward whatever food station they were going to. If they look like they know what they’re doing, they probably do, and they also probably know what’s good and what isn’t. If worse comes to worse, pasta is almost always a safe (and delicious) option.

6. Having people ask you if you're a freshman

Yes, I may look lost 90 percent of the time, but no, I am not a freshman. I usually don’t take this one to heart; it’s a common misunderstanding.

7. Trying to take extra classes on top of your already-full course load

No one ever really talks about this but when you transfer, chances are a few of your classes won’t transfer with you. Either you can take summer courses, or pack on an extra class or two each semester and hope you don’t crack under all of the stress.

8. Feeling extremely annoying and awkward when you ask random people questions all the time

I’ve gotten to the point now where I’ve accepted the fact that I still don’t know where most places are on campus and I’m okay with it. Just yesterday I had to ask someone where the spoons were in the dining hall. But when you transfer, no one tells you where the water fountains, vending machines, or even the bathrooms are in most buildings. You have to find out somehow!

9. Being asked by family members if you've made any friends or if you've found a boyfriend yet

Family can make this process slightly more stressful at times. This is one of those things that most people worry about the most when they consider transferring, but I can assure you that making new friends as a transfer student isn’t as hard as it seems! And to answer my family’s question, finding a boyfriend at this school is just as hard as it was at my previous one.

10. Realizing you've found the right school

This one isn’t as much of a struggle, but the process of getting to this point was scary and overwhelming and half of the time you weren’t sure you were going to make it. Once you reach this point, it only gets better.