When I first began my college experience, I packed my bags and moved a thousand miles away from home. The last thing I imagined was not completing all four years at the original university I chose. But hey, life happens, and I ended up transferring back home the second semester of my sophomore year.
Here are the five everyday problems of a transfer student.
1. "Hi, can you tell me where _____ is? I'm lost."
It has been three months, and I literally know where two buildings are: the library, and the one that has an Einstein Bagels. Do not ask me to meet you somewhere I have never been on campus, I will end up laying face down in the courtyard out of frustration. If you know someone who has recently transferred, be a good friend and take them on a campus-wide field trip, because we are absolutely hopeless.
2. "Oh, you're rushing, what sorority do you want?"
I really do appreciate the enthusiasm whenever this question is asked, but please realize that Greek life has its own language. I do not know any of your words, let alone the names of all the different groups. "Uh, yeah, probably Delta Beta Tau Vanilla Truffle Zeta." Also, I know maybe one percent of humans at the school, so the chances of me knowing the dynamics of the sororities are slim to none. But I swear I'm excited! Just clueless.
3. Taking half of your courses online may be a secret savior.
Since my transferring was so spur of the moment, class registration was a bit of a nightmare. Nothing of interest or relevance was open, other than the courses that were offered online. I ended up taking three out of my four classes online, and was mega bummed about the idea. Well, truth be told, I think it was a blessing in disguise. I love my real life class, but easing into a new school with the comfort of getting to really choose how much time I spent on campus was pretty awesome. I definitely would only advise it for the first semester, though; I mean, I'm not trying to turn into a hermit over here.
4. I practically post Craigslist ads requesting friendships.
Okay, so this didn't really happen, but it's a joke that's scored me many a laugh at parties where I know only the group I came with (and that's pushing it). As a social butterfly, I thought it would be no issue at all making new friends, similar to the ease of meeting people at the beginning of freshman year. Holy crapola, was I wrong. After the first year, everyone is pretty set in their friend groups, making it hard for newbies like me to worm my way in. I do have to remind myself that it'll all work out the way it's supposed to, and these things definitely take time. In the meantime, I'm definitely enjoying accepting every invitation to new places and experiences.
5. I'm in long-distance relationships with my ex-roommates.
I can't even explain the void in my heart from not waking up every day from one of my roommates jumping into my bed, wanting to thoroughly discuss the happenings of the night before. These girls know me better than absolutely anyone, and not being with them 24/7 anymore definitely takes a toll. They have wiped away my tears, helped me cram for big tests, forced me to switch to water, and preformed just about every other motherly action possible. Who's going to keep me in line now?
Overall, I really am so happy about my switching schools. It was completely unexpected, but like I said, everything happens for a reason. This is the start of a brand new story, and I cannot wait to see how it ends.
