People always give freshmen a hard time, and because of that most people are excited to leave their freshman status behind them and move up in the world as sophomores. However, us transfer students essentially have the experience of being a freshman twice.
Oftentimes students who decide to transfer are happier, healthier and more productive for it. However, as a student who transferred after my freshman year of college, I know that starting all over as a sophomore comes with some challenges.
1. You have no idea where your classes are.
As a freshman you expected to to be lost on campus. However, you had thought that as a sophomore (or upperclassman) you would know the lay of the land. When you transfer, you set yourself up to once again wander aimlessly around, looking at campus maps.
2. Your credits may not transfer well.
This could happen in several ways. Some of your credits may not transfer, leaving you behind and scrambling to catch up. Or all your credits could transfer, but not in a way that helps you get closer to graduation (maybe they all transferred as electives). This can be a frustrating waste of time and money.
3. You don't quite understand all of the required classes left on your to-do list.
After however many semesters of picking classes at your last university (or quarters) you mostly understood what was required of you in order to graduate on time within your respective major. When you transfer, this all switches on you - meaning you have to reconfigure your game plan.
4. You don't know your student ID number anymore
After using your last one and memorizing it, the new one is hard to remember. This leaves you rushing to look it up before an exam as scantrons are being passed around and professors tell you to put everything away.
5, You no longer know all of your school's dining hall hacks.
At your last school you had already figured out what was inedible and which days were the best in each dining hall. At your new school you have to experiment all over again until you get through a few terrible meals and figure it out.
6. You don't know who to live with.
At your last school you probably had friends you were planning on living with. When you transfer, chances are you don't know anyone to bunk with. This leaves you with the dreaded option of living with random people (who could be crazy or mean or really messy).
7. You get the last class registration time.
This makes it hard to get good classes and a good schedule.
8. You need to find a new study spot.
At your old school you had found that special nook in the library where you could crank out all your work, and quickly too. It was your focus zone. Now you have to wander around campus and use trial and error to find that same productivity.
9. You're a newbie in every group you join.
At your last school you'd already taken all the heat of being a freshman. Maybe you carried all the gear for your soccer team all year. This year, as a newbie to new groups, chances are you have to do it all again.
10. You don't have favorite places to go out.
Most likely after a certain amount of time at your last school you knew where you would have the best time on a Saturday night. This exponentially increased your chances of having a great night. At your new school there's still a lot of trial and error and failed nights to be had before you know what's fun.
11. All the friends you made as a freshman are still together.
When you choose to leave a school, it does not mean you are incredibly excited to leave the friends you made behind. The goodbyes can be sad. Not to mention that with social media you can see everything they are all doing together. Even if the decision you made was exactly right for you, it can still sting to see all the fun your friends are having at your old school when you are in a new place and don't know anyone.
12. You are starting all over
Chances are almost nobody knows you at your new school. This was true of your freshman year, but somehow stings a little more as a sophomore or junior. Freshman year everyone is in the same boat and desperate to meet each other. This tends not to be true of other classes. Fresh starts are awesome and exciting, but starting over and leaving friendships behind always has it's challenges.
However, despite all of this, a new beginning can be the best thing to happen to a person. The thing about these little struggles is that they all get resolved, and quickly. After a brief period of time everything will probably be just as you had hoped. Keep on keeping on, transfers. <3
