I was lucky enough to fall in love with my university on day one. But even though I've always loved my school, I didn’t become friends with my best friends until halfway through second semester. Some students don’t have the experience I do, but it upsets me when they don’t allow themselves the opportunity to enjoy their school. You won’t always be best friends with your roommate or find best friends in the first class you take. You won’t always love your major right away, and it’s extremely common to switch your major over the years...even more than once. Fall and spring semesters are completely different. In my opinion, it's totally unfair to rule out the idea of loving second semester when you've only given one semester a chance.
The weather is different.
I go to school in Florida, so I don’t have much of a difference between semesters except for the fact that I have to stop tanning and wear pants and jackets for like...a month or two. But if you go to school anywhere that gets cold, the environment changes as the seasons do.
Old students graduate and new students enter.
High school is different. You only have a small amount of kids to become friends with, and sometimes it even feels forced just so you can be social, and you're stuck with the same kids for so many years. College is a giant change. You can be friends with your roommates (or not), you can be friends with your classmates (or not), you can be friends with people in the same clubs as you (or not), you can join Greek life (or not)...there are endless opportunities to make friends. But you can’t depend on making best friends you first week at school, or even your first semester. I went through two different groups of friends before I found my “friendmates,” as I like to call them. They’re the people I know I’ll be friends with forever. My friend soulmates. And I promise, if you are patient, you will find your own. Shoutout to my friendmates.
Your classes and professors change.
Hating your classes is no excuse to transfer out. Every semester, you get to take new classes that over time will become more and more exciting. You might hate a professor, or you might love a professor and choose to take multiple classes of theirs. Whatever the case may be, this is one of the greatest parts of college. You have the freedom to take courses you want, once you get the basic prerequisites handled.
Different holidays.
In the fall, you have Thanksgiving break, winter break, and sometimes even “fall break.” In the spring, you have spring break, and then the end of the school year. There are so many opportunities to either go home, or go on vacation.
Roommates.
My freshman year wasn’t perfect when it came to roommates. I was in a triple corner room and we had our own bathroom, which was pretty awesome, but I only ended up getting along with one of the girls, not both. The one I didn’t get along with ended up moving out, and we got a new roommate in the spring. That roommate and I became extremely close and we’re still good friends two years later. I was always close with my roommates, but we were never best friends. We lived well together and talked about everything and we’re still friends, but reminder: you don’t have to be best friends with your roommates to have a good living experience. And if it's that brutal, switch rooms! Most universities give you that option once a semester, so if it's too late now, just stick it out until spring.
Your first semester is about transition and accomplishment.
Whether you start college in the fall or the spring, your first semester is all about adapting to change and accommodating to a completely new lifestyle. You’re on your own, you most likely live with roommates, and you’re practically fending for yourself. It takes time to get used to the new life that you are living. I understand homesickness, but keep in mind that over time it gets easier. Everything always gets easier over time.
The point of this article is to try to prove to you (yes, you, the student considering transferring at the end of this semester) that it’s not fair to leave before giving your school a full year. Just think about it. There are so many exciting things that next semester will offer. Give your university a second chance.