Transferring schools is a tough decision for anyone. No one wants to start over. You feel disappointed because you were looking forward to going off to college in the fall, but your experience wasn't what you thought it would be. When the best four years of your life turns out to be unhappy for whatever reason, you have to make a change.

If you're reading this and are contemplating transferring or already decided to transfer colleges, you are probably not really excited. You probably made some friends and got comfortable in your current school. But maybe you miss home too much like I do, or you just don't feel connected like you thought you would. If that’s the case, you can’t keep thinking, “what if it’s better somewhere else?”

Deciding to transfer basically feels like you're a high school senior again looking for colleges to go to. But you shouldn't look at being a transfer as a bad thing. You actually have an advantage. You know what you like about the school you chose and definitely know what you hate. You're able to narrow down colleges based on how homesick you are, what your friends like and dislike about their schools, and how easy it is too make friends at a big or small school. Sure, it’s a big decision to leave one school and start over for another, but chances are it will be worth it.

You'll never know how you’ll fit in or meet people in a new school until you actually start classes. You shouldn't be scarred of transferring just because you don't want it to be worse at your next school. I’m in the same boat, I’m only hoping that things will be better for me at another school. I know that I miss being home, so I’m going to commute at my next school. I wouldn't have known that if I didn't go through one year of college.

When it comes down to it, you should feel good that you are making a decision to have a better college experience. Whether you just finished your freshman year or you are deciding later that you don't like your school, transferring is a good thing. You will feel much better when you look back and remember how bad you felt before. It’s not easy, but transferring will be worth it when you can actually enjoy every aspect of college.