For the first two years of my college career I was in a community college on Long Island. I had some trouble my first semester, but after I got into the swing of things I started liking my classes and even made some friends. There were no dorms, so you were forced to make friends in your class and even if it was only someone you talked to for the semester, it made the semester so much easier.
When I finally decided where I was going to transfer to I had a million thoughts rushing through my head. None of my friends transferred to a new school, so I was going in blind. I knew transferring was going to be difficult. I knew starting over was going to be a big challenge but I really had no idea what I was getting myself into.
Going in as a junior I already knew people were going to have their group of friends so I knew that I was going to have to try harder to make friends my age and to make friends in the dorms. I moved in a week later than everybody else and in that short week it seemed that everyone already had their group of friends. My two roommates, both freshmen, already went through the awkward ice breakers and floor meetings and met some people. I felt a little isolated. I realized how hard it was going to be to make friends, especially since at my dorm only two floors actually go to my school.
I became super anxious about everything. I moved in with two random girls I did not know, I was in a new environment and I was afraid I made the wrong decision. My whole life I dreamed about eventually living in the city but during my first few weeks I felt like I made the wrong choice. I constantly went back to Long Island to visit one of my best friends and she would always assure me that it was only the first few weeks and that it was going to take time to adjust. There are a lot of things they don’t tell you about transferring.
One of the hardest things for me was basically starting as a freshman. I had to learn the different buildings, where the library was, along with a lot of other super confusing lessons. Even the classes change. You could have taken a class at your old school then retake it at your new school and it's like you signed up for a completely different subject. Your hard-earned GPA is in the trash. You start with a 0.0 which to me was hard for me to deal with. You’re not even 100 percent sure where you stand, grade-wise. When people ask you what year you are, get used to shrugging and saying “I think…”
You’re going to regret your decision. When you go on Snapchat or Instagram you’re going to see your friends from your old school posting what they did last weekend and you’re going to wish you were a part of that. It’s hard to see your friends having fun without you. You’re going to think about transferring back because at least at your old school you know people and have an idea of what’s going on. There are going to be days where you sit in front of your laptop and research what school to go to.
In the end though, it’s worth it. You’ll make friends. You’ll figure out where each building is. You’ll learn new things in your new classes. You’ll be happy and realize that you made the right decision.
It takes time to get used to your new school but once that initial nervousness goes away you'll have a great college experience. You’ll realize it won’t make a difference where you went before. You’re going to learn a lot of things but one of the biggest lessons is that you’ll always end up where you belong.
