Transferring? That’s a thing? That’s an option? That’s how I felt, lying in my twin size bed in my dorm room one morning towards the end of my fall semester freshman year. I think more than anything, I was utterly confused. I had worked so hard to get into such a prestigious university and raved about how in love I was with it, yet all I wanted to do was leave.

If you think I was confused, my parents were shocked! My parents, like always, only wanted me to be happy. They saw how important it was to me that I get into my top choice and how it seemed to be everything I ever wanted, so what did they do? They supported me every single step of the way. My mother stood by the mailbox around 3:30 every day, waiting to bring me what she hoped to be my acceptance letter. My dad calmed me down whenever I would start to feel anxious about hearing back.

I applied early decision and ended up getting waitlisted and soon thereafter, accepted—and let me tell you, finding out whether I got in or not on the last possible day letters went out was probably one of the most nerve-wracking experiences of my life. My mom and I, I kid you not, would go online and check on the University's social media accounts to see if they had posted the picture with the trucks loaded with letters being sent out to applicants.

So you may be wondering, “If you were that keen on attending, what could have possibly changed your mind?” Well, there were a lot of reasons, but to be honest, one of the biggest reasons for me personally, was the social scene. It was an exceptional university and it works well for so many people—but not for everyone, just as every university out there doesn’t.

I needed a more energetic and lively city. I craved engaging in outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking and paddle boarding. I was interested in exploring the food and music scenes. And more than anything, I wanted to feel like I could join any organization on campus and still feel as though I was part of a community. I never wanted to feel like if I didn’t join an organization, I wouldn’t have a social life. In other words, I didn’t want to feel bound to one organization or one group of people, in fear of not finding a social life outside of it.

At the end of the day, academics are extremely important and a strong and rigorous curriculum is what I wanted, but I knew then and there that it wasn’t everything. I couldn’t stay three more years enjoying only half of what you’re supposed to enjoy in college. I wasn’t getting the full college experience. I knew that I had to find a place that had a good balance of both.

Ironically enough, as much as I wanted to get away from home, sure enough, I ended up back in Texas. I guess you can take the girl out of Texas but you can’t take Texas out of the girl!

Now, in my third and final year here at The University of Texas at Austin, I find myself happier than ever. I have an incredible group of friends from many different social settings, enjoy all of my classes, have been exposed to countless opportunities, have joined awesome organizations on campus and find myself balancing both my busy social life and my rigorous course-work load pretty well.

So my message to you is it is okay! Just because you didn’t choose correctly the first time, doesn’t mean you don’t get another chance. Everybody finds their place, but sometimes it just takes us a couple tries.