I was at a small, liberal arts college before coming to Maryland. After experiencing the ups and downs of going to a school with less than 5,000 people and no sports teams, I realized what I wanted out of college was different than I what I had originally desired.
Adjusting to college is more difficult than most people expect, especially as a transfer. And while the transfer process is difficult, one of the hardest part seems to come at the end – getting accustomed to your new school.
Now that you have made all these choices, applied, gotten accepted, and are headed to you’re school it feels like you’re a freshman all over again. You are dazed and confused and you don’t know where to go from here. While this totally sucks, it’s not as hard as it seems. The best thing I ever did for myself was talking to the girl across the hall from me on move in day. She ended up introducing me to her roommates and now I have an amazing group of girlfriends. Stepping out of my comfort zone has changed my first few months at a new school for the better.
There are so many aspects that appear daunting. Will I graduate on time? Will everyone already have an established friend group? Are you nervous about being closer to home or homesick? All of these questions, while important ones, have a simpler solution than you might think.
Graduating On Time: This worry, in fact, has the easiest solution of them all. If you are nervous that you might not graduate on time after transferring, then talk to an advisor. They can put your mind at ease about all the worries you might have about which classes to take, if you’ll graduate on time, and which credits have transferred. Trust me when I say, I left my advising appointment feeling like a new person since I was so reassured.
Will Everyone Already Have Friends: The short answer is no. The long answer is definitely not. Everyone in college is always looking for more friends because the truth is you can never have too many. It is possible that meeting people who already have friends might work in your best interest since whomever you meet will introduce you to whoever they hang out with; that is how I met my friends.
Closer or Farther from Home: While this might seem like a major issue, I am here to tell you that it is not. Now that you are no longer a freshman you have a much bigger sense of independence. Whether you transferred from a four-year school or from community college, you will quickly realize that adjusting to this change is easier than you thought since you already have an idea for what it is like.
Most importantly, take advantage of the new aspects of your new school. Now that I have major sports teams at Maryland, I never miss a game. It truly is the little things that will make your experience everything you hoped for.