I am a sophomore at Christopher Newport University, but I wasn’t a freshman here 365 days ago. After a rocky start at college, I made the difficult decision to leave everything I knew about college behind me. In case you were wondering, transferring isn’t easy. If it was, you’d see people switching schools left and right.
…If it was, my decision to apply a week before classes began would’ve spared me an inconceivable amount of stress and a broken out face to show for it.
Here are eight pieces of advice for those of you about to embark on this roller coaster. It’s daunting, but if your heart led you to your decision, it will be worth it.
Before stepping foot on campus…
1. (Wo)Man up.
I considered saying “Don’t be scared,” but how hypocritical would that be? Hopefully you’re pumped to go somewhere you love, but you’re also about to journey into the unknown. You were terrified when you first went to college, but you survived. And if you survived then, you will survive now.
2. Mentally prepare yourself to redefine your comfort zone.
Even if you were 110 percent psyched for college to begin, there were some aspects of it that made you uncomfortable. You didn’t like your roommate, you were far from your friends, you didn’t know how to do your laundry or what you wanted to study, and/or you knew this began a four year countdown before real adulthood. Something made you a bit uneasy, and it may have taken months, but you stepped outside of your comfort zone and subconsciously widened its borders. This will happen again and it will challenge and change you in ways no other experience can.
3. Check out your undergraduate catalog.
Specifically the transfer courses and equivalencies page. Are you ahead, behind, or right on time? Is it important to you to hold a Bachelor’s degree four years after you received your high school one, or would it be more beneficial to take your time? Is it possible to drop your course load to 12 credits while you navigate your first semester in a brand new place? (10/10 strongly recommend) Equally important is your major/minor/area of interest section. How many of these courses have you completed, how many are left, and which classes pique your interest? Getting an idea of what your next two, three, or four years will look like will calm your nerves and excite your spirit.
Now that you’re on campus…
4. Explore.
Get lost, ask for directions, and do it again. Familiarize yourself with your new home so you aren’t running to class with a backpack on. Check out every nook and cranny of the library, the student union, the on-campus cafes and eating areas, and the study rooms located in your residence hall or favorite academic building. Find your favorite spot(s) and bookmark them in your brain — soon you’ll grow tired of using your brain in your personal chillout space.
5. Throw yourself out there.
This is most likely what will get you outside of your comfort zone. Go to the club fair, get involved, and visit your academic success and student activities offices. Force yourself to meet people and know the resources you have in front of you. Check out several different organizations and narrow them down after getting your feet wet.
6. Ask questions.
You’ve been to college before, so any new questions you have are stupid, right? Wrong. It took weeks for me to ask someone how to print (in my defense, it’s a 3×4 machine with beeping sounds and flashing lights, no instructions nearby, and a long line of perpetual procrastinators behind you). You just learned the rules, locations, building names, dining hall hours, and major/minor requirements of your old school. Now, you have about a week to hit the delete button on that information and begin studying the ins and outs of your new campus. Figure out the common knowledge, even if you have to start with “I’m a transfer…” or “This is a freshman question, but…” like I did. I also went forever before I discovered we have Chicken Tender Tuesdays and Midweek Muffins on Wednesdays. Ask questions. It makes finding food easier, thereby making life easier.
7. Drop by the counseling office.
It’s 2016. Counseling ten years ago meant something inside of you was wrong, broken, and needed to be fixed. Now we know the brain is a muscle that works incessantly and therefore requires a delicate balance of exercise and relaxation — a balance that looks different for everyone. Stop by and schedule an appointment. Like I said, there’s a whole new world to learn about and you’re surrounded by people who already know it (hello, frustration and bottled emotions). There is no contract signing your life away, promising to come back in a week, or requiring you to tell your whole life story; go, spill some feelings out, learn more about yourself, and take your time deciding whether to return. There is nothing lost in that one hour of trying something new.
8. You will grow. Get excited.
Not much more I can say here. In August 2015, I was timid and terrified. Seven months later, because I pushed myself to my limits, I am proud to say that I made my forever friends here at CNU, discovered topics my heart loves learning about, was elected Vice President of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Club, and was just recently hired as a Transfer Orientation Leader for the upcoming summer. Those who met me during my first week here are amazed that the same person is writing this article today. Vene vidi vici. If I grew that much in seven months, I can’t wait to see what the next two years will throw at me.
If it’s necessary at the time, it will be worth it at the end. Many have done it before you, many will do it after you. Trust the process.