The decision was excruciating. It consumed my every waking thought and somehow made its way into my sub-conscious as well. The thought of transferring schools can be a terrifying thought at first, but in the end you’re usually doing it to put yourself in a better position to succeed. For me, it all started in the fall of 2013.
I was two weeks into my freshmen year at the University of Oregon and I split my nights between going out and doing what any typical college kid does, while the rest of my time was in a hospital gurney. I was constantly getting sick and the doctors had no idea what was going on. Long story short, I’m good now (knock on wood) but I found myself searching for something that I couldn’t quite find.
As with any school, it’s a lot to take in all that it has to offer. I started to compensate things that I wanted for things the school had, and while not of it was bad, I couldn’t shake this feeling I had.
The good thing about transferring, and what I’ve learned in the process, is that you know exactly what you want. This is an absolute blessing in disguise. I applied to an absurd amount of colleges while in high school because I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted. After being in Oregon, I knew what I needed and where to look. I came back to New York and applied to Hofstra as a television and screenwriting major, something not offered at my previous school.
Although I knew many people at Hofstra, it was a bit daunting to completely change my major and atmosphere, but I knew it was for the best. Talking to professors that are currently working in the field and taking classes that I dreamt of in high school has given me a newfound confidence as to who I am. Believe it or not, that’s from just transferring schools.
While I miss the friends I made in Oregon dearly, I know I made the right decision. Transferring has given me a new perspective as to who I am and what I want, while also giving me that feeling of finding my niche.
My two pieces of advice to my fellow transfer students are this:
1) Get involved. Something I was scared to do at first, but definitely paid off. Some of the people I met just from speaking up in class or volunteering to do something have evolved into possible lifelong collaborators and lifetime friends.
2) The first day can be intimidating if you don’t know anybody, but this is how I see it: you’re one step ahead of everyone else because you’ve managed to put yourself in a situation to help you move forward to accomplish your goals!
Don’t sweat it. Be yourself and the rest will come naturally!