With so many new freshmen on campus as well as returning students, it can be difficult for transfers to acclimate to their new environment. You’re the new kid at Northeastern but you’re not new to college. You did the hard work of filling out the Common App not once but twice, and have finally arrived where you belong. But the adventure has just begun! As someone who has transferred twice (long story, moving on), allow me to give you a few tips that I have found to be helpful:
1. Go to the freshman events:
Remember when you were a freshman and you went to all those freshman events, introducing yourself to anyone you could get to pause for 5 seconds? That time has returned. While these events are aimed at freshman, they are really suitable for new students in general (and anyone else who wants to participate as well). Yes, they seem corny, and making hundreds of new freshman friends might not be what you had in mind, but the more of these events you attend the more you can learn about what your new school has to offer. Think about all of the people you knew from your old school just because you met them at these types of events. And since when has meeting new people ever been a bad thing?
2. Join clubs:
You would probably have a nice lump of money if you had a dollar for every time someone told you to “get involved.” But getting involved is exactly what you need to do when you are once again the new kid on the block. It’s another way to meet people, and the sooner you are able to recognize faces at this vast school the more comfortable you will feel. When you first start out, the school doesn’t quite feel like yours yet. Join clubs that interest you. If you’re a hard core math or science major, but you love the arts and want to try out for the dance team, go for it! Pick something you are passionate about. Learn from any mistakes you may have made at your old school and make this time around the best yet.
3. Accept change:
During the first few weeks of school, sometimes all you can think about is how different everything is from your old school. When you leave one place for another, you do learn to appreciate what you had, but make sure you allow yourself to move on. Don’t try to compare everything you have now to what you did or did not have at your old school. Accept that this is where you are now and jump into things with an open mind. You had a reason for transferring, so make sure you keep that in mind when the realization that you aren’t at your old school anymore sets in.
4. Relax/Give it Time:
If you’re anything like me, your first week of class was one of the most daunting first weeks ever. You are now that upperclassmen that has their face glued to a map, and you have to deal with the new pace of your classes (which in my case was a lot faster!) among other stresses and time commitments. But before you freak out, remember that you’re not the first person to ever transfer. Others have done it before and turned out just fine. You will too. Halah Abuateeq’s tip for me was “it gets better,” and sometimes the only thing that makes that happen is time (and Netflix).
5. Go to Office Hours:
Yup, another one that you have probably heard before. But seriously, utilize the office hours because they really can help make the transition easier. Most colleges have different formats for various assignments (lab reports, papers, etc.) and your previous college probably did it slightly differently (if not completely differently) than your new sch. If you go to your professor and let them know that you are a transfer and ask for their guidance on what is expected of you, it will save you the stress of writing your report wrong the first time just because you didn’t know. If you’re in freshman intro classes this is not as big of a deal, but you will likely be in a few upperclassmen courses where people have already had time to learn the ropes. This definitely happened to me and a quick stop at my professor’s office helped tremendously!
6. Explore your Surroundings:
In this case, explore Boston and what it has to offer, which is a lot. Try out the T and head somewhere fun, like the Aquarium or the MFA (a few good picks among many others!). One of the great things about Northeastern is that it is in Boston, so use that to your advantage!
Obviously transferring is different for everyone, because people decide switch schools at different points in their college career, and everyone has different experiences and expectations. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but hopefully these few tips that helped me can help you as well. Good luck!