College is terrifying, especially when you are just starting out. You are going away from home, starting a new chapter, encountering new experiences, and more. A lot of new college students think that the college they choose is where they need to stay until they graduate. I am telling you that is not the case. My first college right out of high school was one that I thought I was going to stay in for my entire college career. When I realized that I did not like where I was, I felt stuck and trapped in a place where I did not feel at home. To finally take that leap and transfer to a different school I had to not only change my mindset about taking risks but I also had to do research on other colleges, map out ideas of what I was looking for in a school, talking it out with my advisor, and getting support from others who were having similar struggles.
Changing Your Mindset
The first thing I had to overcome before being able to transfer was to change my mindset and realize that I am not trapped and that I am never out of options. It was such a scary thought to think about having to restart college completely. Having to reintegrate myself into a whole new campus and community was something that stopped me from taking that leap at first. Once I realized that my happiness needed to come before my fears, I was able to take the next steps in my process of finding a new college and a new place to continue my college journey.
College Research
My first mistake was thinking that finding another college to transfer to would be easy. A lot goes into trying to find a new college. Not only have my values changed, but also now I know more about what I want out of my college experience and what I do not want. When looking at other colleges you need to compare your values and your wants to try to find a fit that works best for you. It can be an arduous process to start especially because there are lots of options, but making sure to find a good fit based on who you are and what you want now is important to consider.
Talk It Out
Always talk to others about your thoughts and decisions when transferring. You need to not only talk with your friends and family but also with your current advisor. Your advisor is there to help you not only with issues at your current school but to also assist you in any way when you want to transfer and try something new. Being able to transfer credits and classes to your new school of choice is important to go over with your advisor. It might be a scary thought to go to someone who works for the school you want to transfer out of and tell them that you want to go somewhere else, but it is a very normal thing, and your advisor is there to help you with that process.
Find Support
There are so many other college students who went through what I went through. Not finding your perfect college fit right away is normal and happens often. When realizing that I was not the only one in need of change and in need of finding a different college to attend I felt more at ease and more able to take that leap and transfer. When I transferred to St. Bonaventure, there were other college transfers coming in at the same time I was. I became a part of that community, and right away I already felt like I fit in better and found where I needed and wanted to be.