How many times have we all heard that university is the best time of our life? Look, collegiates, under a sheet of ambiguity, that statement clutches so much truth. Yet myself, along with many of you, probably have quickly learned that university isn’t about going through 4 years with a crystal clear path. That would be too easy. Many students spend a large portion of their high school careers brewing over where they’re going to go for post-secondary, and what they’re going to study. The problem is that maybe the person you were while walking across the stage to receive your high school diploma isn’t be the same person that just finished their first or second semester at university. Let me be one of the multiple testaments to the fact that your uni choice is not binding. Sometimes change is necessary, and while it isn’t without its challenges, switching schools has proven to be a great decision.
Since attending SFU, the sense of independence I’ve developed has been new and refreshing. I was worried that being closer to home would mean regression, more dependence on family, and limit my ability to appear as a thriving young adult. I was wrong. Switching schools is not synonymous to accepting defeat. Far from it. Realize that everyone has a choice. The nature of life is always changing, never static, and truly inevitable. We have the discretion to either follow or abandon our intuition; that gut feeling in your stomach that happens to be a good guide occasionally. If not, you can stick with the status quo even if it’s not exactly what we want. Either way, even though it seems like you are – you’re not stuck.
Transferring universities may seem stressful. Since you are the agent of your life, the choice is a time to be accountable and maybe a little selfish. The biggest resistance I faced when making the decision was that I didn’t know if I could handle the accountability if things weren’t as great as they seemed here at SFU. This just has to do with growing up. Come to terms with the fact that nowhere is going to offer you exactly what you want, so you might as well acknowledge your desire to explore. It’s up to you to determine the environment you think you can thrive in.
Luckily, I can say I’ve found friends that will last me a lifetime at both universities, however, I’ve grown comfortable quickly with my peers here on campus. While not everyone may be riding on the same wavelength as you, I feel more comfortable in my environment overall. This isn’t something I even realized until looking back at my previous experience with residence life. “Natural” and “effortless” explains how I’ve gotten to know people here. Even though SFU has a gloomy perception attached to its name, living in residence has been a great experience. I’m constantly consumed in great conversation and with genuinely good people.
I realized the university I was previously attending lacked a program that fit me perfectly. SFU allows me to marry my passion for communication studies and social issues, all while being exposed to a variety of electives to fuel my other interests. The hardest part may be recognizing that fact because it puts you in a position re-evaluate your path to education. It’s okay to shop around a little. This is your education and your experience. Ultimately, while they do have a guiding influenced, it’s not your parents, peers, or even significant other that’ll suffer through a program, location, or atmosphere, they don’t like. It’s you. Granted that you can avoid that encourage everyone to consider a change.
The scariest part about change is thinking about the “what if’s”? What if I don’t like the other school? What if the social scene is worse? What if I’m making a mistake? What If I want to come back? These questions are nothing but problematic. They don’t exist to aide you but to perpetuate fear and stress. “What if” questions are inevitable and are always present. You probably always will ask yourself “What if I didn’t switch? Or What if I hadn’t left? The point is to leave with no regrets since, no matter what, these questions will always be there so, don’t let them be too influential. Accept the fact that sometimes you just don’t know where you want to be, but you know where you don’t want to be. Personally, I realized that, If I was truly content, I wouldn’t have the urge to transfer in the first place.
Finally, I asked myself what I was running away from and what I hoped to be running towards. University is hard. There’s no arguing with that. Try and understand what you dislike about the current school you are in, as this will help determine what you’re looking for. Uncover what is taking away from making University a good experience for you. This could range from academic reasons to social life, or general environment issues. Be aware that some factors of university life will be constant across all campuses. There’ll always be a tough professor, a semester where you may attain a lower GPA than expected, waves of friends, and not so lovely resident bathrooms across the board. What’s necessary is to make a pros and cons list and think through the aspects of the school. Location, class size, semesters offered, the range of classes and programs offered, social life should probably make it onto that list.
Adapting to change is an art. For some, this may take some a lifetime to master while for others, change is their norm. Just remember, you aren’t bound to an institution for 4 years. It’s not a betrayal if you decide to make a switch. It’s not about a better or worse school, you may love both. Instead, focus on where you think you will be pushed to succeed as well as be content. Switching universities continues to provide me with an endless amount of new learning experiences, opportunities, and a superb group of people I get to venture through school with every day. I trust that a transfer may do the same for some of you!