“Most students who are unsatisfied with their college experience don’t consider transferring to another school. Transfers are people who are unwilling to settle. They are willing to do the extra work to get what they want. And they are willing to take the path less travelled to arrive at a better place.” – excerpt taken from Brown University’s official website.
Being a prospective and now confirmed transfer student, my personal experience has shown that the transfer process is much more than a logistical journey—it is also an emotional roller-coaster ride (the type with 360-degree loops). With now a wild new element of transfer applications thrown into the already hard-to-balance trinity of work, social life, and sleep, the mental toll that transferring takes is surprisingly rarely talked about, as people tend to focus their attention on stats and extracurriculars. Here are three mindsets that the transfer process has helped me develop:
1: Be confident!
Transferring is a hard decision to make, and a harder decision to stick by. Whether it is for academic, social, or even prestige reasons, having a genuine list of reasons for why you want to transfer makes you a legitimate prospective transfer. There is no shame in admitting that you are unhappy with where you currently are or thinking that you deserve better. Just like the quote at the start of this article, take pride in being someone who is “unwilling to settle,” and embrace the ambition.
2: Everyone has their own PATH… including you
Going through most of your freshman year with the knowledge that you are hoping to transfer out and might not return next year is honestly a bleak reality for many transfers.
While others are focusing their energies on just one school, you are torn between two. Aside from juggling assignments and applications (and school research, and maintaining a social life…), the constant switch between enjoying your current school and also trying your best to “leave” creates a huge mental disconnect as you trudge through your own, seemingly separate path.
If you let the feelings of loneliness engulf you, it is easy to procrastinate and lose track of your priorities, and it can even make you give up on the process as a whole. At times like this, remind yourself why you are doing this, and think about the reasons that made you so determined to begin this path in the first place.
3: Enjoy the present
As the entire transfer process is future-oriented and frustratingly ambiguous (most results do not come out until the last few weeks of university), planning ahead can be challenging when most of your friends are already finding new housing, roommates, and classes. Aside from that, there’s also the consistent factor of stress that adds the extra *spice* to your mid-term and finals prep as decisions begin rolling in.
However, just as the word “future” suggests, those things have not occurred yet. You cannot be sure if you will need housing until you know where you will be next year, and you cannot worry about rejections when they might not even come. There is no point worrying about a hypothetical situation that may not even happen, especially when it drains all the energy out of you.
4. There is nothing to lose
Know that even if the process does not work out, the relationships you have fostered with your professors and the high GPA you pushed yourself so hard to achieve will not go to waste. The hard work that you have dedicated yourself to throughout this process will build a solid foundation for your future years, and the organizational skills and work ethic you have developed will be a steady supporter of anything you do.
Lastly, if you are thinking of transferring—good luck. You can do this!