After finishing my first semester of my Sophomore year, I've had some time to reflect on how I even got to where I am. A 20 year old who had already attended two different universities and had taken way too many introduction classes, in my last three semesters. So why did I choose to put myself through all the annoying paper work of transferring from one university to another, the stress of not knowing if every credit would transfer, the anticipation of waiting for the acceptance letter, and the worry of being stuck in the same situation for the next four years? Happiness. I did it to find my happiness.
Confession #1: Picking a university is a big decision, but not as big as picking the right university.
Before you leave for your freshman year of college, everyone you know never fails to remind you that next four years are going to be the best four years of your life, so the expectations are pretty high. So what happens when you finally get to the university of your choice and realize that it's not where you want to be anymore? Is it just homesickness you're dealing with, or did you actually pick the wrong college? That was my freshman year in a nutshell. I spent the whole first semester dreading being at the university that I was at, that it got to the point where I came home every weekend. So where did I go wrong? After the homesickness subsided and I began to adapt, I quickly realized that I was, indeed, at the wrong college. So I began searching for all the reasons as to why I thought that I was at the wrong college. Everything I had wanted from a college, this university had, but as the days changed, so did I and what I actually wanted from my place of education. I realized that I needed a different size, a different kind of community, and more options that really pertained to what I was truly passionate in learning. This lead me to the beginning of my decision of wanting to transfer to Purdue University.
Confession #2: A lot of people don't understand the purpose of transferring schools, but it is not uncommon.
Once I came to the decision that I wanted to pursue transferring to Purdue University, I was struck with others critical comments and opinions. "Why do you want to transfer?" "Can't you just wait to see if Sophomore year gets better?" "I think you're being silly, you should just stay where you are." "You're just homesick, there's no reason to transfer." I heard it all. And through every discouraging comment, my want to attend Purdue just continued to grow. I started to notice that the idea of transferring universities was so uncommon to people, when it was actually not uncommon at all. The more I began to be more vocal about my want to transfer, the more stories I heard about others transferring and how I really wasn't experiencing this alone. According to The New York Times, the college students' transfer rate is actually 1 in 3.
Confession #3: Once you make the big move in transferring to the right school that fits you, everything finally falls together.
Once my Freshman year finally came to a close and I was ready to start my journey at Purdue, I was starting to get nervous that I was going to experience the same feelings that I had during my Freshman year of college. But once the first week of my Sophomore year had gone by, I knew that I was in the right place. And everything continued to fall right into place throughout the semester. I was getting involved on campus, meeting different kinds of people, and feeling like I had finally found where I belonged. It had all finally come together, and after this semester has ended, I can whole-heartily say that I found my place of happiness.
So to any readers who are currently struggling with where they are, know that you are not alone. The struggle and worry become worth it, and there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.
"Here's what I learned: when you're happy, the whole world's New York. And that dreams are important. Someday, when you're not even looking, they find you." -Lola
