The life of a transfer student is like the life of a college freshmen. Nerves of not knowing anyone or where classes are and the stress of making new friends creeps up the night before right before you had a solid six seconds of mental peace. As school continues, the months go by and the fear dies down. But nothing is really the same after transferring.
I am fortunate to have transferred eight miles west from University of Idaho to Washington State University (Go Cougs). However, even though my mild trip to Eastern Washington was not too much of an encumbrance, it was still a change I was not sure I wanted to try to make at first.
The first week of transferring is the most difficult because everything is new. At this point you might as well drop out and restart as a freshman. Trying to find classes day one turns into a "Where's Waldo" of buildings that are named something completely different than what is written on your schedule. Not to mention the fact that now you have make new friends all over again. There comes a point when people are content with the friends they have, and while meeting new people is great, it's nice to solidify the current friendships with the people at your old school.
No longer will I know at least five people in each class, now I have to go through the awkward small talk again. Additionally, since you already have a group of friends you hung out with at your old school, you have to make a new group. Do you have any idea how much effort it takes to make a solid group of friends? Getting rid of the negative Nancies, and douche bag Darrells takes time because you might not notice those characteristics until about two years later.
However, when being a junior transferring to a new school most of the time I am concentrated more on school than having a large amount of new friends again. The unfortunate side of having to focus on school however, is that the work is way more difficult. Based of what I'm learning now, I question if I can even count my freshmen and sophomore year as learning. I am neck deep in homework every night questioning my intelligence. Going from a school where you don't get lower than a C to worrying about already failing classes is not adding to the smooth transition I was hoping for.
The classes take up so much time that I feel like a recluse, always doing homework. Additionally, trying to participate about campus is a new challenge. In order to actually do well outside of college, companies want to see that you joined clubs or volunteered and got involved. That is pretty difficult when it's already impossible to get all my homework done, got to work, be social and get eight hours of sleep, all within 24 hours.
However, it is nice being able to have more opportunities to get involved and make an impact on the campus. It is almost like a fresh start that allows you to get involved again from the beginning. Similarly, depending on the school you transfer to, the ability to recreate yourself emerges. Going to college allows you to be who you want since no one knows you, so as a transfer it allows you to do the same thing again.
Despite this optimistic outlook, I still created a small barrier for my school attendance. As a transfer who did not travel a long distance for his new school I have decided to live in Moscow, Idaho, with my friends. That sounded like a great idea until I realized I have to drive every day back and forth. Right now it is not too bad, the weather is still a fine so I can't complain. But once winter comes, I am going to need a forklift to get me out of bed. As a kid from Seattle, I am used to no snow in the winter, so leaving my Moscow bed will feel like stepping into the ice-age where I go to take tests. Also, having a rear-wheel drive car does not make me want to even attempt to drive in snow. I will be skating along the freeway rather than driving and the moment I need to go up a hill, game over.
It can be hard to be a transfer student because everything is new and you have to get into a new rhythm of things again. But in all honesty, I think transferring was a good idea. It has shown me better opportunities to improve my studies and shown me new opportunities to get involved with the campus. There is no denying I miss my friends and not seeing them every day, but I will create new memories that I may not have received back at University of Idaho.
