The expression on someone's face when I tell them I transferred schools is never really one of excitement or appreciation but more of pity and confusion; which is exactly why I held off on transferring for so long. Making such an impactful decision like that at only nineteen years old was terrifying, and terrifying for one major reason: worrying about what everyone else was going to think.

Most people care what other people think, and that's not necessarily a terrible thing. The problem with many college students, though, including myself, is that we care too much about how our actions might cause other people to respond and therefore, we hold back. I've learned the hard way that holding back in college is the opposite of helpful when it comes to finding yourself. The time of our lives that we're in during college is a really difficult one because it's a time in which we're supposed to learn about ourselves and our passions but it's also a time where we care a great deal about how we're perceived, so it's a constant battle. If you're not selfish enough then you'll never be able to get what you want for yourself meaning you won't be able to grow how you want to grow.

What I'm trying to say here is that you need to be a little selfish through these four years. If you feel like you're not satisfied with your major, switch it, if you have friends that are bringing out a bad version of yourself, drop them, or like me if you have a feeling you chose the wrong school, transfer. Do what you feel you need to do for yourself and don't stop for one second to think about how other people will react.

During my senior year of high school I really believed that the best school for me would be a small school because I came from a small high school and was afraid of too much change. Unfortunately, halfway through the first semester of my freshman year, I realized I had made the wrong decision. When I started to understand what the problem was, I was afraid to say anything to anyone in fear of being told I was being stupid or I just needed to get used to it. After a semester of truly thinking I hated college, though, I finally decided to talk to my mom about it who immediately pointed out that I needed to be at a larger school. When I made the switch I was nervous but ended up coming to the realization that I never hated college, in fact, I love college and hated being at a small school because it just wasn't for me.

Transferring schools was just the first step towards breaking out of the bubble of fear of people's opinions and let me tell you, it was worth it. Taking the first step makes every other one that follows, so much easier.