If you've read my previous articles, you may be familiar with my transferring colleges experience. If you haven't read my articles or kept up with my life on social media, I transferred from San Diego State University to Rutgers University after winter break. When I was a high school senior and deciding what college I wanted to attend for the next four years, I chased after my dream of living in California and chose to attend SDSU. However, my expectations of a happy transition from the east to the west coast was not my reality. In short, I fell into a deep depression and was prescribed anti-depressants to cope with my mood and anxiety. As the semester continued and I strengthened the head on my shoulders, I was struck with the decision to apply as a spring semester transfer to a college in New Jersey. With what comes with attending a college closer to home, such as the ability to see friends and family, I decided that would lead me to a better ability to cope with my new found struggles and get my education. Therefore, I accepted my admission to Rutgers University-Newark as a Spring 2016 transfer.
Now with my freshman year of college completed, I can confidently say I am happy with my decisions. My grades are better than ever, I am again an avid participant in my family's lives, I can visit my friends at their colleges around the area, I am working as a nanny, making money, and happier than I've been in a while. I've met many new people and gained insight on lives of those extremely culturally diversified.
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My advice to a high school senior wanting to attend a college far away from home, is that you should try it. My parents made it super clear when I was deciding how far I wanted to go away to school that if I do not like it, I could always transfer to a school closer to home. You never know you're not going to like it unless you try. There is no such thing as absolute permanence and the experience I got from taking a risk has benefited me in the long run. I feel like it isn't an accepted or a well-known option, that it is okay or you can transfer if you do not like something. You are never stuck anywhere. Everyone's college experience is different and you should do what makes you happy. If you think you will be happy going to a school across the country — then do it and if it's not what makes you happy — you can go home. All that matters if that you get a degree in the end. "Remember that education is supposed to be a tool to help you on your way to greatness, not the definition of how great you are."
