What does it mean when you supposedly have all of the right ingredients for a perfect school, yet you still feel uncertain about the decision you have made? I asked myself this time and time again during my freshman year of college. Two years ago, just around this time, I was setting off into what I had been assured would be the "best years of my life." I had spent the last two year of my high school career studying which school would be best for me, after having a crisis over my less than perfect grades. After about four college visits, endless discussion with friends and family and deciding on a major I chose Ohio University as the college for me.
The school was beautiful, nestled in the hills of southern Ohio, embodying what it truly meant to be a college town. I was hooked. I was ready to be a bobcat. It seemed as though the bobcat life chose me as well. I had wonderful friends, interesting classes, and spent almost every moment soaking up the experience that had been packaged and sold to me throughout my life. But it wasn't enough.
If I had a dollar for anytime someone asked, "So why'd you transfer?" I wouldn't need to be in school anymore. I am a planner; I plan everything out, and I definitely didn't plan to transfer. "Transferring is OK," a mantra I've repeated to myself 19,784,328,907 times the past year. So, why transfer?
About a third of Americans transfer colleges, so it is certainly not a rare thing to do these days. I could name a bunch of reasons. I wanted a larger school, I wanted to live in a city and, truthfully, I wanted to feel happy. Now it isn't like a bad breakup; I still cherish the great times I had at Ohio University and we've certainly remained friends. "It wasn't YOU, it was me." But I felt there was something else for me to discover, and thank god I went to the Ohio State University.
Now for people who don't go to OSU, the "the" can seem obnoxious, but it feels damn good to say it. A knot doesn't form in my stomach when I'm asked how I like college because I can 100 percent, honestly say that I love my school. Nothing makes me happier than that sentence, and I hope everyone gets to experience that.
Leaving a school that you thought would be right for you is extremely difficult, and leaving friends behind in hopes that there are greater things in store is ever more difficult. Luckily, the switch has made an incredible difference for me. I finally know what people were talking about when they referred to the "best years of your life" and the complete euphoric atmosphere that surrounds this extremely vibrant campus.
