College. One word that has an enormous impact on your life.
As a high school student, college seems like this fantasy land filled with fun, freedom, and no parents. You barely know anything about any schools, other than the couple of big name ones that everyone has heard of. Junior year of high school rolls around, everyone’s visiting schools all over the country. City schools, campus schools, big schools, small schools, everyone has so many opinions on which is the best choice for themselves.
For some, choosing a college is as easy as pie, and for others, it is a grueling and stressful process. Regardless, each senior somehow manages to choose a path for themselves for the years to come. Then, the summer flies by and each kid packs up their life and move to what will be their home for the next four years.
In my junior year, I discovered a school that I thought was my dream school. I loved everything about it. It had the program I wanted, the people seemed sweet and exciting, the school was gorgeous, and so much more. I applied early decision and got accepted in November. I was done with this horrible process and could not be more excited for this chapter of my life.
When I got to school, I was still so hyped. My roommate was awesome, I was making great friends, and I was having fun. But as the weeks went on, something felt like it was missing. I couldn’t completely put my finger on it at the time, but I knew in the back of my mind that this wasn’t the place for me. At first, I thought that transferring could never be an option. Uprooting and having to start all over again? It sounded unfeasible.
I had almost come to the decision to settle and just stick out my semi-miserable life at this place. But then I realized, this is my life. This is my education. How was I supposed to know at 17 that I would want a bigger school or a smaller school, a city school, or a small campus? These are things you can’t know until you are there, living it every day, and I should be loving what I’m studying, loving who I’m with, and loving where I am. As I began to reevaluate, I concluded that all three of those were lacking. So I decided to begin the grueling process of transferring.
Believe me, transferring sucks. As if the college process during high school was bad enough, now imagine the load of college courses while doing all of the apps. Yeah, not fun. And once you finally complete the apps and the waiting, you choose a school. Then, the next semester comes and you pack your bags and head to this new place. The adjustment is almost harder the second time around. But it will get easier, I promise.
Now, I have transferred to a new school in a completely different environment studying something completely different. And I love it. I love my environment, I love the friends I've made, and I love what I'm studying. I never would’ve guessed that this is where I was gonna end up, but I couldn’t be happier that this is where I am. It was worth every bit of stress and work to know that when I wake up every morning, I’m happy with where I am and with the person I am starting to become. Everyone should have the ability to feel that way.
College is a time to figure out who you are and what you want to contribute to this earth. When you think about it, it’s crazy that between the ages of 16 and 18 our society forces us to choose what our fate will be. How could any 16-year-old possibly know what inspires them, what fuels their fire? We need to be able to try things out and have the ability to change our minds if it wasn’t what we expected. So if the college you chose as a high schooler (who either had no idea or was absolutely positive about what they wanted) is not right for you, fix it. College is not free, financially or psychologically. It is a large commitment and a crucial part of the human experience, so don’t waste it in a place that you're not happy. Study what you want to study, and be where you want to be.
