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If You’re Thinking About Transferring Schools, Do It.

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Illinois State chapter.

As I just began my senior year of college, I find myself looking back and reflecting on the past years; the strangers I now call my friends, the memories that will last a lifetime and the knowledge I’m about to take with me into the real world. But what I find myself thinking about most of all is how none of those things would have been made possible if I had not transferred schools after my freshman year in college. And I could not be happier that I made that decision.  

If you, too, are considering transferring, I hope this helps your decision.

WHY DID I DECIDE TO TRANSFER SCHOOLS?

The idea of transferring schools is scary, it was then, and it still is now. It’s a lot of work for the possibility of something better. But when it starts affecting your well-being, you have to do something. And that’s exactly what happened to me. Being at my school began to affect my mental health. With the way the school worked and the people within it, I found myself lonely and lost. I would see my friends from home post about how they were having the time of their lives, and I would sit on the other end of that screen just staring and wondering why I was not having the same experience. And that’s when Thanksgiving break happened; my turning point. I was sitting around a table with all my friends having friends giving, and all anyone could talk about was how they could not wait to go back to school. But instead of thinking like them, I was thinking about how I wish I did not have to go back. At that moment, I realized that even if another school ended up not being the answer, I should still give it a try …because anything is better than doing nothing. And so, I decided to transfer schools.

WHAT WAS THE NEXT STEP?

After my decision was made, the exhausting part came. First, I had to pick a different school. Lucky for me, I had a #2 school the whole time. But then I had endless amounts of phone calls and emails to see if my credits would even transfer. When I heard back that they would, then I finally applied. And then I waited. And waited. And waited. Until finally, I heard back. Then came the fun part: looking at classes, what building to live in, which roommate to pick, etc. And so while I was at one school lonely and lost, I had the promise of another that gave me something to find happiness in.

DO I REGRET IT?

And so here I am now, a senior at Illinois State University. My only regret? Not coming here sooner. As I said above, I have great friends, fun-filled memories and skills that I will use for the rest of my life. And at the end of the day, I am forever glad that I didn’t let the fear of the unknown keep me from finding my happiness.

So, to whoever is reading this, here is what I have to say: if you reconcile with how I felt at my previous school, if transferring schools has been in the back of your head, do it; it can only go up. 

Alexa Fricilone

Illinois State '23

Alexa is a recent journalism graduate of Illinois State University and current student at NYU's Summer Publishing Institute. She has been a contributing writer since 2021 and our Junior Editor since 2022. Follow her on Instagram @alexafricilone