Deciding what you want to do fresh out of high school is difficult and, as young adults, many of us will change our paths many times. My decision to attend a community college for the first two years of college allowed me to think about my decision and find something I was passionate about. Through community college, I was able to complete all of my general education credits and more — at a much lower cost than it would be at a university.
As a transfer student, I heard remarks as to how I made the right decision, but it does not help the loneliness that comes with staying home for the first two years of college. Most of my friends went away for school. They made new friends and did things that I never got to experience. All I did was go to work and go to school. The idea of all of my friends having fun at their schools, and having separate lives than their ones at home was difficult to watch, and I often became jealous and sad. Along with the loneliness of staying home, it also makes you more distant from your family. I often found myself wishing I could move away, but now it is hard to stay away.
Luckily, most of my friends went to the University of Maryland and it was close enough to my house that I could visit for a weekend. This allowed me to see the campus and interact with other people that went here. This ultimately drove me to apply. I am lucky in this sense; I had a friend base that wanted me to come here, still talked to me outside of school and wanted me to come visit.
The change in academics coming from a community college to a university is shocking. The classes are more serious and there is more stress on keeping your grades up. I had to drop a class because I was overwhelmed with other classes that I needed to take — I still think this was the best decision for my mental health. I am still adjusting to things here, but I am learning and still looking for my niche, which many other college students are also trying to find.
If you are also a transfer student, you know the toll it takes to adjust to a new place and to find a home away from home. It is like you are a freshman all over again, except this time you are greeted with more difficult classes and people in your major that clearly know more than you do. Do not overwhelm yourself, take your time with things and if there is too much on your plate, it is okay to back off. Join a club or talk to some of your neighbors; everyone is always open to make friends, especially at a university where there are thousands of different opportunities to meet people that have similar interests to you.
Think about your decision in the long run; you are saving money and getting a beneficial education at the four year university you desire to attend. You are able to find the people you want to surround yourself with and allow your hobbies to flow freely. Yes, there are more opportunities at a university, such as internships, job offers, and general social skills, however, some advantages of being a two-year transfer student, and coming in as a junior in college, is that you probably have your associate degree. By having this two year degree under your belt, you already have a degree on your record.
Whether you are transferring from a community college or from another university, make this your own, create what you want and know that no one is better than you are. Take every day one step at a time and allow yourself to get comfortable in this new environment. If you think about it, this is almost like a do-over freshman year where it is a time to make new friends and hobbies and really find your own niche.