Transferring schools takes some serious guts. You are starting over for the second time since being an eighteen-year-old college freshman. And with that pressure comes a lot of things to think about. Read on for ten questions to ask yourself before transferring schools.
One of the reasons I transferred from one school to another is because I was no longer doing well academically. This can cause a great amount of stress on anyone if all you are ever going to do is play catch-up with the curriculum. Sometimes a new school can provide a fresh start, and one with a different academic set up can be helpful.
I am going to school for a major that not all schools have. Therefore, when I was looking for a potential new school, I looked for one with the same major or a similar program that I could enter. This would also increase the chances of credits being transferred from one school to another.
Another big reason I personally transferred schools was due to financial struggles. This kind of reason can be combined with Question #1 because if one is struggling academically, it is not worth being in mountains of debt if one is not succeeding at the current school.
Coming from someone who has been battling with stress and mental health, this is one of the most important questions to ask yourself. If you are feeling constantly stressed and on the edge of a total mental breakdown, then maybe the school is not the right fit.
This question goes along with the previous, if you are not feeling happy at all then maybe the school is not right. Now, it can be tricky figuring out if you are truly happy or if you are tricking yourself into feeling what everyone else expects you to feel. Take a step back and really assess your life.
That was one of the things that I discovered when considering transferring schools. I was part of a few organizations and loved participating in the different events. It allowed me to continue some of my passions from high school. In the long run however, you need to remember that while a social life is good, you are at college to learn.
Following up the last question, it is always nice to have at least one friend at the new school. However, this should not be a deciding factor. Another thing to consider is how far the school is from your old one. If it is close enough, you can always come back to visit your friends. Though this should not be a deciding factor either. It is just something to think about.
Another big thing to consider is job prospects that can be found through the new school. There is no denying that there will be a mountain of debt when college is over so finding a good paying job is all that much more important. It is important that there be reasonable employment opportunities from the new school.
More often than not, when one transfers schools, it will set you back a year or two due to the fact that every school has their own ideas of what courses are needed for the major. Sometimes you can get a ton of credits transferred but it might take you one more year than planned to graduate from college.
Lastly, you should actually like the new school. If you don’t it might wear on you and you will still be miserable at the new place.
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