Time To Transfer? Making The Big Decision

Transferring colleges is a reality for many students. But making the decision to do so is never easy. After all, it’s a lot of paperwork! But all kidding aside, it might be the best route for you to take if it means a change for the better. But how do you know when you should transfer? That’s the big question.

Now that you’ve had at least a semester of college behind you, it’s time to evaluate. If you make a list and the cons outweigh the pros, that could be a sign that you might be happier and do better elsewhere. However, don’t be too hasty in your judgment. A single semester of college is no indication of how your whole college career will pan out. There will always be ups and downs. That being said, you now have a more solid idea of how you like your school. But don’t make a misdiagnosis!

If things weren’t so hot your first semester, figure out if it’s your school that’s really the issue; that’s what you’ll have to diagnose! Perhaps you’re learning that your planned major isn’t for you. If so, is getting on the path to success and happiness just a matter of switching majors? Or, perhaps it’s that you’re at a large school and the majority of your classes will be big. If you figured out that you absolutely need a smaller, more personal work environment to succeed, then transferring could be the way to go. While there are ways to overcome most college-related obstacles and troubles, if your learning environment is the issue, you should take the option to transfer.

Try your best to find specific reasons as to why and how a new learning environment (meaning a new school) could help you. If you’re unhappy or didn’t do as well as you had hoped grade wise, was it truly your learning environment that caused the issue? If not, transferring may not be the best solution. There’s no guarantee after all that a new school will improve a situation, especially if the problem isn’t related to your school and learning environment.

Yet it’s also important to keep in mind that if you truly think you won’t be as successful as you can be, go ahead and transfer! We don’t have to tell you that transferring early on is better than trying to transfer after having finished a few semesters. You’ll face fewer issues as far as credits not transferring and will have more time to acclimate to your new school.

It’s a big choice to make, but no one but you can truly decide if transferring to a new school is in your best interest. Just be sure of two things before doing so: that your reason for transferring directly relates to needing a new learning environment, and that you firmly believe that spending four years at your current institution would not be in your best interest. Then, go ahead and start fresh. Hopefully you’ll succeed in your new environment, and the choice to switch will be the best choice you made during college!