Transfer Stress: Transitioning to a Four Year University

Going to a new school is always a little stressful from the time you are a young child to even now whatever age you are. It is nerve wracking and you cannot completely be sure what is to come for you in the future. You have to worry about whether or not you will like the new place, will you be able to handle the workload, will you be able to keep your grades up, or will your classes and instructors be up to the standards you have set up for yourself. So it makes since that transferring to a four year university from a two year community college would be just as stress inducing.  

                Four year universities are quite different from two year colleges and having been to both already, I can attest to that. The classes I do not feel are too drastically different from each other depending on what school you decide to attend. Obviously, if you attend a school such as New York University with more vigorous courses, then there will be a bit of a difference. Still, if you made it into such a school, then you are most likely prepared to handle that load. Besides the courses, the atmosphere on the four year campuses is often different. On a campus such as Columbia State, the sense of a united community is not always there. Not many people partake in the events meant to bring us together and people do not really feel a tie to our school because they see it as just a community college. The feeling on university campuses can be just the opposite. School spirit is alive and well, and the schools take great strides in attempting to get students involved as much as possible on campus.

                The most advice I can give you about adjusting to those universities is just to dive right into it like getting into a cold swimming pool. That is really the best way to get comfortable in such a new situation. It probably will be a little difficult at first, but that is what makes the experience so rewarding once you are finished. Get out there and join clubs and make new friends. You may be moving away from home in order to attend the school you want and it may feel a little odd at first but you will get used to it eventually. You were going to have to do it eventually so this is your chance to experience freedom without being completely thrown to the wolves of the real world.  If you are an older student and you are transferring, then you have likely already experienced life on your own with freedom from parents. However, you still may feel that your age may keep you from enjoying your college experience. Try not to let that stop you though! You are there for the same reason as everyone else and just because your life took you on a different path than your classmates does not mean you should feel any awkwardness about that. Besides, variety is the spice of life as they say.

                Change is hard and changing and getting used to a different environment is no exception. Just go in with all the right intentions and try not to let anything get in your way.