Tufts Blogs

The Thing About Transferring

           It starts out as an early inkling. Something tells you that this environment is not your environment. Similar to many life decisions, it is easier to visualize the final outcome and overlook the path to the accomplishment. But the road to transferring to a new school is not paved with simple tasks. Firstly, it is challenging to undergo the college process for the second time in a calendar year. For me, I was constantly working to maintain my university grades while creating my new (and hopefully improved) application. At some points in my transferring process I would simply forget about my application altogether as I decided I would rather settle for my current university than fill out another common application. I found it difficult to occasionally look beyond my present situation and imagine the other possibilities and opportunities that were outside my current grasp.

            For me, the application process was especially difficult because I struggled with the possibility of rejection. It was hard to digest that even though so much effort was put into my second application, there was no guarantee that anything would change. It was heartbreaking to sacrifice so much of my time, effort and hope for something so unpredictable. I remember trudging through the New England snow of my old campus in late February, panting and sweating. I was searching for recommendations, signatures, and transcripts which teachers were reluctant to provide since I had not been there very long. I became my own college counselor as I reached out to admissions offices and requested transcripts from my high school.  This was a completely unfamiliar process to me.  In my head, there was always a whisper of uncertainty that reminded me that this could all be for nothing. But alas, I rolled the dice, because what are the college years for, if not to find your best self? So, I took the leap and I knew I had made the right decision.