The flight from New York to California felt like a long one, but who cares? You landed at the school of your dreams and live so far away from your parents that you have to check the time zone to make sure you don’t call them in the middle of the night. While living far from home seemed like a great idea at first, you find yourself missing your family and the comforts of the East Coast. You’re just not feeling the whole sun and surf vibe at the college you attend, so what can you do? Head away from the board walk and transfer back to the big apple.
Free Rent
Admit it, who doesn’t love when their parents come to visit at college, and they buy you groceries at Trader Joes? Food costs bank, but you know what else is expensive? Paying that extra money for a plane or bus ticket home. Sure, living away from family means having the freedom to do whatever you want without the “all seeing” eyes of your parents, but to what cost? Literally. “There were multiple reasons as to why I transferred, but the biggest one was that it was too much of a financial burden to put on my family,” Palomar College junior Katarina Todd said, “My mother is a single mom, so having to pay for the outrageous tuition herself was just too much.” Shelling out the big bucks for groceries, housing and not to mention out-of-state tuition, isn’t exactly what you had in mind when you left for school. That college closer to home doesn’t look so bad anymore, does it? More importantly, that college os guaranteed to make sure you aren’t “forever a loan.” Shopping spree, anyone?
Bye bye to LDRs
You went to Cal-Berkley, but your friends all went to NYU. College is meant for meeting new people and making more friends, but the new people you met just don’t seem like your type. These SoCal surfers don’t click with your inner city aesthetic. Also, you can’t stand the sight of another In-and-Out Burger when clearly the Shake Shack back home tastes a billion times better. Transferring to a college closer to your friends doesn’t mean you can’t still make new friends. Or what about your boyfriend back home? “Another thing that sort of cemented my decision in staying local was being near my boyfriend,” Todd said, “I’ve had to deal with long distance in the past, and it sucked.” Hang up the phone on your long distance relationship with your friends and boyfriend because now they’re less than a call away.
Less is More
You attended a huge university with the dominate academic programs to their idolized football team. But while living it up in the big city seemed like a cool plan for college, you find yourself a little overwhelmed by all the happenings at far from home. Though others may like the million and one activities on campus, you’d prefer a place that’s quieter and closer to home. “In Madison, there are way more activities, clubs and buildings, whereas Winona doesn’t have as much and therefore was a lot less overwhelming and made it easier for me to find my place on campus,” Winona University junior Abigail Wessale said. College years fly by. Slow down time by enjoying a college closer to home that offers just enough to fulfill what you need to get out of your college campus. Maybe your old school bombarded you with colorful flyers and free candy in your face to guilt you into joining random clubs. Whatever the case, transfer to a school with a little less intense acapella singing battles and a little more open and friendly options that won’t make you feel trapped.
Downsizing vs. Simplifying
Ever felt like a grain of salt in the sand? Well maybe that’s how you felt when you lived far away on the beaches of sunny California. If over 40,000 students attend your university, meaning you likely have 300 to 400 person lectures, how will you even get on your professor’s radar? How do you form close relationships to help you network in the future? Though you’re down for the year round tanning and beach access, these big lectures made you realize you’re a bit more buried in the sand than you thought. A smaller university that can give you more one-on-one time with your professors and classmates seems like a better fit. Lucky for you, a few colleges closer to home offer just what you need. “Once I had transferred and got used to Winona, I realized that I did like a smaller campus a lot better. At least for me, it was easier to get to know others and establish relationships at a smaller campus,” Wessale said. Bigger doesn’t always mean better, friends.
Is the Price Right…For You?
Your grandparents, parents and older brothers all attended Purdue and majored in engineering. You didn’t know where to go or what to major in. You also didn’t want to be the black sheep of the family and do something completely different. Talk about awkward family reunion when everyone is bleeding black and gold and you’re wearing red and white. But guess what? That’s okay. “When I was deciding on a school [and] major I primarily choose it because both my brothers had gone for engineering, and to big universities for the most part [because] I had just assumed that was where [or] what I wanted to go [or] do as well,” Wessale said. Don’t guess if the price is right and settle on the consolation prize because you couldn’t determine how much a bag of flour costs. Transfer to the college of your dreams and hit the bullseye on the right number for you.
