As if the idea of college wasn’t terrifying enough for most students, the prospect of having to decide on a college two separate times is enough to make even the toughest academic scholar cringe away from their keyboards and vow to promote “Fit Tea” on Instagram for the rest of their days. However, as a transfer student myself, I am here to tell you that the daunting task of transferring can be accomplished and it can be exciting when it is all said and done.

Don’t believe me? I get it, I am only one person after all. But one thing you will learn as a transfer student, is that you are never alone in the process, there is always someone who can relate and empathize with your situation.

Whether you are looking to transfer somewhere close to home like The College of New Jersey, or your adventurous soul is taking you across the country, there are a standard set of transfer student tips and tricks that you can utilize. Rachel Goss, a transfer student who now calls Brown University her home, has an incredibly accurate and personal blog known as Second Time Around where she discusses her own personal experience as a transfer student and dishes out helpful tips for other students. My personal favorite tip that Rachel shares with her viewers is to buy a planner to keep track of all of the assignments and tasks you need to do. Staying organized is one of the first steps you can take in order to have a successful semester. If you are ever in need of a quick laugh, or looking for the comfort of knowing someone else is riding the same struggle bus as you, Rachel Goss’s blog does an excellent job at delivering both.

Second Time Around might come off as a little fluffy to some readers, and I get that. If fluffiness is not for you, and you are the type of person who wants something with a little more edge and angst, or something that just sounds really real, then I suggest looking at Samantha Wilson’s blog Firsthand Advice on College Transfers . In this blog, Samantha Wilson delves into her own personal experiences that made the transferring process exceptionally intimidating and how she used the tools at her transfer school, New York University, to help her ease her way through the difficulties.

If you are a student transferring from one great university to another, and have conflicting emotions about where your unfaltering pride should lay, then you need to look at Hilary Sheinbaum’s blog post Life as a Transfer Student. She discusses how her love for two schools did not have to end after she left her first university. Sports and extracurricular activities are a great way for students to make new friends and build lasting friendships. The takeaway advice from this blog? Don’t be afraid to branch out of your comfort zone, that is what college is all about.The friendships you make at college may make some students never want to leave – but if you need to venture out to a different campus for your specific major, it might be a reality you need to accept. Fortunately, like I said earlier, you are never alone in your transfer experience. Hilary Sheinbaum’s blog will demonstrate how you can hold two schools near and dear to your heart while still following the path that makes the most sense for you.

The process of transferring schools is not an easy one, I’m a realist after all, and going through the gruelling process, I can honestly say I wouldn’t want to do it again. With that being said, I am so proud of myself for accomplishing my goal of coming to The College of New Jersey and surviving the transfer process. It can be done, and the outcome is the most rewarding because you can finally say that you feel at home in your school and are surrounded by some of the most academically intelligent professors around. Whether you are transferring for an academic reason, sports reason, or just looking to be closer to home trust in your ability to overcome one of the scariest college obstacles – you and your degree will thank you in the end.