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One of the big freshman fears going into college is, “What if it turns out to be the ‘wrong’ school for me?” After all the hassle of researching colleges, getting letters of recommendation, applying, weighing out the pros and cons, deciding on one, packing up more crap than you’ll ever need in your life, but somehow figuring you’ll need it and actually fitting it into a dorm room the size of a laundry hamper; the prospect of transferring colleges seems unbearable.

But it’s not unbearable; I went to 3 different schools for 3 totally different reasons, and I’d argue that each step along the way was a necessary one. There wasn’t anything wrong with the schools, but there was something wrong with how I viewed myself. It was incomplete, and each institution brought me closer to figuring out what I wanted and who I wanted to be.

Sure, the school transfer process can be frustrating, but it shouldn’t be paralyzing to the point that one is too afraid to exit their current situation. My biggest hump to get over was not the thought of starting from scratch, but the idea that I had “wasted” time and money. I suggest that students not view their time at other schools as a waste (If all you’ve done is party and establish a 0.5 GPA then, yeah, maybe). In hindsight, it’s easy to say that if I had to do it all over again I’d forgo the schools I attended before the last, but no, I wouldn’t have; that’s precisely why I took the path I did.

For some students, they’ll feel right at home from the get go, while others struggle. If you’re not happy, where you are transferring is not going to be your cure-all, but it might help. You can’t control everything in your college experience. The best you can do is to be wise about your money, talents, desires, and where they best fit together. After that you just have to go and live it.