Think Long and Hard Before You Transfer Colleges

Feeling a little iffy on your choice of college? Not really fitting in with the student body? Thinking that this wasn't at all what you'd expected it to be? The good news is that you're not alone. Most, if not all, college students have periods of doubt and even "buyers remorse." Often, these doubts may not even be so much caused the college itself as generated by the major life change students are going through, with all the freedom, responsibility and new experiences that college entails. The bad news is that even though a transfer may be the right solution for you personally, the process -- impersonally -- is a real beast, fraught with huge pitfalls and inconveniences.

Let's repeat that: the process of transferring from one college to another is a minefield with problems, inconveniences, disadvantages, headaches and setbacks. We're not saying it might not be the best option for you -- we're just telling you to make sure you exhaust every other option first. Before you initiate a college transfer application, perform your due diligence by taking these important steps.

Really Take Stock of Yourself
Do really you want to transfer because you're unhappy with your school's social or academic environment? Or could the problem lie within yourself. Changing schools won't solve your personal problems.

Get Outside Advice
Talk to your friends, family academic counselors and career counselors openly and honestly.

Weigh The Options
Draw up a balance sheet of your likes and dislikes for your current school. Make a list of things you can change yourself and those that can't be altered except by a transfer. Do the same with the schools you think you'd like to switch to.

If, after, thoroughly examining your academic, social and personal circumstances you feel that a transfer is the right decision for you, you'll want to make sure you go about the process the right way. Otherwise, you're in for a thorny and painful experience.

Know Where You Stand Academically
First things first: Schedule multiple meetings with academic counselors from your current school and the school you wish to transfer to. Find out exactly what entrance exams and course work will be required up front to complete the transfer. Have your academic record evaluated by both schools. Make sure each counselor and each school is on the same page about you and your proposed course of study.

Know Exactly What Coursework is Going to Transfer for Real Credit
In some cases, this means combing through your transcript course by course with counselors from both schools. As a rule of thumb, you can expect that as much as one quarter of your current coursework may not transfer to your new school due to lack of similarity or university policy. In practice, this means you could be on the hook for a semester or possibly more of repetitive coursework. Don't just take your new school's word for the transferability of your courses. Get a detailed analysis and commitment in writing for exactly which of your courses will transfer and which will not.

Prepare For Class Retakes Accordingly
Retaking some courses covering material you've already studied in some manner is going to be unavoidable. Try to find course requirements where you stand a chance to learn something new and valuable. If you didn't do so well on a course the first time, consider retaking it and opportunity to do things better this time around. Most importantly, realize that retakes and redundancy are an unavoidable consequence of your decision to transfer. You might has well embrace it.