• I had doubts about attending the University of Connecticut, a state school.
• Before jumping at the chance to transfer, I decided to try to make the best of my current college.
• I ultimately decided transferring to urban Boston University was the best decision for me.

I always knew that the University of Connecticut wasn't the right place for me.

Despite UConn's stellar academics, its rural campus offered little appeal to me. Plus, its emphasis on science and engineering didn't align with my creative interests.

I had been rejected from all three of my top schools and only landed on UConn because it was the cheapest tuition. With my decision to attend UConn, my dreams of leaving Connecticut and going to school in a city came to a swift end. That was a hard pill to swallow.

Nevertheless, in August 2023, I packed up my bags, stuffed them into the back of my mom's car, and started my college journey. I joined clubs, made friends, and even pushed myself to take on new challenges. However, despite trying to make the best of UConn, my desire to go to a different school persisted.

I originally struggled to adapt as a freshman

As someone who never quite found their place in high school, I romanticized the idea of college. Coming to UConn, I had very rigid expectations for myself and my experience.

I never stopped to consider the challenges I might face or the possibility that I wouldn't love every minute of my time there. I expected everything to fall into place as soon as I arrived, and when it didn't, I felt lost.

I knew I wanted to be somewhere else, but I had no idea what that place was or how to get there.

I turned to a close friend, who had transferred the year before, for advice. She told me that the key to a successful transition was to "make sure the reason you're transferring has something to do with the school."

This advice stuck with me. The transition to college is hard, and it's important to acknowledge that it's not always going to be a smooth ride. I had to make sure that the problem was the school itself — not my struggle to adapt to this new life change.

I knew then that I couldn't just flee UConn because I was struggling. I had to settle in and see if it really was the wrong place for me.

I tried to make the best of UConn, but it just wasn't the right school

Coming back from winter break, I decided to give my second semester at UConn my best shot. I came into the spring semester with a more open-minded approach. I hosted my own radio show, became the social media manager of one of my clubs, and continued to develop deep connections.

By the time April came, I had turned my experience around. Yet, despite my newfound happiness, my desire to transfer continued to linger.

The moment I truly knew it was time to transfer came in the middle of March. I was walking back to my dorm room after a night spent with friends, laughing. I remember taking in my surroundings, the cool winter air, and thinking to myself, "This is great, but I have to go."

I ultimately transferred because I was unhappy in a rural environment.

I'm glad I transferred colleges based on something I could fix — not because I was searching for something unrealistic or intangible. If I had, I might have experienced the same challenges I did at UConn.

I'm glad I gave myself the time to explore my options

I transferred to Boston University, and the urban environment was the right fit for me.

During my process as a transfer, I've learned that it's easy to want to leave when the going gets tough. But I quickly realized it wasn't just a difficult transition; my school of choice was the problem. It just wasn't the right fit.

Ultimately, you know what's best for you, but it's also important to give yourself time to settle and adjust — and then you can make a definitive decision.

The time I spent at UConn was definitely transformative. It taught me a lot about myself — how I handle stress, how I deal with new environments, and what I value in a community.

But it also reinforced the idea that if something doesn't feel right, it's OK to move on.