The move from high school to college is exciting, intimidating, and often unexpected. There will be no curfews, parental supervision, or strict school restrictions. You’ve arrived in a world where your class time each day is quartered and your workload is at least doubled. There are all-day dining rooms with food buffets, and you may go weeks without speaking to anyone. Many of the children we have worked with over the years have expressed tremendous dissatisfaction and a sense of dislocation as a result of their newfound independence. Following the early euphoria of “Wow! College!” some students rapidly feel muddled by the problems of an unstructured workload, free time in odd segments, and the apparent difficulty of finding excellent friends similar to the ones you spent years establishing at home. College can be a lonely place, especially in the first year, when everyone else seems to be having the time of their life. If that description of college sounds bleak to you, don’t worry. After a tough period of adaptation, many students navigate the swamp of loneliness in their first year and arrive at the warm shores of bliss.

Do not, however, give up if you feel deep down that your current school is not for you. On a weekly basis, we hear from students like you who wish they liked their institution, but the vision they had does not match the reality they are living. Many students believe they did not get into the institution of their choice at first and have stated that their attitude has prevented them from fully enjoying their new life.

It is time to switch if you have traveled to your core and faced your true self in the Erised mirror of your heart, who was donning a different college sweatshirt from the one you are now sporting. One in three students who enroll in a two-year or four-year college eventually transfer, according to recent research from the Association for College Admission Counseling. Clearly, you are not alone.

Here’s the problem: One in three students is a staggering statistic, yet in spite of this high number of transfer students, the college system has very few mechanisms that support these transitions. More so than when they applied to college, students tell us they feel bewildered when they start the transfer process. When you are a motivated high school junior starting to investigate colleges, take AP classes, and of course, prepare for the ACT or SAT, there are many tools available. But what do you do now that the procedure is starting over?

You could believe that you are the only one you know who is applying for a transfer during the transfer application procedure. Your parents might only be distantly engaged (or just indifferent to your predicament), your high school counselor won’t be enforcing deadlines on you, and it’s probable that you won’t be able to complain to your pals because they aren’t going through the same thing. You might wish to keep your friends and even your parents in the dark about your transfer application. Whatever the motivations, the transfer procedure is a worthwhile endeavor that will improve your life and move you closer to attaining your goals. If you have knowledge-based power, that is. You will be well on your way to a rewarding college experience if you plan this procedure and heed our suggestions.

Our goal in our many years of working with students has been to increase transparency in the convoluted college admissions process. On the surface, applying for transfer admissions seems much trickier than applying for freshman admission. Students and their parents experience a great deal of stress as a result of this uncertainty and the numerous transfer-related fallacies. We are here to assist you in taking a deep breath, learning crucial information, and making a strategy.