<p>So I am in the final semester of my second year at a local community college and I have a question for everyone, particularly transfers. This is not about grades or chances, simply how did you know you were ready to go away to school. I went to community college because I knew out of high school I was not ready, and now I have put myself in a position to attend some great universities after excelling at a local school (ones I could not have out of high school) but I am not 100% positive I am ready to go away....I definitely want to but theres a difference between wanting to go away and being ready.
So any advice or stories on how you knew...I have worked so hard that I would be disappointed to stay home and attend another local university when I know I could be at a much more prestigious school that would offer me more.</p>
<p>Ha, my mom knew long before I did. I was barely home other than to sleep and shower for my last couple years of high school. I was basically just getting this, “I’m sick of being here” feeling. </p>
<p>I have to ask, what’s making you “not ready”? Are you afraid of something? Do you think you’ll miss your home and family too much? Because those are things that won’t change by staying where you are, they’ll only get better by getting out there and filling yourself up with new experiences. . . . I think you’ll regret not going to schools outside of your hometown. </p>
<p>I’m kind of the poster child for being ready to move on, though. I went to 6 different grammar schools, 3 high schools, and I’m trying to get into my third college right now. If anything, I’m afraid to stay put!</p>
<p>I wonder if not being ready might be a reason to get away. Maybe if you wait until you’re 100% ready you’ll never leave! Going away from home for the first time is hard but you can’t really ever find yourself if you don’t.</p>
<p>I would definitely go for the best school for you not the closest(safest).</p>
<p>“because those are things that won’t change by staying where you are, they’ll only get better by getting out there and filling yourself up with new experiences”</p>
<p>i think that is exactly what I needed to hear…after high school i did go away but after just a week on campus i knew i wasn’t ready and came home. I guess I am just worried about repeating what happened in the past but i think you’re both correct…staying put is not the best option and not being ready may be the best reason to get away!</p>
<p>bump…the more opinions the better</p>
<p>I knew I was ready to leave for a very, very long time. I was born in LA, but spent most of my life growing up in a town that boarders on the beginnings of the exurbs. There is literally nothing to do here from the ages of 16 to 40. No music or art scenes, no clubs, no bars, no anything other than seminars about home values and “family fun” organizations that cater to the soccer moms and tennis dads of this town. </p>
<p>I didn’t care about high school. I really didn’t. I ended up ranking 98 out of 423 at graduation. There were people who ranked WAAAY lower than me going to university. Still, I didn’t care. I was going to do two years at a community college and enter the workforce like my dad did. Unfortunately however, my dad sat me down and told me that in order to do what he does, I would need a lot more education than he had. Times had changed. So I attended community college with the intent to transfer to an easy-to-transfer-to state school if only to pull a degree out of my butt.</p>
<p>One year later, I heard that people I went to high school with ended up going to a school I always dreamed of attending. Worse: I heard they got in majoring in my program of interest, on a SCHOLARSHIP. I thought, “that should be me!” and suddenly I started to care. </p>
<p>Now, I am ready to redeem myself at a 4 year university. It’s a little sad, knowing if I cared in high school that I could be attending a 4 year on a scholarship, but we all make mistakes and I am more than ready to start again.</p>
<p>My sense is that it isn’t about whether you “feel” ready (you probably never will) but more about setting yourself up for success at the new college.</p>
<p>What do you need to feel comfortable, focused, secure? Figure out what helps you and impliment them ahead of time. Some suggestions:</p>
<p>Spend a weekend in the college town long before you move there–find your study spots, figure out where the buildings are, find a few comfort stores/restaurants, research the clubs (probably the best way to meet friends). </p>
<p>Decide how often you might want to travel back home and make plans so that you know that you can stay in touch with people back home if that is important to you.</p>
<p>When I was young I hated hated hated walking around in a big city at night, it always creeped me out – a big city college probably would never have worked for me. So just make sure you are comfortable getting around the campus both day and night, walking, bus or car–test it out and see if you like it.</p>
<p>So on and so forth – choose and create the kind of environment you can thrive in. There is no magic in moving away for college but it can be a great experience if you take charge of it.</p>