Transferring From Community College To 4-Year School

Transferring from a community college to a regular four-year university can definitely feel like a bit of challenge. This is especially true if you do it halfway through the school year like I did. So what’s the best way to go about doing it?


The first thing that I think is important to do is to mentally prepare for it. Understand that it may very well be a challenge for you. You may have to adjust to being on your own for the first time. The courses might be more difficult than what you did in community college. I mean, for me personally, it started off pretty easy with my first semester at my four-year school (at least academically speaking).

Prepare for a Change in Course Work
I ended up taking a lot of intro courses. But later on, things got tougher. I really struggled with some of my classes in the upcoming years. And don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you should be afraid. I’m just saying that you should be prepared. Just know what you’re getting into. 

Find Ways to Cope with Being Away from Home
Then there’s the whole aspect of being away from home for the first time. You’re in a new place away from your family and friends. And there’s a good chance that you don’t really know anyone there. Honestly, I think the best thing to do if you feel lonely in this situation is just to keep busy. Get all of your stuff moved in. Go out and buy anything you might need for your classes. Maybe get to know the people around you.
For me personally, I felt really lonely for the first few days at my new school. But once I got started with my classes and everything, I kind of just forgot about being lonely and focused on what I had to do. And I eventually started to feel more comfortable in my new environment.

Look to the University for Help with the Transition
One thing that also helped me out a little was the course they required me to take designed to help students like me who transferred to a new school. I don’t know if you’re school will have one. But if you end up taking a class like that, just make sure you pay attention and get as much out of it as you can. Anything that you think might help is worth trying out.