Deciding where to attend college and spend the next four years of life can be stressful, and sometimes it goes differently than planned.
Being a Kearney native, I was ready to get out of my hometown and move away for college. I picked the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The distance was great, allowing me to be away from home while still being only a two-hour drive back.
I went to UNL for my freshman and sophomore year and I truly did love it. I loved my classes and the people I met during those two years, but I still felt like something was missing.
In my sophomore year, I began to come home more and more often. I came home on any weekend I could fit into my schedule. I found myself wishing to be in Kearney with my family and hometown friends rather than in Lincoln.
Over Christmas break of my sophomore year, I decided that I was going to transfer to UNK the following fall.
Getting class credits transferred over and lined up was the most difficult part of transferring. I thought that since I was staying in the same major and both colleges were a part of the University of Nebraska system, it would be an easy task.
Luckily for me, I had help in this process from my advisers, the registrar’s office and my mom who worked in the admissions office at the time.
Advertising and Public Relations has been my major all four years. It was interesting to see how the classes at UNL and UNK were different, from how the professors taught to the entire program layout.
During my first semester at UNK, I noticed that what I was learning was not necessarily the same information that I was getting at UNL. It was an adjustment I had to make, but after a month or so I was confident in my work.
Transferring back to your hometown is a weird concept. It was a much different feeling than when going off to Lincoln. I had no worries or stress about attending UNK.
I was going to be living with my best friends, and I had already made new friends and experienced what UNK was like before. I am grateful that I get to say that. Transferring can be a scary thing for people to do, but I had the best support system for it.
I do not regret going away for my first two years of college. It was important for me to get away for a little bit. I grew so much being away from home in that short amount of time.
I will forever cherish the experiences and friendships that UNL brought to me in those two years.
My advice for students thinking about transferring is to do it. Do not be afraid. In the end, we have to do what is best for ourselves. Having a strong support system is a big bonus. Being able to lean on others makes the transferring process easier.
I am now a senior at UNK and will be graduating in May of 2025 with my Bachelor of Science. Transferring was the best decision for me. Being home and at UNK is the perfect combination of academic success and personal contentment for me.
