Many seniors rationalize their choice of which four-year college to attend with some version of, “I can always transfer.” But invoking the transfer option, especially before you ever arrive on campus, can be both helpful and harmful, and it’s important to leverage that tool in a productive way.
Note: I’m not talking about students who plan their transfer ahead of time as part of a grand collegiate plan. I’m referring to those applicants who do not intend to transfer, but casually mention it as their intended course of action if they ultimately don’t like the college they picked.
First, yes, you should take comfort in the fact that you are not signing, literally or figuratively, a binding four-year contract with your college. Many students successfully transfer and find themselves at colleges that are better matches than were their first choices. I’ve written before that it’s not realistic for an eighteen-year-old to be completely certain about a college choice until you officially become a student on campus, and it’s nice to know that whatever you decide, you have an available escape hatch to deploy if you change your mind.
But I’ve often said that going to college is a lot like getting married. You and your college are entering into a relationship. And just as you wouldn’t rationalize the decision to get married with, “What’s the worst that can happen?—I can always get divorced,” it’s risky to use transferring as an excuse not to take this decision as seriously as you should.
Making your college relationship work will take commitment. Some days will be wonderful. Some days will be difficult. You’ll need to stay committed even when you’re in a rough patch. Expecting and preparing for that work makes it more likely that you’ll also get all the joy and rewards that can come with it. Sure, breaking up is an option, but probably best reserved for those cases where, in spite of your best efforts, it becomes clear that you’re just not right for each other.
My recommended approach? Do everything you can to get your college decision right the first time. Be thoughtful and deliberate, as if breaking up in the future were not an option. And be prepared to do your part to extract the maximum value from whichever college you attend. That sense of commitment is the foundation of eventually becoming a college graduate who raves about your undergraduate experience.
But at the same time, take comfort in the fact that in the unlikely event that you find yourself unhappy and unfulfilled, if things just aren’t working out in spite of your best efforts, you can make a different choice. You can start over. And for the rest of your life, nobody will ask where you started college—they’ll only ask where you finished.
Use the transfer option like a fire escape. Do what you can to avoid ever having to use it, but find comfort knowing that it will be there in case of an emergency.