College Transfer Help

By General Education Advice

As we have been immersed in college counseling the last few years, we have also been immersed in helping students transfer colleges.  Several factors have radically increased the desire for freshman (and some sophomores) to either transfer or explore transferring.

1.) The Pandemic

There is the obvious tangible reason.  Families made college choices without engaging in full college tours.  And even for colleges that were visited, college life was impacted by the Pandemic.  I am a parent of a college freshman.  Her experience touring/visiting/reviewing colleges was very different than my 24 and 21 year old children who engaged in full college tours pre-pandemic.

2.) FOMO

“Fear of missing out” has created completely unrealistic expectations regarding college fun.  The inevitable comparisons that are made via social media makes many college students believe that the 30 seconds of crazy fun that they see at their friends’ colleges is how those colleges are the norm.  Completely nuts.  But when we work with college students who want to transfer, they inevitably point out how much fun everyone else seems to be having.

3.) Lack of social skills

In running SAT classes in Shoreline, CT over for over twenty years as well as interacting with a couple thousand teens from Guilford, Madison, Old Saybrook, Essex, Old Lyme, East Lyme, Waterford, Stonington and other Southeastern, CT towns, I can with absolute certainty that there is a direct correlation with increased use of technology and lack of social skills.  Or an inverse correlation between technology use and social skills.  There is no doubt in my mind that students have a harder time making friends and this has hurt them in college.

4.) No need to make new friends…. I have my old friends and video games and every other tech diversion

Moreover, due to tech connectivity, plenty of students report talking to their high school friends more than current friends.  Boys play endless video games rather than deal with the uncomfortableness of meeting new people.  Girls make Tik-Tok videos.

5.) The Anxiety (and depression) Epidemic

Big topic.  Sad topic.  But true.

Seeking to transfer college or explore transferring… we can help