Transferring to Madison in my junior year of college was unquestionably one of the biggest decisions I’ve had to make for myself and with that decision came a lot of uncertainty and hesitation. Nevertheless, I have to say, over the past month that I have been here, Madison has been good to me. The majestic Lake Mendota is breathtaking every time I see it. The fervent energy on State Street is always exciting when I’m walking to and from class. Best of all, it has been my friends that have helped make this huge transition just a little bit easier. I say this because they have been a vital source of information. It has really been the small things that have been the hardest to adjust to, and my friends have been the ones to help explain them to me.
For example, my multiple trips to Memorial Library, during which I persistently tried to figure out how to print on campus computers. It was not only purchasing a printer card that was confusing; it was finally figuring out that I had to use another computer to choose which printer I wanted my pages to print from.
Signing up for classes was also difficult. It is amazing how easily our minds get used to one way of performing certain tasks. Even the simplest things, such as course registration, became that much more difficult because I was so used to a certain way. When walking to my classes a few days before school started, my mind repeatedly made comments comparing the two universities. I soon got sick of hearing myself say, “See, at Indiana it’s like….this.”
Many freshman look forward to college and going away to school because it is a chance to start over. Transferring is just that — it is essentially starting over, just with two years of college under your belt. With that you are in this awkward position of both being a new student and already being a student all at the same time. Talking with friends about our experiences so far at school, we all agree that freshman year was a great year, and that we all learned a lot about ourselves and what we are capable of doing. At the same time, it was something we would never really want to go through again. I think I will feel this way when I look back on my first few months of my stay in Madison: that it was really fun and exciting to learn this new system, and essentially a new way of life, but it is even better not to be the new kid.
If I were asked what I liked best about Madison, it would have to be the undeniable vibrancy of the city. There is always something going on, no matter what day of the week or time of day it is. This energy was something I desperately wanted in my search for a new school, and it is great to be a part of it. I look forward to my next few years at Madison, and I hope to soak in everything that it has to offer.
Marissa Milstein ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in English and anthropology.
