I switched universities after one semester. Sometimes when you know, you know. 

I always loved school and learning. I went to university and absolutely hated it. I could not believe this is what thirteen years of schooling had led me to. I missed all my friends, I missed my teachers knowing my name, and I missed caring about learning. 

I knew before Thanksgiving that I did not want to be there. I always joke with people that one day during my 8:30 calc class some guy sneezed on me, didn’t apologize and I got on the bus to go home and made my decision that same day. Although I was utterly disgusted at the time, COVID really makes you rethink the fact someone had the audacity to sneeze on my neck. Wow... I digress… 

When I came to Mount A, I thought I wanted to do biology. Biology never really interested me, but I was good at it. It made sense to continue in what I was good at, get great marks, and move along. I thought about doing Philosophy, I loved the courses I took, but it didn’t give me that spark I wanted. I switched into Psychology and loved it. It gave me a little bit of everything I wanted. I chose to minor in French, and I was able to travel to Strasbourg to complete most of my minor. I know I made the right choices in the end; it just took a while to get to that point where I was sure of what I wanted. 

There is a pressure that once you start something you must finish it. You started a Netflix series, you don’t like it but everyone’s watching it so you should finish it, give it a chance. What about the book you’ve been reading for the past four months, once you reach that 100-page mark it should get better, right? You started university, the first year is rough. Ask anyone. Keep pushing through! For what? Why continue making yourself feel unfulfilled? Sometimes when you know, you know and when you know, it is not worth wasting your time on pretending it will get better. 

This is not a blog post about why you should switch universities or even drop out. It is a sign to let you know that it is okay if you feel like you need to. It is okay if that is what you decide to do. When I started university, it was nothing that I wanted. Yet, I wanted everything from my university experience like new friends, learning new things, getting a degree. During my first semester, I found myself lost and feeling alone. It seemed everyone around me loved school and I hated everything. I decided to make a switch and it is so much better. If you can change something for your own happiness, what’s stopping you?