TIPS FOR TRANSFERS

10 campus life / northwest missourian SO YOU DECIDED

MADELINE MAPES News Reporter @MadelineDMapes

So you have just transferred to Northwest from another college or university — now what? I was in a similar position my fi rst semester at Northwest.

I transferred from a community college after getting my associate’s degree and decided to live off-campus. I’m not going to lie; it was hard in the beginning. I was living alone in a new town, at a new school, where I knew very few people. I spent the entire summer running back-and-forth between my parents’ house, almost two hours away, so I wouldn’t be alone all of the time.

When school kicked in, I started my classes in my degree, and as the semester went on, I started to get to know my classmates, but none that I really talked to all that much outside of class. I struggled to get through the days, and the way I coped was by burying myself in my school work.

At one point in the semester, I decided it was time for me to get a job and have some form of income since I felt that I had my school work under control.

I went to one of my professors and asked if there was a way I could do freelance writing as a young mass media student.

He informed me that I had not yet acquired the skills to freelance, but he did tell me that the campus newspaper was hiring. He got me in contact with someone and this led to me getting a job on campus.

Ever since I joined the campus newspaper, I have made friends and filled the void of loneliness that began to grow at the beginning of the semester.

It was like joining another little family and it helped me a lot as a transfer student.

What I am trying to get at is don’t be afraid to ask for help and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.

I stepped forward and asked for help when I knew I needed it, and I wound up with a pretty cool job in the career fi eld that I plan to be in and with a cool group of people.

Deciding to live on or off-campus at a new college can be diffi cult for students.

There are so many things to consider: How much can I afford each month? How far should I live from campus? How often will I have to buy groceries? How much do I have to budget every month just to survive?

Let’s just say, moving out on your own is an intimidating task.

After I transferred from my community college, I moved into an apartment by myself. I did not know anyone in town who needed a roommate, and I didn’t know anyone else enrolling at Northwest. One thing I did know is that I did not want to live in a dorm and that I could afford to live off-campus.

When I moved out, I had very little experience with paying bills and maintaining a space to call my own that wasn’t a bedroom in my parents’ basement.

I had to do quite a bit of planning and saving to get my own place, but I am glad I did it. It is nice to have a space to do as you please whether you move in with a few roommates or if you move out on your own, like me. 1 When buying groceries, consider all of your options. Hy-Vee has a discount for Bearcats with their Bearcat Cards. There is also Walmart for all of your larger needs when you fi rst move in.

2 Always budget your money. When budgeting, leave some emergency money. You never know when you are going to have to get your car fi xed or if you need an emergency milkshake at 9 p.m.

3 Plan out times to visit home every now and then. Sometimes you just need a weekend with your friends and family to reset.

4 Look for apps where you can get points from groceries. I use an app, Fetch Rewards, that allows me to scan my grocery receipts and I get points for buying certain products. The points get me gift card codes that I can use later on.