"I lived with an aunt and uncle to try to save a few bucks and know that I would've enjoyed my time better had I lived on campus," says Elena Meredith, who transferred from the University of Minnesota—Twin Cities to the University of Tampa. "I know most transfer students are probably upperclassmen and have outgrown dorms, but I think campus housing would be the best way to meet fellow students."
Brian Lustig, another transfer student, who moved from Ithaca College to Emory University, got a one-bedroom apartment when he swapped schools before his junior year, and regrets the decision. "That was not exactly the best way to quickly inject myself into the social scene and really required a lot of extra work to meet people," he says. "If I had to do it again, [I] probably would have sucked it up and found something on campus."
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4. Get involved on campus: Living on campus can help, but it's integral for transfer students seeking a new social group to be active in student organizations, former transfer students say.
Shawn MacArthur, who transferred from Carnegie Mellon University to Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey—New Brunswick, immediately got involved in student government and later was elected student council president at Rutgers. "I credit my successful transition to being involved in student organizations," he says. "It's a great way to be a part of the community, especially at a larger school."
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