The Stress of Transferring to a New University

Stress is something that everyone experiences each day. Acute and chronic stressors from external and internal sources can cause a physiological reaction, or Stress Response. This response can affect one’s physical & mental wellness. As a transfer student this stress response is extended for a longer period of time than students who stay at the same university for four years because of the stress of transferring schools, as well as the lack of developed cognitive models.

Disorder in the environment/relationships:

Disorder in the environment and in relationships can increase stress. Going from one large university to another, I have been in a disordered environment for the past 3 years. Large universities are typically crowded and full of busy and stressed people. Additionally, when you transfer schools all of the relationships you have made at your previous school are either lost or weakened. This causes more stress because you don’t have any friends at your new school and are losing friends from your old one.

Dominant Groups:

Transferring as a sophomore makes it so you will never be the dominant group on campus. This is because the dominant group are very familiar with campus and have well developed cognitive maps. Just as you are becoming a dominant group on campus, you switch schools and then have to build completely new cognitive maps. Because of these cognitive maps, dominate groups are less stressed and less likely to become sick. This has resulted in me getting multiple colds each year for every year I have been in college.

Illness:

Adding to the fact that transferring colleges causes you to not be in the dominant group and increases your chances of getting sick, the stresses of transferring also causes you to be more susceptible to illness. Transferring schools is stressful because once you thought you were done applying to colleges and now you’re completing all of those applications again while dealing with your college classes. It is also stressful because you are uprooting your entire life again and moving to a new place again. These stressors directly weaken the body’s immune system, increasing the likelihood of becoming sick.

Buffers:

Transferring colleges may be stressful, but it’s not all bad! Biological, social, and

informational buffers allow one to better deal with chronic and acute stressors. Transferring to a university with people that are more like-minded to yourself helps you create better and more supportive friendships. Social buffers can also come from friendships with people who have also just transferred universities. Informational buffers are also available. Before officially moving to the University of Michigan I came and visited campus and Ann Arbor to begin making my mental maps. Additionally, there are informational programs to help transfer students adjust. Biological buffers allow for stress reduction as well. Before transferring school I was in a bad environment created by the university and the people in it and this was causing me to be depressed. Because depression does not run in my family, I was able to function enough to do well in classes to be able to transfer and help myself get better. Transferring universities took me from a bad environment and brought me to an environment that caused me less stress and allowed me to thrive.