When I first considered transferring to Smith during my freshman year, I was intrigued by the possibility of attending a small liberal arts college. I was deeply unhappy and unfulfilled at St. John’s University, a large Catholic university close to my home in New York City. There was no strong sense of community or engagement on campus, and the school felt like the wrong fit. In high school, I struggled to fit in among high-achieving peers who aimed to attend schools like Smith. My self-esteem was low, and I wondered whether I should even bother going to college. I decided to attend St. John’s because it seemed like the most realistic option and I didn’t know what else to do. When I arrived on campus, I realized why my peers had cared so much about finding the right fit. Everything began to click: college is a formative, once-in-a-lifetime experience. I wasn’t actually living during my time at St. John’s. I was just surviving from day to day and racking up credits.