This is the year most of us plan to change schools and I find no hour more fit than now to write this.

It’s a common concern for all of us in not wanting to change schools, or if we finalize our decision to change- we tend to worry and stress out about things like new friends, education, teaching, teachers, atmosphere, type of classmates, popularity reset etc.

However, we must realize that such turns of life are inevitable and at some point or the other we have to face such separation and changes. Coping up with these will do nothing but make you stronger and teach you how to handle situations. Fearing such changes show a weak character and we must develop a strong personality and learn to face such challenges in life.

If we fail our childhood challenges, what victory can we achieve in adulthood? 

Situation: Changing of schools within the same country in search of new opportunities, better education and greater value for money. Do not consider it as a disadvantage.

1. Friends: Facing the separation from friends sure is a difficult thing to manage, but yet again, it is not compulsory that life needs to carry on with such intimacy and clinginess towards others; which at times is counter-productive even.You can always make new friends in the new atmosphere you go to. If introverted, you can still do so. It’ll take time but within a week or so you will make friends for sure! (personal experience, back to when I was the biggest introvert I knew existed) You could listen to others conversations and if a topic of interest comes up, put in your opinions! Try to converse and move out of your introverted shell.The similarity of opinions and shared interests is a vital factor which can help you interact with the new creatures of your species. The most effective factor that binds peoples feelings and friendships together is similarities and interests. Make sure you express yourself, no one out there with a good heart will judge you. If someone does, you don’t need them in your life. Once your classmates know your interests and vice-versa, automatically conversing will be easier and so will bonding!

   Note to students who are not changing schools (Important!): There’s a high chance you’ll have an influx of students in your class, they might be introverted and might not be able to initiate a conversation. You break the ice! Talk to the new students and introduce them to their new home. Be the person who interacts and makes others feel like home. (Let’s just ignore the fact that I was introduced with a “welcome to jail”. jokes apart, they’re really good people and helped me converse with others- I hadn’t initiated conversations myself in my new school’s first week)

2. Teaching and Educational Procedures: If you are changing schools to the same curriculum, you already know most of what you need to. Besides that, do check with the school teachers, students and your own experience after changing, on how they go about with notebooks and other tasks and adapt accordingly.Feel free to question your classmates and teachers regarding any procedure or happening that you are blank about, it is their duty to answer you and your right to question them.(I made the mistake of not asking how the homework procedure goes about in the first week of my new school and it was pretty different from my old, messed up my first few lessons thanks to that- don’t make the mistake I initially made!)

   If you are changing to a different curriculum, make sure you’ve done all required research about how the new curriculum works and then follow along teachers and school instructions and you should be good!

3. A new image, new life and a fresh start!: Turns out that some of us develop a negative and controversial image in a particular school due to various negative social factors.changing schools is like you hit the reset button! New school, no one knows who you are,  no one knows your past. Now it’s your duty to make the best of the opportunities there and develop a favourable image, profile and do enough good to overshadow the past.
4. Look for the new features in your new school: Well obviously you wouldn’t have changed your school because you were bored and felt like going on a fun adventure, there must’ve been valid reasons. Maybe better facilities and more opportunities were one of them? Look around your school, check for such things and see what you can hold on to and develop! (eg. Your new school might have more sports and competitions of various sorts than your old)

All these tasks won’t come about with the snap of a finger, all changes and effective outcomes demand effort and determination. Don’t let this stop you from your quest for adapting to the new environment. It’s worth it.

Pro-Tip: Land commendable impressions on your teachers and classmates in the first week of your new school itself, It will greatly accelerate your process of integration and growth in the school. If done successfully, you can accomplish in one year more in your new school than what you might have done in multiple years in your old school.

And obviously there will be some jealous kids out there who will seek to destroy your reputation and harm you in various ways, I’ve had one of my notebooks thrown away by a boy for ‘jealousy’ as my teacher addressed it upon finding out.

But don’t let that stop you either, as long as your impressions come about by genuine deeds and natural personality (and not fake and dramatic methods), you know you are going on the right path!

Note: If you are shifting from a small school to a larger one, you are actually lucky in that case, Don’t keep an ideology that lives of students in the new school are already set and they are clung to the top rung charts of the school.

In a matter of a year or two, with dedication and determination, you could occupy those spots too- but only with hard work and willpower.

Changing from a small school to a larger one is like shifting from a pond to an ocean, sure you will have difficulty to adapt and survive, but when you get the hang of it. You’re ready to slay the new battlefield!

This is about it for support on changing schools within the same country, I will leave changing schools inter-country and migration for another day, if the demand for that post is there, I will. Depends on your readers whether or not you want to see it.

Hope this helped and all the very best if you’re changing schools!