Undergraduate / Traditional college experience; Common app transfer personal statement [4]

Please provide a statement that addresses your reasons for transferring and the objectives you hope to achieve.

Growing up I had always looked forward to having the traditional college experience. Cliché as it might be, I always thought that this experience was an important part of growing up. It was something I thought I need experience before entering the real world. So after I was accepted to Penn State, I thought there would be no better place to matriculate for my freshman year.

But after my first year at Penn State, I realized that this traditional experience was not something I truly wanted. It's not that I didn't find what I was looking for at Penn State; it was everything I expected it to be. I quickly became comfortable with the familiarity I found myself feeling in completely new place. The sense of community and social aspects of Penn State were similar to those that I had come to love growing up in a small town. But after a while things became too comfortable, too familiar, and I felt myself wanting something different and longing for a change of scenery.

It was not until I took a daytrip to New York City near NYU's campus during the summer after my freshman year did I realize that I had found what I was looking for. Being from nearby Bergen County I was no stranger to the landscape of a city, but this trip was unlike any other I had taken before. After being away at school for so long, the foreign feel of the city felt like a breath of fresh air that I desperately needed. It was at that moment I realized I would be better situated at a school in an urban environment.

Now all of this is not to say that I haven't enjoyed my time at Penn State, I have. I've met some exciting people and have had the opportunity to study under some great professors. But being accustomed to small town life for nineteen years I feel myself in need of a change. I originally felt comfortable at Penn State because it felt like home in a way. But I now feel like pushing myself toward the unfamiliar, exploring more diverse settings than can be found at Penn State or any other traditional college campus.

I know the last paragraph is a little weak and is something that needs a little more attention