Below you will find a few examples of articles I wrote for The Odyssey!

The Real Truth About Transferring Colleges

As May 1st, better known as "decision day" for high school seniors creeps up, I am here to remind everyone that the Facebook post you make with your soon to be college typed out in capital letters is not written in stone.

While transferring is a normal occurrence for almost 34% of college students, it is still something that people do not completely accept. College students can find themselves afraid to transfer because they feel it will hinder their future or their peers will not accept them.

I was halfway into my first year at college, when I made the decision to transfer schools. I had gone the majority of first semester truly believing that I enjoyed where I was and that I belonged at that school. However, as first semester continued on something changed. Something I still cannot quite explain. I began to realize that this was not the place I wanted to spend four years of my life. Thanks to my loving and supportive parents, the decision I made to transfer was accepted and made possible.

Transferring can be looked down upon...it can be seen as a bad thing. But in reality, there is NOTHING wrong with transferring colleges. What could be wrong with finding the place you truly belong at?

People say that college is supposed to be the "best four years of your life". But what happens when you go off to college only to realize that you are unhappy in the place you chose for the next four years? The only logical thing to do is to transfer and make sure you are the happiest you can be. However, it can be hard to even think about transferring when everyone around you says it's a bad thing. If you find yourself in this position, I am here to tell you firsthand that it's okay.

Here are a few things that no one tells you about transferring:

1. College is about you.

It is about what you want to major in, what your passions are, and what you want to do in your future. No one can tell you where to go to college. No one can tell you what to major in. And, no one can tell you that your college experience needs to be one thing or another. It is all your own decision.

2. If you are not in love with your college, it is okay.

Nowadays, with social media controlling our lives, it can seem as though everyone at college is in love with their own school. People post Instagrams and Snapchat stories every day showing off their college and convincing the world they love it. What you need to remember is that what you see on social media is not reality. It is okay if your college experience doesn't mirror that of someone else.

3. Your initial decision is not written in stone.

As college admission decisions roll out during the school year, you may decide on a college and post your new status on Facebook. However, this announcement to all of your peers is not written in stone. You are allowed to take down that status and change your decision. You are also allowed to go off to college and make the decision to change schools from the one you said you were going to senior year of high school.

4. Find where you are happiest.

If college is supposed to be the best four years of your life, then it is imperative that you are happy. If you realize you are not happy at school or just not the happiest you know you could be, make a change and find what makes you the happiest person. As I said in my first point, college is about you and no one else.

5. Be confident in your decision and find your support system.

Above I have listed many important points that will help you in the decision you may make to transfer schools, but the most essential point I have yet to mention is that you must be confident in this decision. Your confidence will carry you through the process and ensure your happiness at the end. A great support system is also crucial throughout the transfer process and in making sure you successfully end up where you want to go.

I am now one year into my college career at The Ohio State University after transferring colleges and I can, with certainty, say transferring was the best decision of my life. I will never tell anyone that it was an easy decision or an easy process that I went through, but it was entirely worth it.

Oh, and make sure your credits transfer too!

Visiting Israel is More Important Now Than Ever Before

"When a Jew visits Jerusalem for the first time, it's not the first time; it's a homecoming.", Elie Wiesel.

Stepping off the plane, you are greeted by a warm breeze from the Mediterranean Sea. You rub your eyes as they adjust to the sun that beats down on the Negev desert. You look around and see palm trees, buildings made of limestone, and a beach out in the distance. You wonder to yourself, "what is this place?" This place is your home, it has been for thousands of years and it will continue to be for thousands more. We call this place Israel.

Before you embarked on this journey called Birthright, people may have said to you "be careful" or "stay safe". Now that you have finally arrived you realize there was no need for comments like that because not for a second have you felt unsafe. Comments that warn people to stay safe in Israel, come from those who have never made the trip themselves. If they had, they would know that there is no place that you feel safer than Israel.

As a young Jewish person on a trip to Israel, you travel with 40 of your peers all around this beautiful country. A few of these peers include soldiers from the Israel Defense Forces. Traveling the country with members of the IDF, you learn more than you ever could imagine and begin to realize just how safe you truly are in this place. This realization is not because you have soldiers on your bus with you to protect you. These soldiers are off-duty, taking the trip for the same reasons as everyone else on the bus. Over 10 days, however, you come to see that the country works four times as hard as any other to keep their people safe because you spend time with citizens of this nation. The people protecting and living in this land, truly know what it means to love and support their people and the place they live in…You do not see that in many other places around the world.

There will never be a moment where you feel anxious or begin to question your safety while in Israel. If more people simply got on a plane and experienced this for themselves, I believe a lot would be different. If every young Jewish person took this opportunity of a lifetime and went on Birthright, a lot would be different as well. It is exactly what it says in the name…a Birth Right. And it is more important now than ever before that we truly understand how it feels to be in Israel.

"When a Jew visits Jerusalem for the first time, it's not the first time; it's a homecoming.", Elie Wiesel said. This quote to me means more now than it ever did before and that is because I have experienced this feeling. I know what it feels like to walk toward the Western Wall and feel like I've been there before. I know what it feels like to walk the streets of the Old City in Jerusalem and think to myself "this is oddly familiar". These feelings exist because this city is our home and you never feel out of place in your own home. Every young Jew deserves to return home, feel the electricity in the air that Israel holds, and know in their heart that this is where they belong.

Once you have felt this sensation, there is no way to ignore the current situation that Israel sits in. This feeling will turn into strong support for our homeland. You will no longer be able to ignore the events that take place around or in our land because you'll know just how amazing it feels to walk down the streets of Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. This feeling will manifest in a demonstration of solidarity with Israel and its people. That is why visiting this beautiful, magical, and fascinating land of Israel is more important now than ever.