The acceptance letter arrives inthe mail and the transfer hustle begins.

You make a list: find a place tolive, pack your stuff, move, saveup money and find a new job. Butdon’t sweat it; you have until August,maybe even September, toget it all done. Start early.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed.You have a life to live and addingmore stress is, well, stressful. Butif you start right now, you can get itdone. Make yourself a timeline andstick to it.

Summer vacation will be here intwo weeks. Start looking for a newplace to live. By the end of July,put down the deposit on your newplace. If you will live off campus,choose your roommates by the endof July, as well.

Finding roommates is tricky. Askfriends and family. Your universitywill have a bulletin board or a Website with a list of people who needroommates.

Next, sell the stuff you don’t needby the beginning of August. Havea garage sale, take your things tothe Flea Market or list on Craigslist.com. After you’ve reduced your inventory,invite your closest friendsover for a packing party. Friendshelping can make it fun and lesstime consuming.

Save money for rent, books andtuition. Open up a new savings account.Put one-fourth of your paycheckinto your account every paydayso you have money when youmove.

If your new apartment is unfurnished,Craigslist.com has free andcheap furniture.

Another helpful Web site isGooglemaps.com. Enter your newaddress into the map, select “Findbusinesses” and look for familiarstores and landmarks around yournew neighborhood. Find the closestgrocery stores, 7-11s, gas stations,freeways and thrift shops.

Prepare to join hundreds of studentsin huge lecture halls at UCand CSU. Your professor will probablynot know your name, but thatwill be OK. Classes will go by fasterand may be taught by a teachingassistant.

Before the school year starts,look for interesting team sports,fraternities, sororities and clubs.See if anything looks cool. Gettinginvolved will make you feel more athome.

As soon as classes start, createstudy groups. Exchange phonenumbers and e-mail address withclassmates. Not only will this helpyou grasp course information, youwill make new friends in this newenvironment.

You are making a big change inyour life. Make it a time of rejoicinginstead of a time of stress.Remember, the early bird getsthe worm – and the early transferstudent gets the nice apartmentwith a view and a roomate who isn’tcertifiably insane. Good luck.