<p>I am currently a freshman at a state school that was my (literally) LAST choice school. I didn't realize until after the whole college admission process that I want to go to UT Austin. I am currently 10+ hours away from home and feel so isolated. I don't have many friends, mainly acquaintances,i don't like the social scene here. I don't mind the drinking but since im in a small town, there is literally nothing else to do and I mainly spend my time alone. my classes are easy for the most part so I am making good grades but my question is, for those who transfered after staying for all of freshman year, how did you make it?? I mean, I know I can, it is just that it is really tough and I am worried about second semester but I know the smart thing to do is stay the whole year.</p>
<p>knowing that working towards my goal of going to my dream school was what kept me going. and i had to wait a year and a half. just keep yourself focused and hang in there. i know it’s rough but in the end, it’ll be worth it.</p>
<p>If you are truly miserable, and you have another decent option (job, internship, independent travel, etc.) you could take a leave of absence from your current university as soon as you complete this current term. You could give yourself a “gap semester” and apply to the schools you really want to go to. If none of them work out, you still would have somewhere to return to next fall.</p>
<p>Sometimes it takes a while to get used to a new place and meet people. After staying a year you’ll be sure that you gave the school a chance and be certain of your decision to transfer. </p>
<p>Hang in there and keep cracking the books. If the social life isn’t great and you’re at the top of your classes, try applying for some research or other academic pursuits to make the most of your situation.</p>
<p>thanks for all the advice, I have another question. I need 30 hours to get into UT, by the end of this semester I will have 20 total meaning I only need 10 more. Would it be logical to maybe take a semester off and take 10 hours at a community college in my hometown just to get credits or do yall think that UT would rather see 30 hours from the same school? </p>
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<li>Another thing I was thinking about is taking online courses through my university next semester, would UT look down upon that?</li>
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<p>No. Transferring to community college is an excellent choice. My own educational journey was NYU -> community college -> Amherst College. Going to a community college makes you actually more desirable in many circumstances. You’re seen as a kind of alternate student, providing diversity.</p>
<p>If you only have 10 hours left after this semester, why not just stick it out? You can turn in your app to UT by March 1st for the fall semester, show that you have those 10 hours in progress and submit your final transcript in May. That’s what I would do, simply because transferring to another school, even just a CC, seems to be more of a hassle than it’s worth. Unless of course it will save you money, in which case it might be worth it. </p>
<p>I’d call admissions though, speak with an advisor about how it will look to have switched to a CC for only a semester. It might not be an issue, but before you do something that could jeopardize your chances, best to call and find out. Are you looking at coming to Austin Community College? If so please feel free to PM me for advice, etc., I’m finishing up my last semester at ACC now and starting UT in the spring.</p>
<p>stay…many freshman are happier the 2nd semester.</p>
<p>I also think you should try and finish up the credits where you are. I think it looks more favorable as an applicant that is only transferring once rather then it being the third school. Good luck!</p>
<p>thanks for the advice, i agree that it is smarter to stay 2nd semester but i have been positive since about september that i am going to transfer so it is definitely tough but i’ll do it.</p>
<p>I am literally in the same position as you and am using a possible transfer in September as motivation since you do need a good GPA to transfer elsewhere.</p>
<p>WOW! Your situation sounds almost identical to mine! </p>
<p>I am in basically the exact same situation as you. Small town, nothing going on, dislike the majority of people… </p>
<p>That’s all I really have to say. Just WOW!</p>
<p>it’s a common situation…</p>
<p>i have almost no friends here, dont do much but study, i feel like i’m wasting my time socially and academically</p>
<p>I am in a pretty similar situation feeling pretty alone in a small town setting as well. I could take the drinking and smoking that goes on here all the time if there was something to do other than that, but being an isolated town, there isn’t. Good luck to everyone transferring.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that this “common situation”, commonly turns out to be “transfer??? No way!” after first semester…just sayin…</p>
<p>My d was accepted to her ED choice which was a preprofessional program at a large university. BY Oct she knew the program was wrong for her and the only reason why she applied to the university ED was for the program. Second semester she transfered to a different major and started sending her applications out for transfer. She too was lonely even though she had some friends on campus, the mere size of the campus contributed to her lonliness as she never knew where anyone was! She managed to come home once a month. My advise to you is better to stick it out for the rest of this academic year since your good grades will help make you an attractive transfer candidate. Try to get a job, either on campus or off campus as this will open a new avenue of meeting people and lessen your loneliness. Most importantly, look for schools that have strengths in areas you don’t like in your current school. My d transfered to a small college and LOVES it and has been socially and academically successful. Good luck, find your inner strength, and get your transfer apps out!!</p>
<p>and that is why you don’t choose a school based solely on a program. because HS kids rarely know what they want to do in HS. lessons learned though. no worries</p>
<p>as for me, I’m a college freshman thinking about transferring. I am definitely sticking out 2nd semester as I don’t hate my school, I just don’t love it.
The only reasons to go to CC are for financial reasons, or you can’t stand it and are 100% sure you are transferring because you don’t like your current school. otherwise I don’t see the hurt in staying at your current school, but it’s really a personal decision</p>
<p>I was in your spot last year. The problem for me was almost opposite. I stayed local so many people in univ were all previous acquaintances from high school. You may think, what’s so bad about that? Well, I wasn’t close with these people after knowing them for 3 years in high school, so what would change in college?</p>
<p>I just sucked it up and dealt with it. I met new friends and just tried to make the best out of life. Lots of extra-curriculars, had two parttime jobs, commuted 2 hours every day from home. </p>
<p>When I was leaving, I thought I could leave it all behind in a heartbeat but in truth I miss some of the people from the local school now that I’m in another country.</p>
<p>OP - You can read more advises from [NY</a> Times](<a href=“Ten Hours From Home, and 'So Isolated' - The New York Times”>Ten Hours From Home, and 'So Isolated' - The New York Times), your question has been featured there.</p>
<p>I was in your situation in 1997 when I went to what I thought was my first-choice school, some 2000 miles from home, and discovered it was hell on Earth. My roommates were super-religious; when I mentioned I was an atheist, they began praying for my soul every night. When I went on a date with a girl, they told me their immortal souls were in jeopardy living in the same room as a possible homosexual. They also spread this news to everyone in the freshman dorm, and as a result it took me three months to make any real friends.
In the meantime, I struck a deal with my roommates that I would stay out of the room except when I was asleep. So now I basically had no place to live, no friends, and the classes turned out to be really easy so I felt unchallenged…I was miserable in every way. I researched other schools during fall semester, applied for a transfer over Christmas break, and also interviewed at my transfer school then. (Interviews make it much more likely to get in as a transfer.) They accepted me shortly after the start of spring semester, and just knowing the ordeal would soon be over made my life better. (Plus, my roommates moved to a double, so I was free of them.) I decided I would enjoy the place as much as possible for my remaining time – I joined clubs, climbed mountains, met friends who were willing to drive to cool cities that were 1-2 hrs away, rollerbladed all over campus (and still have the scars to prove it) and even staked out a concert line two days in advance and got a front-row ticket. Basically I tried to enjoy life as much as possible. I still hated the place and was counting down the days til it was over, but my days were not as miserable as before. So that’s my advice to you: Stick it out for the credit hours so you can graduate on time, try to make the best of it by finding non-miserable activities to add to your days, and get a transfer ASAP so that you can rejoice knowing the pain has an ending point.
Good luck! I now look back on that school and I’m glad I went there for a year – I learned so much about how different people can be even in the same country, and how important tolerance is, and how to get along with difficult people…I learned so much, socially, that I think if I were to go back in time I’d force myself to go there again. For one year. And not a minute longer.</p>