<p>As someone getting ready to make a decision, where have some of you gone to small schools and are not happy?</p>
<p>Miami University.^</p>
<p>I say those of us in this situation make a club!</p>
<p>I’ve asked myself the same question. I’m transferring to another school next semester. I’m a freshman, and the past four months at my current school have been truly miserable, to the point where the thought of coming back here next semester makes me feel physically ill. If you’re really, really that miserable, there’s no need to stay an entire year. But I guess you never know what could happen. I battled this - should I stay, should I go? I just decided to take a chance.</p>
<p>Anyone who “toughed” it out there first year before transferring - hats off to you!</p>
<p>And to answer the question, I go to a small school now. Mercer University in Macon, GA. It’s smaller than my high school.</p>
<p>Amsbluedevil24: I love Miami U. Do you go to the one in Oxford? I went to a camp there a few summers back. I’m sorry if you’re not enjoying it :(</p>
<p>Yeah. I thought it was going to be great, but it is lackluster to say the least.</p>
<p>Do a semester or a year abroad. You will have a blast and make very close friends.</p>
<p>I’m sorry to hear that =( Where are you looking to transfer to?</p>
<p>Most likely Ohio State right now simply because I have a number of very good friends there and all my credit will transfer.</p>
<p>Other than that I am considering Duke, Vanderbilt and Notre Dame.</p>
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<p>Just make sure you fully scrutinize the social scenes of those schools; Vanderbilt students are VERY huge on Greek Life/partying/drinking and racial segregation. And, from what I hear, the student body is very conceited, largely in part because many of the students come from exceedingly rich families. </p>
<p>If you ending going to one other than Ohio State (which you seem to know about/have connections), make sure you visit it and ask your questions to real students and NOT the stupid welcome staff or superficial tour guides. This way you won’t be shortchanged. </p>
<p>Hope I helped; I am a transfer myself (from U of Minnesota) and learned everything the hard way just like you seem to have done this past year. I wish you the best.</p>
<p>Oliver_Twist: I was actually looking at U of Minnesota to transfer TO. Would you mind me asking why you transferred out of the school?</p>
<p>There are a lot of stories of people who didn’t like it first year or first semester, came back second year or second semester and loved it. On the other hand… Assuming you’d be happier at home and the credits would transfer, why would you pay all the money to go to a private school when you could go to a community college back home?</p>
<p>I personally am not sure that I buy the argument that “having more than one college on your record is bad.” It may be true, but I have never heard that from admissions officials, only laypersons who assume this to be true. I am at a prestigious state school and there are TONS of people who are transfers after having attended more than one school incl. one or more community colleges. Not at all uncommon these days.</p>
<p>wow I can totally relate to your situation. I am at a good state but I really don’t like it. I have had a lot of trouble making and maintaining friends which really upsets me because I am a very social person, but in this environment I just feel extremely socially awkward and it really bothers me. I want to transfer to some very competitive schools but the average gpa for those schools is around 3.5 and although i think i could have that gpa for the entire year, i am not sure if I would be able to have a 3.5 this semester which really worries me. My school is in a decently sized city and there is a lot to do on campus and socially but i have just been really unhappy with the people here. At first I was considering transferring mid semester but I realized that my options were limited and then thought maybe to travel for a semester but a lot of the schools I was looking at required at least 24 credits, so that also wasn’t a good option. Even though I am upset about it I decided to stay another semester because it seemed like the best option.</p>
<p>If you’re unhappy with people at a college, it’s usually you’re fault. It’s you not the student body. How can a student body be uniformly all the same? They can’t. There is diversity at all colleges (and i don’t mean race). People are not all the same, and when you say you don’t like the people…you make it sound like they are all unlikable, which I find hard to believe.</p>
<p>I apologize vintiji I am not unhappy with the entire population of the school but rather with the people in my dorm. It is a private dorm and so the student body that chooses to live here is fairly homogeneous. Many of them are wealthy, snobby, and cliquey. And there is almost only around 250 people, so everyone knows everything about everyone and talks about them. I have made some close friends over the course of the year but have just had a hard time keeping them, because everyone is so judgmental. I suppose a lot of it is my fault, I must be doing something wrong, I am not sure what because I think I am very nice to everyone, but now when meeting new people I a constantly reminded of these bad experiences and it just makes me socially awkward and I feel like people can sense the fact that I am so lonely here.</p>
<p>While there may be some limited truth to what vintij says, I think that the original poster is also very concerned with the geographic environment and isolation of the town that you are in, not just the student body. If you are already feeling sad, you should look for ways to make your situation better, but also don’t look to blame yourself for a bad situation that you have little control over. That will only make things worse.</p>
<p>i felt the same way university i attended was my absolute last choice also. I definitely disliked the people that went there(not all of them).I wanted to transfer as soon as possible but I’m glad i did not. I transferred after freshman year and i was fortunate all my classes transferred.</p>
<p>I’ve been there, and had no choice to stick it out for two full years (my first round of transfer apps was unsuccessful).</p>
<p>We always tell people to get involved in order to make friends at college, but where you’re lonely and unhappy, volunteering can really help. Every town, no matter how small, has people in need, and every college has groups that serve those people. There’s nothing like a toy drive or visiting kids in a hospital to make you forget your troubles and feel grateful about your own life. Hopefully you’ll also make friends with the kids in the service group, but even if you don’t, the work may help put things in perspective.</p>
<p>My nephew was in that situation and ended up taking classes at a state school local to his home (he moved back) for second semester while he waited to transfer in to the school he loved. He arrived there for sophomore year and is extremely happy. He got credit for everything and it worked out well. You don’t have to stay the whole year if you can’t stand the idea. Good luck!!!</p>
<p>That first semester is a huge adjustment.
My daughter had tough first semester with missing old friends. She returned home at Christmas and decided to stay for spring and take classes at community college. She took a leave of absence at first school. During spring she applied to second school. By spring’s end decided first school really wasn’t so bad and returned there for summer. She’s been happy ever since and will soon graduate. </p>
<p>She’s an anxious person who doesn’t adjust easily to new situations. Many people like this cover up their emotions with too much partying that first term and get booted out…the decision to leave is made by others.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Two semesters, then transfer.</p>
<p>I stayed in the library.</p>