I’m currently a freshman at UW-Madison, and I’m feeling a bit confused. I applied to big-name schools (Duke, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Michigan, and UChicago), but the only one I got into right away was my safety, which was Madison. I got denied from NU and Duke, but waitlisted at Vandy, UMich, and UChicago. I decided to commit to Madison, as it was the cheapest option, but I was never very excited about it. Unfortunately, after spending nearly a semester here, I can’t go three days without thinking of transferring. I’m involved in multiple organizations, just got hired for two jobs on campus, and have met some great people, but I feel like I just don’t fit in here. I had great grades and standardized scores in high school, placing me in the top 10% of my class, and I was extremely involved. The vibe here is something I can’t figure out. I feel like everyone is here to party or is not as motivated as I am to do incredible things. Sure, I have opportunities, but I don’t feel fulfilled in this school. I feel like there’s something better out there, but I’m not sure if I should transfer. Anybody out there in the same boat, or were you at any point? How did you deal with going to your safety school?
I am with you on this now. Planning a transfer as well.
My D1 went to her safety. She had higher ranked choices she was admitted to, but got good merit at her safety. She decided that she liked it as well as her other choices and committed to it. She took full advantage of what the school offered, graduated Phi Beta Kappa, and now is very successful in a job she loves.
In my opinion the only school on your original list that is noticeably superior to Madison academically is UChicago. But I sort of wonder why you applied there, as I don’t see a student who would be happy at Duke or Vandy or NU as very happy at UChicago. It makes me wonder if you really gave enough thought to what you wanted in a college before applying, or if you applied more on name brand. You don’t seem to be able to put a finger on what you do want now, which means transferring may not help.
UW Madison is a big school. You can definitely find the kind of people you are interested in there but you have to look in the right places. Make sure you take the most challenging curriculum and see if you can volunteer in a research lab. This will get you in the right kind of environment.
Hi! I’m also a freshman at UW-Madison and thinking of transferring… it wasn’t exactly my safety school. More of a target, but nonetheless my expectations have not been met and I also have not really been able to find my people here. I wanted Michigan - there seems to be a more sophisticated student body there. Unfortunately I didn’t get in.
Let me know if you want to talk!