<p>To the OP, I transferred to Cornell (also admitted to Dartmouth) from a 4th tier school. I felt exactly the same way that you did on the first day (hated the atmosphere, ****ed off at myself for prior underperformance, etc.). With that said, I only started performing to my ability once i embraced the school and its opportunities. As much as I hated the idea of going there at first, I really enjoyed much of my time there. The decision to leave was actually much more painful than I ever expected as I was leaving a place that I genuinely liked. My advice would be to embrace whatever opportunities may come your way and appreciate the opportunity that you have. That optimism will shine through in your application and hopefully you have some luck. It is true that it only gets harder to transfer, but you will only be successful if the admission committee feels that it is getting a forward-looking gogetter and not someone who is stuck in the past. Best of luck to you.</p>