I am currently attending a four year university. I thought it was my dream school, however now that I’m here I am not so sure. I have made plenty of friends and have gone to events, but none of the tips in I have read for freshman are beneficial. I’m trying to make it work, but my heart just isn’t here. I am making good grades in my classes to maintain a high GPA, but I would prefer to move to a college closer to home. The main problem with transferring would be ruining my friendship with my room mate who has been my best friend for 7 years. I tried to share my feelings with her, but she told me I need to grow up. Am I being reasonable or do I need to grow up?
Your roommate is giving you some good advice. You are lucky you have a roommate who is your friend, and you have made new friends, and you are making good grades. Awesome! Do you think it would really be better at “a college closer to home,” where you might not have a good roommate, or you might have difficulty making friends? Those are unknowns. You already have more going for you where you are than many new college students, who struggle with difficult roommates and lack of friends and low grades, etc.
Happiness and contentment are not something that you will find by searching for one life situation or another. You must find those within yourself. It is often an inner attitude rather than an external factor that is affecting your happiness. Work on your “heart” being there. Start a gratitude journal and write down 3 things every day that you are grateful for. Whatever you think you would have at the college near home, try to create where you are. If that is more contact with your family, then start Skyping with them more. Figure this out. You are just going through an adjustment that is a natural part of moving away from home.
What specifically is the problem besides “my heart just isn’t here.” It’s pretty normal to feel like a “fish out of water” while transitioning to college.
I would caution you that the phrase “you can’t go home again” is true. You might see your family more, but a lot of the kids you were friends wth in high school have likely moved on. You’ve likely aged out of your high school activities and will still have to find new social outlets. College bureaucracy is college bureaucracy anywhere, and the mixed bag of great classes versus lousy ones can happen at any school.
My daughter had a pretty rough freshman year away at college and was glad to be home, and yet home is not the same place she left. She hasn’t seriously considered not going back to school.
First of all, it is normal to feel some discomfort when making a major transition, such as from high school to university. You will find that plenty of other students feel the same way (whether they admit it or not).
If you had gone to a university closer to home, then you still would be going through a major transition. Even if your university is only a 45 minute drive from home, you still will wake up in a dorm surrounded by other university students and you still get to keep your own hours, do you own laundry, decide when to study, and so on. There will be a significant transition where ever you go.
You mentioned that you have friends at university, that you get along well with your room mate, and that you are getting good grades. These are HUGE. It sounds like you are doing very well, and just need to give yourself more time to get used to your new surroundings.
Finally, you university should have counseling services where you can go and talk to someone about how you are feeling. Your feelings are not unique – they have dealt with lots of other students who are feeling the same way. As such, the university will be ready to help if you go looking for help.
Thank you all for the advice. I will definitely try going to the counseling center to help ease the transition. 
If you are a freshman then you can’t have been there long. It can take time and coping with the ups and downs as you go before you feel like you have dialed it in. In the meantime try counseling. Also call or text your parents if you need to. They can help encourage you in your adjustment.