I am currently ending my freshman year at Tulane University and I am considering transferring to IU Bloomington but i cannot decide what to do. Being a pre-med student, Tulane seems like the obvious choice academically. Tulane has great rankings and a prestigious name and a great neuroscience program (my major) that will help me get into med school. The social scene is great and there is always stuff to do. However, I have just continued to feel like I do not fit in here. I don’t mean this to sound mean or judgy or offensive but the majority of the people here are very stuck up, bratty, into social status, and seem stuck in high school, in my experience, and I have had so much trouble finding real friends which has never been the kind of person I am. I continue to feel very unhappy and alone and alienated at this school as I watch the people around me feel so differently, which worries me a lot because I have always been a very outgoing person that does not have trouble making friends. I also feel very judged based on the sorority that i am in here. I feel often lonely and unfit for the environment at Tulane, but is that just freshman year for everyone? I just don’t know if I fit in here. Being from indiana, I have a ton of high school friends that go to IU. However, my parents do not want me to be stuck in high school and are worried about me going to a less prestigious school. I originally wanted to transfer to IU for a number of reasons: i have a bunch of friends already (all my best friends from high school go to iu) there plus i would have a set group of friends in my sorority as well, it is less expensive, it is much closer to home, and the people seem so much more down to earth. But is that enough reason to transfer? I am afraid that i would be doing a disservice to myself by giving up such an academically amazing school. I am also afraid that i will get to IU and somehow my social situation will not be any better than it is as Tulane and i will regret it and be unable to come back. I have been crying and agonizing over this decision, so i would really appreciate any advice you can give.
Give it another year and try to put yourself in a different living and social situation. You may want to expand your horizons by joining and doing different things with different people than you have this year. This may require you to exit your sorority. If, after another year of trying, the situation does not improve, then you can consider doing Junior and Senior year at IU. Best of luck to you!
How are you paying for Tulane?
Could your family put some of that money toward med school if you go to IU where it is cheaper?
If you compare the specific courses offered at Tulane and IU, how many classes does Tulane offer for your major that aren’t offered at IU? Remember, the name of the major doesn’t matter. What matters is the courses that you take.
When you apply to medical school, what will matter is your GPA, your MCAT score, your medical volunteering/shadowing, and your letters of recommendation. The name of the university that is on your diploma will not matter at all. If you believe that you can get a better GPA at IU because you think you would be happier there, then that is where you need to be.
There also is nothing wrong with taking a leave of absence from Tulane, and just taking a semester or year off to pull yourself together. Crying and agonizing are not good. Go talk with the counselors at the health center at Tulane, and get some help with your decision.