hi. looking for some advice on whether I should consider transferring. I don’t really know much about it in all honesty and am a bit unmotivated to apply (is this the right forum to post this under? Sorry in advance if not) but also really really miserable at NYU.
About me:
I’m a sophomore at NYU. I’m in a major I really don’t like with somewhat bleak and unfortunate chances of switching majors (would give details but am paranoid about giving specific details away). I’m very involved in student life in various capacities (government, clubs,etc) or as much as NYU seems to offer(typically one of the issues here) and I have decent relationships with profs and friends.
Basically, I’m incredibly unhappy with the level of academics here( boring, mostly easy, no support, yet still stressful tho). I also am bothered by how apathetic most people I know are. Most (not all) of my friends seem to care solely about instagram, booze, and boys. Don’t get me wrong, I also like to gossip and talk about nothing, but I like to think I care about something bigger, more important that that?? Or, they just don’t care about much of anything. No political motivation, no academic interests, etc. I’m kinda nerdy and awkward, and while I play along with partying and such, I don’t find it fun. But it’s NYC so there’s plenty to do and it used to keep me busy. Now, i feel mostly bored going to the same stores, shows, etc. I’m also pretty extroverted so I find it hard to have fun with others when our interests are so different but I also dislike being alone. I should probably add here that I’m depressed(ya I get help) yet am religious about making it seem as if I’m fine and having a great time so I’ve felt like a bit of a phony myself… This kind of turned into a rant, but there’s that. I know I sound a bit moppy/Holden-y but I’m working on it.
Stats are so-so…which is also an issue. And I only did 3 years in Hs so that doesn’t help either.
College gpa 3.85
High school GPA 4.4 (4.6 scale)
SAT 1400
Plenty of High school extra curriculars but no Unique story— I’m your average suburban honors student from an mid upper class family.
I feel like my chances of admission to a good school are slim yet I’m insecure enough to only want to transfer to somewhere with name recongnition. Thoughts on whether I should commit to transferring? I’m open to any and all schools with majors in the social sciences, but have literally no idea what sort of caliber schools I could stand to get into ?
As a transfer student myself, I don’t think transferring will solve your problems. It seems like most of your problems don’t have much to do with NYU itself.
It is very probable that if you transfer elsewhere, you will have these same problems. On top of the limited aid transfers receive and having to go through adjusting to an entirely new campus. My transfer process turned out great, but it was very, very rough in the beginning, and I still have hard times.
NYU is a big school, so I doubt everyone there is apathetic or booze and boy-crazy. You might want to find some new friends–not to replace the friends you already have, but to have another group of friends with different interests.
Are you in any clubs, like political clubs? Do you talk to people in your classes?
That’s a good point. My fear in transferring is that you’re right and it won’t solve any of my general dissatisfaction.
I’m in three clubs and am on the leadership boards for some other student life things, but I don’t talk much to people In classes. Like we do in class but it never becomes a legit friendship, more so just class help and such.
Does NYU have a decent program in your major? Do you know what else you might want to major in?
Will you be able to graduate from NYU without taking on debt?
NYU has a pretty good reputation. It seems unlikely that you are going to find another school that is less boring. If you are interested in your major, and if any courses are too easy but are in subjects that you like, then you should be able to get ideas for additional work from your professors.
If you want to change to a major that NYU does not have, or where NYU has a poor program, or where you will not be able to be accepted into your new major at NYU, then this might be a reason to transfer.
Any school that is even remotely at the same level as NYU is going to have some students who are enthusiastic about their major, and about the courses that they are taking. One thing that I wonder about is whether you might want to get involved in activities that will introduce you to a different set of friends.
Another thing to think about is whether you want to consider taking a semester or a year abroad. You can do this either for a semester or a year during the regular academic year, or alternately you could do this over the summer.
I think that name recognition is highly overrated. If you do transfer, then you need to find a school where you will be happy. Down the road very few people are going to care where you graduate from. You should care about whether you are happy, and if you are happy you are likely to do better academically.
One issue with transferring is that there is no guarantee that you will be happier at a different school.
“schools with majors in the social sciences” covers a LOT of schools.
Every school has a different culture, and it’s not always a good fit. Have you ever considered going down south? Your grades would very likely earn you a transfer scholarship to the University of Alabama. Fresh air and trees have a much more positive effect on the mind and body than you might realize. Not to mention that the culture down there tends to be a lot more friendly.
Are you getting help with the depression? If not, walk yourself in to the counseling center and get started on that.
Your profile is good. If you are female, cross town and look at Barnard. Maybe you would be happier with more intellectual women around you. If you like Barnaard, you also might like Bryn Mawr, Mt. Holyoke, Smith, Wellesley, Simmons, etc.
What exactly is your academic interest? Where are there good programs for that field of study? If you target those programs, your ood GPA might get you in.
What about the money? Is your family shelling out the full cost at NYU or do you have a scholarship? How much could your family afford to pay if you only get federal aid?
Are you a NYS resident? There are a whole bunch of SUNYs as well as the state divisions of Cornell which might appeal.
If you aren’t a NYS resident, what is your home state? Would one of the home state public Us work for you ?
I do think NYU doesn’t have the nerdy group feel of a smaller residential college and that sounds like what you want. If you’re not happy - you’re not happy. If you have decent grades in school (and I hope so, since the workload isn’t hard) you should be able to find someplace that fits you better for junior and senior year. I transferred as a junior simply because I was kind of “done with” my original (small) school and I didn’t regret it. I feel like I had the chance to experience two different colleges and I was a stronger college graduate because of it.
In terms of money, they gave me merit but it’s only 7k, and no federal aid, so parents pay the rest.
NYU has good programs for the major I’m technically in right now (which I strongly do not want to stay in)… and also a good program for one which I could theoretically transfer to. Preferred major dept is very popular in my school. Their advising hasn’t been great (ie. they’ve been very evasive, very not friendly towards internal transfer questions, etc ) and I’m not entirely confident I would get into to that major. They take very few people and I don’t have priority like NYU LS kids. They took zero people in my situation last year. Lol.
I’m looking for any school with strong humanities. sociology, anthropology, communications, majors. I’m Open to others. To be honest, I don’t know what I want to study so I’m not that intent on a major. I’d like to be in the social sciences but with less emphasis on the quantitative sides (my current major is stats, math, research heavy).
I spent a lot of time thinking about transferring yesterday and I think I’ve narrowed down my central concern:
I can’t tell if i’m the problem or if it’s NYU. I don’t want to transfer and have all the same issues regarding apathetic students, Boring classes, a toxic social life, etc follow me.
On the other hand, it could in fact be NYU for the most part. I definitely dislike NYC
and it’s dirtiness(sp?) and toxic culture. As I wrote in the OP, I also have issues with the people and majors…but I gues what I’m asking is whether people have transferred and regretted it? Not felt better about school, social life, etc at their new school?How do I even know where I should transfer, If I can’t pinpoint what I dislike about NYU, except for seemingly everything?? A lot to ponder. Thanks to everyone who responded already.
Instead of transferring right now, would a leave of absence make sense for you? You could do something that is not educational for a semester or two and explore some possible career interests. Just getting out of NYC for a bit would be a change as well. During the time off (think of it as a delayed gap year) you would have time to think about where you’d like to finish up your education - maybe back at NYU or maybe at an entirely different place.
I am a bit confused by your statements. At the top you say you don’t like your current major and while NYU has the major you want, it is not likely that you will be allowed to change into it. However, later, when you are discussing potential transfer schools, you are completely open about a major as long as it is in the social sciences. Is it possible that NYU has a major that falls in this category that is easier to change to? Alternatively, you could stay in your more quantitative major (not a bad thing for employment after graduation) and take a broad range of elective courses to help you figure out what you want to do after graduation.
If you are saying that only one major would satisfy you at NYU, then you really are saying that you are uncomfortable at NYU and it is just not a good fit for you. Of course, you could be taking your personal issues with you if you transfer but if you are at a school and location that you like better, this might result in an improvement of your personal concerns as well.
A leave of absence might be a good way to figure things out.