Feeling so lost in a university I hate, is it worth it to transfer?

College Life
1

My childhood upbringing was that of an extremely Christian community, one that discouraged children from wanting to go to college. As a result, during entire high school I never did any college planning and really had no idea about college at all other than that it was a place where everyone partied. Since I really didn’t know what I was doing, I applied to the closest university to home, Florida International University and received a full scholarship for freshman application

Fast forward to me now, I’m a freshman at my university, however I severely hate it. It doesn’t offer the typical college experience by most colleges due to the fact that everyone commutes. Not to mention its in Miami, a city which I hate living in for many reasons which I won’t get get into for this post.

I currently work part time 4 days a week and commute to college the other 3 days for classes and I absolutely hate the 45 minute drive each way I have to endure to go to classes.

Now I’m thinking about transferring to two other universities within the Florida State School system (only Florida universities since in-state-tuition + bright futures) University of Florida and Florida State University. Both schools offer relatively good Computer Science programs (thats my current major) as opposed to FIU’s but I feel like the cost of moving upstate is REALLY not worth it. Tuition after Bright Futures scholarship would be about $3k not to mention $6k in housing fees. This is NOT including food, which would probably be around another $2k.

Then theres the question of whether to work during college or not. I would probably opt for a server position since 1. it pays well and 2. I have a car so I can drive off campus to my job. But at the same time, work might detract from my academics, especially a computer science degree which has some very difficult classes and requires a lot of studying.

Or spend the next year and a half continuing to live at home and work part time at my job (server) and save up enough to transfer as a junior? This way I could have the last two years in a college I like with enough money to not have to work during college.

To sum it up I basically have four options:

  1. Finish my degree at FIU at home. This is my most current situation and its miserable due to me having to pretend to be a religious Christian and pretending I’m straight. However I have a full scholarship to FIU and would graduate with no loans and probably around $60k savings.
  2. Continue going to FIU but look into university housing. This would cost around $10k a year and would probably take away all my earnings from my part time job to fund my living expenses. Still, its in Miami, which I so desperately want to get out of
  3. Transfer to FSU for Fall 2016. I’d have around $10k savings but would have to take out loans to cover $3k tuition + $6k room and board per year. However…this option would vastly improve my mental health. I’d be able to be myself, as cliche as that sounds.
  4. Transfer to UF for Fall 2017. UF only lets transfers in with 60 or more transferrable credit hours. Their computer science program is also supposedly better. And by Fall 2017 I’d probably have enough money to afford UF without having to work. Cost would also be $9 total for tuition and room and board

So I don’t know what to do. My thoughts are all over the place and I feel my education is screwed because of a lack of understanding of what college was in high school. I wish I had taken more AP courses. I wish I had applied to more than just FIU and seen what kind of scholarships they would have offered me (1360/1600 SAT and 4.0 GPA). I wish I had the balls to do all of that but I was too scared and wrapped up in my own little religious community to see that.

I don’t know what to think. Any thoughts/comments/concerns would be more than welcome :frowning:

2

U fo F-you might feel very differently at a different school while living in dorms. Great school too!

3

It is totally worth it to transfer. I would go with option number 3. Forget about the money and do what will make you happy. Your mental health is vital. Another year in a miserable situation will be hell. 9k in loans isn’t that bad and its worth the investment if it will allow you to thrive in a better environment. FSU is a great school. I would make the transfer for Fall 2016.

I working through a kind of similar situation. I was accepted into my top choice University of Miami but I need another 15k for just freshman year. I could live at home and go to APSU will a full ride but that would mean another 4 years of silent hell as a I pretend that I’m some straight christian. So I say screw the cost and be happy.

4

You should talk to counselors at FIU first. Transferring does not always solve all one’s problems.

5

It sounds like getting away from parents and Miami is the important thing. You mention you’re pretending your straight. Tallahassee has a very liberal small town vibe (my parents live there) and you could definitely feel a more inclusive atmosphere. Cost of living is not that high, and you could probably make good money as a part time server there. You should definitely visit both places, not so much for campus tours but to look at living arrangements. Good luck.

6

Reading the subject heading I was prepared to say it takes a year to adjust to a university but I agree that a commuter school is a different feel from State U like UF and FSU. Unfortuantely, the best scholarships are for entering freshmen. You do need to check how hard it is to transfer to UF/FSU after a semester or two.

7

I agree with Tom. Since you cannot transfer to either FSU or UF until after your sophmore year (~60 credits), why not exercise option 2, by dorming on campus. To lower your R&B cost, you might consider off campus housing near campus with other FIU students. Dorming or living with other FIU students do have their fair share of challenges too, but by moving close to campus or living in a dorm for a year might alleviate a of lot of the negatives associated with commuting for 45 minutes and finding parking on campus (which I heard is quite challenging at FIU). After a year, you can reassess your situation. Who to tell, you might end up liking FIU.

You are getting a full tuition scholarship at FIU (for all 4-years), which you would forfeit if you transfer to FSU/UF. There is no guarantee that your outlook would change appreciably by transfer to either school. So I too would suggest talking to the counselors at FIU to see if they can help you get to the bottom of what the underlying issues are.

8

Hey sorry for the late reply I just checked CC.

Thats the thing though…is the grass really greener on the other side or will I also be unhappy at UF?

9

You might consider transferring to a Florida College System (FCS) institution - Miami-Dade College is if you want t say at home, Tallahassee Community College if you are considering finishing at Florida State, or Santa Fe College if you are considering UF. While I am rather partial to Santa Fe College, you will likely find that both TCC and SF are smaller than FIU, and may provide more nurturing environments. Tuition is less expensive that an state university, too. FCS graduates are guaranteed admission to a state university, and both SF and TCC have good track records for getting their graduates into UF & FSU, respectively.