<p>I'm currently a freshman at a USNWR Top 20 school-my former "dream school", actually. I am also the recipient of a merit-based scholarship that's worth the cost of tuition - approximately 40k/year. Here's the thing...I'm absolutely miserable! I can't imagine having to spend the next three years of my life here. So, I'm thinking about transferring for next fall. I am in the process of submitting my applications- all are public schools and none are nearly as prestigious as my current school. It's also probably worth mentioning that all of the schools I'm considering transferring to are out-of-state and don't typically offer merit aid to out-of-state transfer students, especially this late in the application cycle. Having said that, I'd most likely have to take out 5k-10k/yr in loans to attend most of the schools I'm looking at.</p>
<p>What do you think? Should I suck it up and just get by for the next 3 years at my current school without having to worry about money? Or is my being happy worth the stress of changing schools and taking on loans?</p>
<p>I'm so lost and confused. I would really love to hear any advice or thoughts you might have..</p>
<p>10K in loans is 30K+ for 3 years (and that is assuming everything transfers) and that is just your estimate, not the actual financial aid package, which can be more in loans than you are anticipating.</p>
<p>Try making a very thorough list of everything you dislike and contrast that against a list of the other schools and see if those items pop up on their respective lists.</p>
<p>Maybe a break over the summer will give you a different perspective.</p>
<p>But a full tuition scholie is not something I would advise my kiddos to discard. But we are a “financially challenged” family so they have had to put up with a lot of cr** to get to where they need to be.</p>
<p>So what is it, again, that makes you feel you need to transfer?</p>
<p>Sorry to learn about your problems. This is a tough decision indeed. A lot depends on the sources of your misery and whether you have good reasons to believe that: a) you will continue to be miserable for the next 3 years and b) you will not be miserable in the college you transfer to. So without knowing more specific details about your situation, it is hard to know. But if you are sure of both a) and b), I would vote in favor of transferring.</p>
<p>I’m currently at Vanderbilt. As far as transferring, I’m applying to University of Georgia, University of Central Florida, College of Charleston, and Florida International University.</p>
<p>Financially, my parents and grandparents will contribute up to 25k/yr to cover the cost of my education. I do not anticipate receiving any need-based aid from any of the schools I am applying to. </p>
<p>Why am I thinking about leaving? There’s a couple reasons…</p>
<p>Location - I thought Nashville would be an awesome place to live, but having been here since for 7 months, I’m already bored out of my mind. I’m from a small suburb so I thought Nashville would be this booming metropolis…not so much. </p>
<p>Social environment - This is a big one. Vanderbilt has a really specific culture and I’ve really started to think it’s not for me. I’ve found the students here to be almost hyper-competitive when it comes to not only grades/schoolwork, but also partying. Even though we have over 6,000 students here, I feel like the student body is largely homogeneous. I’m involved in a lot of activities - I’m a member of an intramural sports team, went on a service trip earlier this year, and am part of a cultural organization. I know a ton of people, but feel like I don’t really “click” with anyone. </p>
<p>Academic environment - Extremely disappointing. I don’t find the content of my classes at all challenging, but do find the workload here almost unmanageable. Since January, I’ve had over 70 pages worth of papers to write. I pretty much feel like I’m doing a huge volume of work, but not really learning much or growing intellectually. My first semester grades (any money) will keep me from attending a school that’s “better” than Vanderbilt, but I figure that at a larger state-school, I’ll have a much less stressful workload that better corresponds to the actual level of academic rigor at the school.</p>
<p>I think it’s too early to give up on Vandy. Besides, if you think that Vandy isn’t academically challenging enough, than those other schools won’t be either.</p>
<p>And, as you move more into your major, you’ll likely to find more people that you click with.</p>
<p>As you move into upper division courses at Vandy, you’ll be more challenged and get less “busy work” (which it sounds like you’re getting now).</p>
<p>Can I ask you this…do you usually have trouble making close friends. The reason I ask is this. Another student I know had that same complaints as you about another good school. He transferred (gave up scholarship). Guess what? Not happy there, either. Transferred again…not happier there, either. Another student that I know had similar complaints and decided to “stick it out” (because of financial aid). That child is now happy at her school.</p>
<p>OP, give it another semester at least. I think the reason you find the student body so homogenous is because of how the housing system works for freshmen. We are all stuck together in the far corner of the campus. We only get to know freshmen, and we are trying to figure out who we are as a person away from our parents and such. </p>
<p>Once you live on the main campus, you may find that the campus isn’t as homogenous as you’d think. There are some really interesting people here!</p>
<p>The social life is definitely greek, yes, but you don’t have to be greek to make friends. And how much of Nashville have you explored? If it’s just downtown and West End, then yeah it can get a bit repetitive. But unless you go somewhere like New York, you won’t find a huge city-like atmosphere. Especially considering the colleges you are applying to.</p>
<p>Also, if you have a less stressful workload, you will be even MORE bored out of your mind.</p>
<p>If you end up needing $10K in loans, this amount will exceed the Stafford loans you can take by several thousand dollars per year. Where will the remaining money come from (a job perhaps?).</p>
<p>UGA is similar to Vanderbilt, in my opinion. I know a set of identical twins, one went to UGA, one to Vandy and they felt the same way.</p>
<p>How about going to your own state school? Maybe taking a year off to go there and go back to Vandy if you so please. I know kids have taken a year at different schools. That might give you some perspective. Going instate would also reduce your costs. Why would you want to go to an OOS public at this point?</p>
<p>Maybe it is just me but there has to be more than what OP describes. He is from a small suburb but there is not much to do in Nashville which is basically a city. But socially he is very busy on all kinds of stuff with lots of friends (and bored at the same time) but does not click with anyone. The classes are not challenging but did not do well in terms of grades, and now like many pointed out, he wants to go to less challenging school hoping to somehow gets more of I don’t know what?</p>
<p>I don’t mean at all to give hard time here, but I like to think there is something a lot more than this and maybe if OP comes out and identify it, it might point to the real problem and a solution or resolution to be had. Girlfriend, homesick, roommate problem, etc…</p>
<p>“The grass is always greener on the other side.”</p>
<p>Think about that as you decide what to do. You’re talking about an expensive change both in terms of cost and possibly even opportunities.</p>
<p>
What exactly is it about the other colleges’ locations that you think would provide more for you? They all have people, restaurants, shopping, movie theaters, recreational opportunities, and everything else a city has. When it comes down to it what would you do in Ga or Fla that you can’t do in Nashville (other than maybe go to the beach in Fla)? You can pick any location in the world and some people will claim to be ‘bored’ there but it’s often due to the individual not engaging himself/herself rather than the location itself.</p>
<p>social environment - Most people will really end up with only 1-3 close friends and perhaps some more they’ll hang out and do things with. Get serious - out of 6,000 students there you don’t think you can find 1 or 2 you actually do click with? If not, do you really think that’d be different elsewhere? Maybe it would but maybe not. </p>
<p>
Then are there options to take what you feel would be more acedmically challenging courses there (I don’t know what’s available at Vandy)? Since you’re a freshman you haven’t experienced all that’s available there. You can perhaps select your courses, professors, and maybe even your major carefully in order to provide the academic rigor you have in mind. If you really want academic rigor you can always switch to engineering/CS. ;)</p>
<p>At the end of the day you need to value your issues with your current choice to see if it’s really worth switching. You also need to be very realistic and honest with yourself to determine if the issue is the school/location itself or you not taking advantage of what’s there. You don’t want to switch to another location at a significant expense only to find yourself with the same issues.</p>
<p>There’s no right or wrong answer really - you just need to determine it for yourself.</p>
<p>Agree with nepop. Lawyers and Wall Street do care where you went to undergrad on East Coast. Unless your story is alot like his, those jobs are usually unavailable to 3 tier.</p>
<p>If you are really miserable, know why you are miserable, don’t see it changing, and do think you’ve found an environment where that won’t be the case, then definitely transfer. Life is too short. </p>
<p>(But, likely, I think you should try one more semester.)</p>
<p>I agree with mom2. I attended Vanderbilt many years ago and know that freshman year can be socially competitive as everyone finds their place. I think Vandy is working hard to get more diverse people on campus like you and I don’t think transferring to a state school, unless you get into the honors program, will be as academically challenging as Vanderbilt. Since you are just a freshman getting your core classes out of the way, your major courses will be more stimulating for you and that will make a difference. And if you don’t find it intellectually challenging then why aren’t your grades any better?</p>
<p>Nashville is an awesome community with beautiful neighborhoods. College is not really meant to spend in the town but in the college, and Nashville has much to offer for that limited time you have outside of school - hiking, good shopping, more music than any other city so transferring I think would take you away from all that. </p>
<p>College is meant to be a growth time where you explore different avenues so maybe if you opened your mind to the opportunities Vanderbilt has to offer, getting to know the professors, things will change for you. If I were your parents giving up a free ride would be a very serious decision - I don’t know how unhappy you would need to be to do that but that is a great advantage - so I say suck it up, open your mind and seek out more people you can relate to.</p>
<p>I know a number of kids who hated my college, my son’s college and some other top 20 schools, who transferred out and did very well. But I agree that the OP needs to look at this carefully. Your school picks seem to be shots in the dark to me.</p>
<p>Well… Nashville is not going to change. But as you move into upper level classes, you should be with smaller groups and more in depth discussions. And it does take a while to make friends… but in a pool of 6,000 students, I have to believe you will “find your people” somewhere. </p>
<p>I personally take a while to make new friends, so my first semester of college at a large university was somewhat like yours socially. Didn’t help that I had a poor roommate situation. Eventually I made friends, but it was my sophomore year before I found organizations that had more people I clicked with.</p>
<p>Depending on your major, another option would be to look into studying off campus your junior year (although you need reasonably good grades to do that). Look into going abroad, or whether Vandy has an exchange program with other American universities. Or a semester in DC, or something like that.</p>
<p>I admit, I am kind of confused by your academic comments. You are not going to find more academically challenging classes at the colleges you are listing. Are you in the right major? Is part of the problem that you are taking some required lower level classes, or core curriculum classes that aren’t things you enjoy?</p>
<p>Give it one more semester. Then, if you’re still miserable in December 2011, make plans to transfer.</p>
<p>You may well come back to Vandy for your sophomore year and realize you like it a lot more than you think. It sometimes takes a while to become comfortable in a place and feel like it’s yours. Another thing to consider is that while so much emphasis is placed on finding the perfect school and loving it, the reality is that college is not Nirvana anywhere. Sometimes I think we hype the college experience too much, and that leads to unnecessary disappointment for freshmen who were expecting this wonderful new world that fails to materialize.</p>
<p>Transferring to another school isn’t gonna guarantee happiness, but it will guarantee that you will be in debt upon graduation. If you are truly unhappy at your current school, then I’d look into it, but first I’d look into how you could make your current school more desirable for you in some manner.</p>
<p>I agree with those who say to wait one more semester. Heck, I’d say wait another year. Try hard to do well gpa-wise THIS semester and next semester, and get your transfer apps ready ASAP after you get first semester grades next year. </p>
<p>If you still dislike Vandy, do your last two years somewhere else. You’ll have less debt that way. You may also have a better gpa, which would give you more transfer options. </p>
<p>An alternative is to try hard to do well THIS semester and then take a leave of absence from Vandy. View it as taking a gap year a year late. During that year, figure out what you really want to do and give yourself some space. </p>
<p>I’d also suggest going to the study center or whatever they call it at Vandy. It sounds like you have some time management problems. Try to get some help figuring out why you find the workload unmanageable. Maybe you can help things by taking a wider variety of course next semester. </p>
<p>i always use the analogy with my kids that a scholarship is like a job. In effect they are paying you to go there, study and learn…and every job has good parts and bad parts. but it sure feels good to get that paycheck (tuition etc)…look at it like a 4 year job…not a life long committment and then think about…if you go to another school and dont like it…then you are paying them for a “bad experience”.</p>