<p>I am a freshman at Brown, and while I'm extremely grateful to be here, I am still not happy with my experience so far. It's hard for me to tell if it's just me but in the back of my head I feel like I don't belong here. I'm not sure if I have these feelings because I am generally not happy so far for social and/or adjustment problems, or if I truly would benefit from transferring to another school. I don't really like my professors, but I can't tell if this is because I'm not happy with my classes or if it is just because I am unhappy in general. I think part of the problem is the size of the school. I feel lost and as if there is no guidance and that people can be kinda unfriendly and cold. I know that everyone is going through the same thing, but I've tried so many times to put myself out there to make friends, yet I feel like I haven't made much progress. There are moments when I feel happy about my situation but for the most part I'm really unsure about what to do! Any help would be appreciated!</p>
<p>I actually know of two young people who had the same experience at Brown their first semester. They are friends of my daughter. They did hang in there and eventually adjusted well.</p>
<p>Try to join some EC activities so you have a smaller group to relate to. It's too early to decide on transferring I think.</p>
<p>Perhaps you chose the wrong courses and are not interested in what you thought you were.</p>
<p>Brown does leave you on your own quite a bit, but there are people to talk to. I suggest starting with your first year dean.</p>
<p>Good luck! Maybe by next year you will love Brown. Look for those things that really make you happy. I'm sure some of your favorite activities are available.</p>
<p>have you tried talking to someone at the counseling center?</p>
<p>I think your source of unhappiness stems from the fact that your social life is suffering. I felt the same way in my first term of university. You need to either improve your social life and start getting busy with extracurriculars. Befriend your floormates, join social clubs to meet new people (or even spark up some romance in your life), join varsity teams or the Formula SAE team. You need to devote your spare time to friends or hobbies. If you have spare time, you will definitely start thinking about how you're wasting your time and ultimately become unhappy.</p>
<p>yea I'm pretty involved and i have friends from those activities but they already seem to have their own circles of friends. as for the people in my dorm, i have met all of them and said hi yet i don't really ever hang out with any of them. a lot of my friends are random people here and there, but i get really lonely when no one ever stops especially because a lot of my friends are in other dorms. i keep thinking that if i went to a smaller school there would be a greater sense of community, but i don't know if this is just me projecting what i wish i had instead of what is the reality. i think also just coming back from thanksgiving is making me really bummed out, remembering how close all my friends were at home and how much fun we have together. i miss that and realize that is not something that i will necessarily achieve in the first couple of months. it's also really hard for me to think about the prospect of making new friends because i keep just thinking that if i transfer to a smaller school all my problems will be solved, which they won't. i just don't feel like myself anymore. thanks for all the advice though...it is greatly appreciated! keep it coming, i definitely need it!</p>