<p>So, I need advice. Last year I was accepted to the college that was my "dream" school. It is a upper first tier LAC I thought I would love it. Overall, its "okay" with some problems.</p>
<p>-Way higher percentage of students than I thought drink and party on weekends. Didn't really expect that from such a high ranked college. (I am non-dirnker/non-partier)</p>
<p>-Much harder to find friends that like the sort of "intellectual" fun that I enjoy than I expected. This + drinking makes me feel isolated.</p>
<p>-Just feels like I am not getting my moneys worth for the amount of $ my parents/ I are outlaying.</p>
<ul>
<li>The sort of "intellectual discussions" I thought would be present just aren't here in the way I thought they would be</li>
</ul>
<p>-Adminstration at college is incompent/ refuses to help with problems.</p>
<ul>
<li>While I thought I would feel happy, I just keeping wishing for the breaks.</li>
</ul>
<p>I can't transfer to any equal/ better college due to money issues.</p>
<p>I could transfer to a lower ranked college near where I live and go to the honors college there where all of my high school friends go.</p>
<p>I do enjoy my classes, but it just feels like my familiy's money is going to waste. I think I may have made a bad choice? Advice?</p>
<p>What kind of clubs are you in? Maybe you'll find kids who want the same intellectual atmosphere in a particular activity. Even if not everyone's quirky, there must be others who were attracted to the school for the same reasons.</p>
<p>I would start study groups with your classmates. Good for the physical sciences (i.e. physics, chemistry), since you'll meet more nerdy types, and you'll also improve study habits.</p>
<p>If you're taking philosophy classes, what better way to have intellectual discussions than by forming study/discussion groups? Even if these people do tend to party, it's unlikely they'd show up to a study group drunk!</p>
<p>started study groups and such. I have tried all these suggestions and more. Nothing quite so much fun as showing up to a study group and no one else showing...</p>
<p>Do you speak with them personally, eye to eye, after class? "Hey Joe, I'd love to get together with you, Tom, and Mary over dinner tomorrow night to discuss Galileo's The Starry Messenger because you three seem to have the most insight during class discussions."</p>
<p>Sorry if this seems corny, but I cannot believe you're taking four, maybe five classes, at a high-level Tier 1 school, and NOBODY in ANY of your classes wants to study with you.</p>
<p>First semester freshman year is always the toughest ---- you're still trying to find yourself and who you are, and yet you need to find others and who they are as well. Not an easy task.</p>
<p>I did form a study group for one of my classes. Although it was successful for the most part, there were a lot of times that simply no one showed up! </p>
<p>It's just really frustrating. I picked this school for the supposed nuturing learning environment. It just makes me feel duped and upset.</p>
<p>Ok, in order for us to help[ if we can] it would help us to know what college you are at, and what other colleges you applied to and were accepted at. And re:"I can't transfer to any equal/ better college due to money issues."- are you on a scholarship?
My son went through the exact same situation 2 years ago:</p>
<p>"Way higher percentage of students than I thought drink and party on weekends. Didn't really expect that from such a high ranked college. (I am non-dirnker/non-partier)</p>
<p>-Much harder to find friends that like the sort of "intellectual" fun that I enjoy than I expected. This + drinking makes me feel isolated."</p>