<p>Ok, here's the deal. I go to Oberlin College in Ohio. It's not exactly what I imagined it would be when I applied, and transferring has been on my mind a lot lately. I'm not completely miserable, but I don't love it. I don't feel like I really fit in with the social scene here. My best friend at Oberlin ALSO is considering transferring, and I think that says something about the hipster culture...we're both not hipsters, e.g., we don't really fit in. </p>
<p>Anyway, I have a few schools in mind, but...is it too early to be thinking about transferring? Where's the line between being prepared and not giving the current school a chance? I don't feel like the social atmosphere around here will chance any time soon...</p>
<p>Basically I'm just really confused. Is unhappiness with the social scene a good reason to transfer, if the academics are good? Could I get the same academics somewhere else AND fit in better with the school? My biggest fear is that I'll transfer and I won't fit in with THAT social scene either. </p>
<p>Help! Any advice, suggestions about what I should do?</p>
<p>As your personal psychiatrist and spiritual advisor, I’d have to say that, to a large extent, you create your own happiness and fit in a school. There are of course extenuating and unpleasant circumstances, but a lot of how one fits at a school is the intention he or she sets when starting out. I’m an artsy loner and don’t really party, but I got a ton out of USC (huge party/frat/sports school) because I found my niche. Likewise, Penn is a large, diverse school that does a bit more partying than the average Ivy (or so I assume), but I make it work because I engage the experience on the level and in the manner of my choosing. I know what I want out of Penn and I intend to get it, regardless of how well it “fits.” Approach your classes and campus with a positive, healthy attitude and change your emotional intentions, so to speak. Classes/atmospheres don’t change, so change your perception of them and get what you want and need from them instead of expecting them to change.</p>
<p>^^^ I agree. I’m a freshman at Oberlin too, and though I definitely know what you mean about the hipster culture, there are definitely plenty of people who choose not to be part of it (like myself). What I would recommend is looking for PEOPLE whom you really feel like you fit with. Even if you don’t fit with the dominant hipster culture, if you try, you will find friends whom you do fit in with. It took me the first half of the semester to really find these people, but I finally did. You also say you have a best friend at Oberlin… are you sure you want to give up that friend for a culture where you feel like you fit in more?</p>
<p>Like wayward_trojan said, it has a lot to do with your attitude. I was depressed and miserable for most of first module, and thus didn’t make friends. Now that I’m happier, I’m making lots more friends whom I like and feel like I “fit in” with. Funny how that works.</p>
<p>If you feel lonely, you could try talking to one of the Class Deans or to someone at the Counseling Center. I’ve done both of those things, and it really helped me feel more grounded here.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone…I have been trying to be positive about Oberlin, and ever since I stepped away from the super-lame party scene here things have gotten better. </p>
<p>I guess my problem is that this school fits some people really well, and I don’t think I’m one of those people. I don’t know. I’m trying to make it into my own experience, but I think it’s more challenging when it’s not already an inherent fit to my personality. </p>
<p>Sigh, anyway, I’ll give it a year before I make any major decisions. There are days when I can see myself as an Obie, and days when I feel otherwise :/</p>