Honest Opinions, please

Transfer Students
1

<p>Hello all! This may get long, but I am in a bind. I appreciate any input, really. </p>

<p>I am in my sophomore year of college at Florida Atlantic University (FAU.) However, I am 60 credits in due to advanced placement courses in high school, so I am techincally a junior. I originally applied to UF, FSU, UCF, and FAU, and was accepted into all. In the end, I chose to go to the FAU Honors College, which is a separate college from FAU with all classes being Honors level, accumulating to a Bachelor Degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences, with a concentration in an area (mine was literature). I enjoyed the school; it is extremely small and I lived on campus. The people I met were very genuine, and it was easy to feel at home there. However, this summer, I was picking out a fall schedule and realized that the course offerings in literature were very limiting, among having to commute to the main campus in Boca (45 mins away) for other classes. So, I decided to save money, time, and gas and move back home to attend the main campus. This is where I am now.</p>

<p>Here is where I am stuck: FAU is a good school, if you take advantage of what it has to offer. However, I have found that the courses are not up to par with what I am used to. I graduated in the top 25 ranking in my high school. I am not being challenged, and I was always used to being challenged, and enjoy it. I live at home now, which I didn't imagine being a part of my college experience. I worked hard in high school, and still do, so when I am not challenged I feel more like I'm regressing. I keep myself busy with work, but I can't help but want to transfer to Florida State University, which I have visited multiple times, know of their English department/what it has to offer, and have always been drawn to. I guess I'll list out pros/cons: my options are either to finish at FAU, or transfer to FSU in the Spring. </p>

<p>My goals, as far as career/opportunities: degree in English (creative writing concentration) and a Teaching English as a Second Language certification and minor in Linguistics. I am passionate about education, and my hope is to teach for 1-2 years through a fellowship program in an underseved county within the country before grad school. Then, go on to graduate school for Speech-Language Pathology, followed by a second masters in creative writing. </p>

<p>Pros to staying at FAU:
-I can graduate by Spring 2014 and get out and on with my future plans
-Save a lot of money (which, in turn, can be put to grad school and studying abroad)
-I have a wonderful job at the university writing center
-editor-in-chief of a literary magazine
-know the professors, be part of the English Honors department</p>

<p>Cons:
-no challenge<br>
-lack of college experience/personal growth
- as selfish as it seems, just not being content with where I am because it was not originally what I chose. Believe me, just reading this makes me scoff at how selfish my cons are. C'est la vie. </p>

<p>Pros to FSU:
-stellar English department, with specific creative writing track
-Enjoy the area/college life
-lovely weather and beautiful campus
-larger school with more of a reputation and resources
-hopefully more of a challenge; hopefully leading to being content with where I am and like I in the right place. </p>

<p>Cons:
-starting over
-I am technically a junior. I spoke with advisors there and they said it's fine for me to transfer, but would it be worth it for a year and a half?
-7 hours away from home
- I would have to transfer in the Spring and have no clue where to live
- more expenses </p>

<hr>

<p>Well, folks-- there you have it. Please be harsh, or please don't be. All I ask is for honesty. I appreciate any input! Have a lovely day, and thank you for taking time to read this and, if you do so, respond. All the best!</p>

2

<p>This is a very specific question… might be better on the FSU forum. You haven’t mentioned how your grades are. Honestly, if you were my kid, I would probably say stay at FAU and finish up, but move back on campus if you would be happier socially (assuming the cost is not too high). If you knock it out of the park grade-wise and with stuff like your writing center job (good recommendations, etc.) that is worth a lot. The writing center job is a bonus, by the way, my D worked in the one on her campus, and she always was asked about it in interviews (she was not even an English major). But it was a plus in her job search for sure.</p>

<p>A primary consideration should be to minimize your loans, given your career plans.</p>

<p>Here is another question – can you go abroad for a semester from FAU? This partly sounds like the “junior year blahs” that happen on a lot of campuses… many students need a change of scene that year. Again, cost is a consideration, but financial aid usually goes with you if you go to one of your school’s programs. Is that an option for this spring or next fall?</p>

3

<p>Thanks for your reply. I tried to get it to the FSU forum, but had trouble figuring out how to post there. I’ll try again. </p>

<p>My grades have been all A’s for the past 2 semesters, with a few B’s in my first semester of my last year (my first year in college). I am thinking if I stay to get an apartment with a friend near campus, since it is cheaper than living on campus. I agree with you about the writing center-- it is worth quite a bit, and I truly enjoy working there. </p>

<p>I am a junior by credits, but I’m on my second physical year in college, and yes, my hope is if I stay at FAU, I can shift some time abroad. Definitely food for thought. Unfortunately when I transferred from the Honors College campus to the main FAU campus, I lost my scholarship, so I only have Bright Futures, which is still a big help. It is definitely an option, if not spring or fall, then maybe summer.</p>

4

<p>You should look at the finances of that… not from Florida, so don’t know the nuances of Bright Futures, but if you go during the school year any financial aid (need or merit based) will likely very well cover some or all of that abroad cost. You have to check into that at your school. If you go in the summer, you probably do it on your own dime AND you lose that summer of earnings if you work to make money for school. Start early on study abroad planning, the deadlines are often early and you have to play your schedule sometimes to make sure you stay on track to graduate.</p>