<p>I applied to a bunch of schools for transfer.</p>
<p>I don't particularly like UMich (where I am now), but I'm liking it a lot more than I did last semester. </p>
<p>A lot of people told me it'll be a lot better during sophmore year.</p>
<p>Can anyone provide a story/shed a light? I'm not sure if I even want to transfer and start my studies from scratch again.</p>
<p>UM is a huge school, and sometimes it takes longer to settle in at a school like that. I don't think transferring is a good idea unless you are sure you want to do it. You should know exactly where you want to go & why if you are leaving. Otherwise, it might not be a bad idea to stick around UM. You will already have a network of friends, you'll be comfortable with the campus, and you will most likely have a better year next year than you did this year simply because of that. </p>
<p>Out of curiousity, what prompted you to try to transfer?</p>
<p>At least UM is a great school to start off with.</p>
<p>:(</p>
<p>I've written numerous threads that go into more detail, but my reasons are: size is way too big, and the social life isn't my cup of tea.</p>
<p>I'm a freshman at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and during the middle of last semester, I was seriously considering transferring. UHM is also a relatively large school (16,000+) and since it's commuter, there also isn't much campus life. One of my greatest inhibitions for transferring was the potential costs.. I really didn't want to give my parents any more financial burdens, especially since it's usually more difficult for transfer students to get financial aid. </p>
<p>I stuck it out, got more involved (student gov, economics club, service org, etc.), chose better classes/professors, AND looked into national/international study abroad programs. In fact, I'm actually attending the University of Washington next yr through the national student exchange program (and the best part is that I'll be able to go to UW on a "full-ride", even though I'm OOS). Basically, I've come to terms with the fact that no university is perfect. I might not be 100% "happy", but I'm really trying to make the best out of what I have, and it HAS been getting better.</p>
<p>Most college students have doubts about their school during their first year since everything is new and changing. At least half the students at any college will have thought "what if I were somewhere else?" at some point. Maybe your friends have even had the same feelings... but they're all still there. So those are your success stories. Ask around. Talk to your Professors and see what kind of environment they think you'd flourish better in. And, IMHO, if your Professors don't know your name or have any input on that subject, then I'd transfer.</p>
<p>I do understand how you feel. It's exactly why I did not apply to UM back in the dark ages, and why my D didn't apply last year --- even though all of our friends did. D has quite a few friends who go to UM, but they all sort of hang around together. I realize it's hard to find your place in such a big school that is so spread out. It's also hard to feel like your profs know who you are when your orgo class has 1500 kids! However, I have heard that the upper level courses have fewer students. That may help you begin to feel more connected. </p>
<p>My D is transferring this fall, so I am not opposed to transfers. I just think it's a bad idea to transfer if you don't have a place you really want to be instead of your current school. You could just jump out of the frying pan into the fire. Unless you HATE your current school, or are not getting the education you want, you may be better off staying at UM. You are getting a great education. The social stuff will probably begin to get better. If you're still not happy next year, you can always think about transferring then ... but only if you know that there is a school where you think you'd be happier! :)</p>