<p>I'm currently at Clemson University as a first semester freshman. Clemson was my top choice and I was beyond thrilled when I got in. It's not that I'm not doing well here or having fun . . . It's just that the one weekend I went to visit my friend at her school, I had more fun in five hours than the entire two months that I've been here, which makes me think that mabye I'd be happier somewhere else.</p>
<p>I'm from New York, and I do love the south, but it's been a culture shock for me and there are definitely things that I miss.</p>
<p>I have a few schools in mind that I was thinking of transferring to (Syracuse, VTech, Boston U, Northeastern.)</p>
<p>It turns out being 13 hours away from your friends takes a toll on your mental state. I'm just worried I'm going to make a rash decision about this and regret it.</p>
<p>Hey!
I haven’t posted on these boards in MONTHS, but I’m currently first semester Freshman at Clemson too, and I’m already thinking about transferring as well. Don’t get me wrong, Clemson is a wonderful school and the university gave me plenty of financial aid (I turned down Brown, Oxford, UNC-CH, and UChicago for monetary reasons lol), but just like you, I visited a friend over Fall Break and even though I drove for 15 hours and only spent 2 days up there, my experience was completely different from Clemson. I was happier and felt more invigorated in those two days than in the months we’ve been in school. </p>
<p>Again, just like you, I make quick and sometimes irrational decisions concerning my life and future, but this time I am actually planning things out… I plan on working my ass off to get a 4.0 this semester and for the remainder of this year, leading into sophomore year. I want to transfer Ivy, so I’m probably going to just work work work and get good recs, and if I get rejected, I’ll know I tried.</p>
<p>I’m not unhappy here, but I feel like I can be doing much better, especially considering my strong academic and EC records, so I can definitely empathize with you. I would suggest waiting it out the remainder of this year, getting your recs up and transferring if you really can list some pros and cons for yourself. If the pros outweigh the cons, go for it. If not, Clemson is still an amazing school and I’m really happy I had the chance to experience it. :)</p>
<p>One of the main things that is deterring me from transferring is that admissions process. I have to go back and get recommendations from high school teachers, get some from college professors (which is difficult because of all the big lecture classes that I’m taking.) I’ll have to take SAT IIs for some of the schools that I’d like to apply to. They really do seem to try and deter college students from transferring to other schools. Also, although I was relatively involved in high school I am literally involved in nothing on campus here. (Partially because very little appealed to me, and partially because by the time I started looking to get involved we were already a month in and it was discouraging.)</p>
<p>I wish you luck in your transferring endeavor!</p>
<p>“the one weekend I went to visit my friend at her school, I had more fun in five hours than the entire two months that I’ve been here,”</p>
<p>Yes, and if you go to Disneyland for a weekend, you will probably have even more fun. Your trip to your friend’s college was like going on vacation. Having fun there for five hours is not solid evidence that that college would be a better match for the not-on-vacation part of your life any more than a weekend visit to Disneyland would yield solid evidence that your whole family should pack up and move to Orlando, FL.</p>
<p>What schools require high school recs for transfers? When I applied as a transfer, only one of my colleges I applied to would take them if you had them, but did not require them. The rest just wanted recs from professors.</p>
<p>I have to agree with happymomof1, I don’t think you really have a valid reason to transfer and plus you are a first semester freshman. You haven’t experienced anything yet.</p>
<p>I’m certainly not saying that that is a valid reason for transferring, but it WAS one of the things that made me realize that I’m not as happy at my school as I could be at another. I’m lucky enough that many schools have a good program of study for my major, so if I was to switch schools I wouldn’t be jeopardizing my academics.</p>
<p>However, I’m a strong believe that college is about the experience you have as well as the education you receive. I come from one of the most liberal, out there and unique states in the country, and while I’m neither liberal or out there, this preppy South Carolina environment isn’t making me as happy as I would like to be and I’m having doubts about being here for four years. As I said earlier, the only reason I included that I had a better time at my friends school was because it kind of pushed me over the edge and into transfer movement, not because it is my sole reason to leave my school.</p>
<p>Coming from someone who did transfer thinking that the “grass is greener,” HappyMomof1 has it dead on! You are only a freshman… freshman year sucks wherever you go, unless you get lucky with your roommate or dorm mates. I had a mediocre freshman year experience at Rice, and I now have a worse transfer experience at Duke. Nevertheless, I’m going to be patient at Duke. Be patient… things will get better. This is what I have learned… things could always be worse.</p>
<p>Here’s the advice I would give. It doesn’t hurt to submit a few transfer apps, but choose your schools very carefully (more so than when you applied as a high school senior), and then don’ think about about transferring again until the end of the year. Focus on the present… appreciate what you have. Take initiative… opportunities in college aren’t pieces of cake waiting to be eaten like in high school; it takes considerable effort to find what interests you in college. As hard as it sounds, give Clemson your all… take advantage of all the academic, social, and co-curricular opportunities that interest you. That way, even if you do transfer, you would still have an awesome year at Clemson and it would not have been a “waste.” Keep in mind that having a great social life as a transfer requires much more effort than as a freshman. Good luck, and I hope things work out for you!</p>