I don't particularly like my college...

Student Lounge College Life
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<p>Hello all, I know you see these posts all the time, but hopefully I'll put a new spin on things that might keep you interested and help me figure out what to do.</p>

<p>In HS, I graduated as the valedictorian of a class of about 100 kids. I went to a private school that served more as a means to get away from the local public schools than to do anything special for college prep. My test scores were in the upper 90s (percentile-wise) but nothing spectacular. I had very few AP's and yet I was on the most rigorous track available. I had very few EC's outside of volunteer work and some sports. I guess you could say I hadn't found a passion--or at least not one I could've listed as an EC. Admittedly, I was not very outgoing to sociable either. I'll get to that in a bit.</p>

<p>At the start of my HS career, I was determined to get into a top private school. When I realized this was implausible, I gave up on my dream. I settled for my local state flagship, and only applied there (it is technically a top 50 school according to USNWR) and I've become a little disillusioned with it. The party culture is overbearing. I'm not religious, but I really have a hard time with the constant rudeness, the superficiality of it all. The gen ed classes are filled with unhelpful TAs, nonexistent professors, and are very competitive. Granted, I am only a 2nd semester freshman, but I--a quieter personality--have not enjoyed my experience here at all thus far. It feels like High School 2.0. I hated my high-school.</p>

<p>I would LOVE to transfer. I feel like maybe I sold myself short the first time when I chose not to apply to the places I wanted to go to. Maybe, with a decent GPA, I could try again to get into a reach school, if it's not too late. Would this be a good idea? The problem is that my parents are very involved in paying for the education and have two other kids they plan on sending to college. I'd hate to force the economical burden on them, even if they were willing. </p>

<p>But here's the thing, I know you all want to tell me that I'm overreacting, that I should stick it out, that people will mature and classes get more interesting. But, I've heard it said that the private schools (even though they have their a-holes) are, at least, more supportive to the intellectual student. I'm not even saying my classmates here are idiots, just "immature" and I was done with that behavior in high-school. It's not even that I couldn't find other nerdy, quiet kids here--but they'd be just as miserable as I am. You see, I want an environment that caters to the nerdy, quiet types, and I can't "blossom" in the environment I'm in now. Very disconcerting. </p>

<p>So, what do you think? What are my options? Should I try to transfer to a private school ranked better than my own? Or should I really just stick it out, and probably hate every second of it? </p>

<p>Thanks for reading. It's been a long night of contemplation for me...</p>

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<ol>
<li>Does your college have an honors program or dorm you can try to transfer into? That would be step one.</li>
<li>No honors program? Yes, it would make sense for you to at least apply to transfer. The money may or may not work out, but seeing what you get would make sense. Spend careful thought figuring out where you want to transfer, though, because all higher-ranked private schools are not created equal, and Middlebury and Vanderbilt and Notre Dame etc. etc. will all give you very different college experiences from each other, as well as from your current school.</li>
</ol>

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<p>Wait until you start taking your 300 level classes. People go through a freshman phase and mature afterwards and if they don’t they usually drop out or transfer out to a community college.</p>

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<p>I always wonder why people tell posters on here, “stick it out! Join the honors program! You’ll be set once you do!”</p>

<p>20 - 30 honors kids will not make up for the general culture of a 20k+ person university. Going to college is like shopping for clothes – you bought something you don’t like, and then you return it. In the college’s case, take your money elsewhere and transfer. Research different types of schools thoroughly. You have a better understanding of what you want from a school at this point. </p>

<p>What could you change about your current school, if you could? Is there anything you want more/less of? Think of other colleges that offer those things and work from there.</p>

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<p>Come join me when I transfer to Notre Dame next year, hopefully. Your story sounds very similar to mine.</p>

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<p>I was a quieter personality, and the best thing I did was choose to go to a small liberal arts school. Not all need to be $30k+. If you have good grades, you might find some merit aid - although aid is always considerably less for incoming transfer students than for first-year students. </p>

<p>Perhaps you could split the cost with your parents. Take out some small loans yourself (Staffords) so that they don’t need to provide more than they already are. Apply to a variety of schools so you have some options with aid. </p>

<p>I agree that just joining an honors program will not help you if the large party school atmosphere is the problem. There are smaller state schools as well, so be sure to check into a lot of options.</p>

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<p>I can’t imagine any reason for not at least exploring a transfer. Our daughter is a senior and we tell her not to drive herself crazy with the decision, that if she were to end up somewhere she doesn’t want to be, then transfer. I read that over half of all college grads have attended more than one school. See what’s out there. If money is a factor (as it is for most of us) look at schools known for giving aid or at smaller state schools.</p>