<p>These past few days I've felt indescribably horrible because I feel like I made the wrong choice for a university. This university wasn't my first choice, but it was kind of the only place that accepted me (long story short, I didn't meet all the math requirements for state schools) so this private university accepted me. It's only 15 minutes away from home, and when I went on the tour I really liked it. I thought it was a good fit because I do suffer from social anxiety and I figured maybe this would be a better transition for me anyway than going to a huge state university far from home. But, last week was orientation and I couldn't of felt more out of place, and not just because of the obvious being in an unfamiliar place and suffering from anxiety, but I just didn't like the vibe. I'm a very creative liberal person and I got a complete conservative approach. The school is very sport orientated (I don't think there was one person there that wasn't going out for a team; female or male). That is the complete opposite of me. There is no diversity of to the school (race wise) I honestly think the statistics of the race population is completely false online (college board, etc) and while I'm definitely not a racist or discrimate towards any race, I am a strong believer in diversity and I believe it's important for a well-rounded experience. I just couldn't see myself there. And I feel horrible about it. I researched this school so much and I thought it would be okay, but going to orientation I just felt like I made the wrong decision. My mom wants me to give it a chance for a year, but my other family members disagree because it's a very expensive school. </p>
<p>Part of me wants to go off to community college for a year to fix my grades and find out where I want to go next, but I don't want to feel like I'm in the 13th grade by going to community college... Does anyone have any advice for me?</p>
<p>I also want to add that while they do have my major, it’s not as large of a program as I’ve noticed at other schools. Quite honestly I would love to attend a school like NYU or The New School but I don’t know if I’d have the courage to attend a school in a different state, but that’s probably a discussion for my therapist haha…</p>
<p>I think you should go to a community college, attempt to get a pretty good GPA, take most or all of the gen ed courses, see which field of study you enjoy, look at occupations, then transfer to a good university. You’ll have saved money, possibly found what you seek to pursue as a major, and have saved money. This could also give you the opportunity to find a better school that meets your personal needs. Go for it.</p>
<p>This honestly sounds like a classic case of cold feet. Very few people are 100% sure of their college choices (even if it was their dream schools), everyone has that sense of what-if in the back of their heads. </p>
<p>I think you should take a step back and look at the situation as a whole. Don’t make a huge decision like that based on orientation, like seriously, that can be a life altering decision and you’re basing it on a few hours at orientation. If you’re worrying about the people, everyone acts like they’re a superperson at orientation, no one is really like that. I’m sure you’ll be able to find people exactly like you and just rememeber, theres people like you who are thinking the same way towards this school…they’re anxious and not sure if they really want to follow through with this. You’re not alone here, but don’t decide to leave only because of orientation.</p>
<p>It sounds to me like you need a bit more time before really jumping into college. You might just not be ready for it yet. I think that going to the local CC or taking a gap year could be good options for you.
However, it’s just orientation, and I agree with 908kiddo that it’s a very big decision. Stay around for a while, and if it really keeps bothering you, you can transfer or change your mind later on.</p>
<p>Good luck! :)</p>
<p>One thing to take into account before you make a decision: the size of classes you’d take during your first year. Since you suffer from social anxiety, you probably don’t relish small classes yet being in a huge hall can be excruciating. Also, which school has the best disability support for you, the community college or the private school?
On other criteria, I’d say to try the private school and see if you make the transition okay. Small schools tend to be friendly and more people will make you feel welcome and included than at a community college where most people, by definition, go home after class. Enjoyment of college and quality of learning experience depend heavily on the fact students live on campus or not - students who live at home are not/can’t be as involved as on a residential campus. Give it a try. However, if it’s too overwhelming, transfer to the community college and commute during second semester.
Is there a large flagship where you could go if your grades are good enough after your first two years?</p>