<p>I'm a junior in a BS/MD program at a small college more than 2,000 miles from my home. I gave up acceptances and full rides at numerous prestigious universities and my state schools, respectively, to attend this college (not prestigious) because of the guaranteed admission to medical school. However, I can't stand this place anymore. Firstly, I miss my family and no amount of socializing with friends has made up for it. Secondly, I hate the student body which primarily consists of wealthy students who have almost no interest in academics but only in their social lives. Very few, if any, of the students here are actual intellectuals and I feel out of place around them. I don't drink, smoke, or hook up with girls; they do all of the aforementioned and more. I actually thought I might be able to get a girlfriend when I came here but it seems all the good looking girls are just looking to be taken advantage of while drunk and possess almost no intelligence whatsoever. Thirdly, the food is terrible; it pains me to be paying $40k+ /year to be eating this tasteless grub. Fourthly, the staff that work here are cheap labor from the local town, which isn't very nice, and are fittingly the strangest looking and behaving individuals I've encountered. They don't care at all about the students and are a drag to have to communicate with. Fourthly, I feel the college doesn't care about me. I went to the counseling center but they have a one-week wait time. I talked to the dining services manager about the food and he told me he'll take my complaints into consideration, which I know he won't do (I've complained in the past). It's all an extremely depressing situation and the only thing holding me here is the guaranteed medical school spot. What do I do? I definitely made a mistake by coming here; no medical school spot is worth having to endure this disastrous situation. Are all colleges and universities like this? I talked to my friends back home and they said it got depressing for them at times as well, but others at Berkeley and Penn seem to be having the times of their lives (although their egos are quite large, so I'm not so sure about them). I think it's because I feel dissatisfied with my ROI in this school since the cost is so high, whereas at my state school, I would be paying a fourth of the cost per year. Any advice?</p>
<p>I’m not sure if. Its too late to opt out but that’s an option. If you’re a junior why wait so long? It can’t be and I’d you’re waiting this long</p>
<p>I feel for you and I’m sorry that you’re having such a terrible time at your college. </p>
<p>You should ask yourself if the spot in medical school is worth the suffering here at this point. If it isn’t, do you think you could afford to transfer? You’ll probably have to delay graduation by a maybe a semester or two since you are transferring so late in the game and transfer often times receive less financial aid/scholarships. Do you think that’s worth it? </p>
<p>If you do want to keep that medical spot secured, maybe you can find at least one person you enjoy hanging out with at school? I know you mentioned it’s a small school, but not all students are the same I would imagine. You could, alternatively, try to find an off-campus organization to join (like especially if you are near a big city) and venture into making friends there. Skype with your family often? And try to keep in mind that this will all be worth it in the long-run. Happiness is, after all, the best revenge. Once you graduate, you’ll be in a new chapter of your life with people more within your intellectual range and will more than likely have similar interests/life goals at you. If you don’t want to transfer, then you’ll just have to try to do the best you can to keep that positive attitude and just focus on graduating ASAP.</p>
<p>I would try to make the best of it in order to get into med school. I would look for clubs on campus, try to get some exercise daily, and maybe start doing some research in the sciences. Also start thinking about where your choices are for eating next year. I would also try to find out other kids in the bs/md program to get to know. Where are you located? I went to a really small town school in chapel hill and took a while to assimilate. You just need to look for groups to connect with. PM me and I can tell you if I would stay at that particular school. I had great grades and it was a bear getting in to med school. I wish I could have done a program like that.</p>
<p>I did the same thing years ago when I gave up my spot in my dream school to attend a 6 year BS/MD program in a small, less prestigious school in upstate NY.</p>
<p>Certainly, you made some sacrifices to get that medical school spot, but at this point as a junior, you would be hard pressed to transfer. Your best bet is to stay put and go on to medical school (assuming that is still your career goal).</p>
<p>I hope posting your rant let you vent a little. You just seem very unhappy with everything right now and I sympathize with you for that.</p>
<p>Please go back to the health center and make an appointment–you can hold on for a week if you need to. If you can’t, insist on an emergency appointment.</p>
<p>You don’t have to stay there if you don’t want to–lots of students transfer for lots of reasons. Just weigh the pros and cons.</p>
<p>Some of your old friends at other schools might be having a better time than you–and some of them might not be. Just read this forum to see that a lot of students are unhappy on lots of campuses. There is no guarantee that you will be a whole bunch happier on any other campus–and it’s well known that sometimes transfer students have an extra hard time making friends and fitting in on their new campus.</p>
<p>Also, realize that a lot of friends on other campuses who might want to go the med school route might be envying you–now, and especially in two years or so–think about the med school acceptance/rejection rate. A lot of students with excellent grades and MCAT scores don’t get in to med school, ever. And with your guaranteed admission, you are also avoiding the pressure of having to do all the other stuff to make your med school application competitive beyond the basic requirements of grades and scores, stuff like shadowing and volunteering and research and clinical experiences…I am sure you would be unhappy having to jump through all these hoops now, not to mention you are two years behind in starting these activities.</p>
<p>Can you solve some of your immediate problems where you are? Can you cook in the dorm kitchen? or can you move in to an apartment with friends, or get a room in a house off campus, and cook for yourself? You know the food service is not going to change!</p>
<p>Also, try to see the humor and contradictions in some of your complaints. You don’t like the students you perceive as being wealthy–but you complain about having to deal with the salt of the earth folks who staff the campus services. You complain they don’t care about you? I am sure you don’t care about them either. They are being paid to do a job–serve the food, clean the bathrooms…they are not being paid to be your friend. You wouldn’t want them as friends any way–I am sure they are not intellectual enough for you. Same with the girlfriend situation…you say they are not intellectual, and have no morals…do you really want one of these for your girlfriend? I am sure there are lots of normal girls too, pretty and not so pretty.</p>
<p>Have you made friends with the other students in your med program? As far as meeting other “intellectual” students, go where they are. For example, Where are the pre-law students? Go to some political clubs, for example, where you might meet students interested in health care policy (and some of them might be girls).</p>
<p>Please check your prejudices at the door before you apply to medical school. No one wants a doctor who thinks their patients are “just cheap labor from the local town” etc.</p>
<p>^Wow. Agree.</p>
<p>If you saw how they treat us, you wouldn’t be talking like that. The look at us with jealousy and never smile at us. Step into someone else’s shoes for a minute before posting, okay? And besides, when I’m paying for a service, I expect good service. It’s a bit different when I’m the one providing the service, since obviously I must put up with my clients if I want to keep my clients (or in this case, patients). But judging from your response, I doubt you’d know that.</p>
<p>Would you feel better if they served you with a big grin?</p>
<p>I am sure that they are somewhat envious of you…you have a much better future ahead of you than they do. So where is your empathy for those who are less fortunate? Step into their shoes. And you aren’t paying for service as at a restaurant, you are paying for a meal plan. Do you reward good service, with a smile, with a healthy tip? Their job is to prepare food and serve it…and they are doing what they are paid for. Minimum wage=minimum service.</p>
<p>You are an unhappy person. Just remember, even if you transfer, you will be taking you with you.</p>
<p>And with your entitled, supercilious attitude, you might not want to transfer–that attitude could not only make it hard to get the LORs you will need (that you don’t need in your current program), it could be a big negative on any interview invites you might be fortunate enough to snag. </p>
<p>Can you just see the discussion? “I transferred from my BS/MD program to this other school because the lowly servants in the dining hall were unfriendly and did not feign being my best friends when they served me my meals.”</p>
<p>Skiier,</p>
<p>Everything you said, I can exactly relate to. My college experience is 100% like yours. Honestly, I have no idea how to fix all that.</p>
<p>All your complaints are valid but not serious. There has to be interesting people at your college. You just haven’t found them. The townies are likely leading a dead end life and are likely reacting to the college student mindset. The food service company has likely contracted for the service years in advance. As you guessed, it could care less about improving the product.</p>
<p>Hi,
Yes, go get some counseling …at least you can vent there in confidence. Second, the library is where you will find your more serious students. Is there a religious organization on campus? It might have more of the type of people there that you want to hang out with at this time. They welcome everyone so don’t think you have to belong to the denomination. They also have some yummy food nights usually. Splurge now and then at your fav. restaurant and treat yourself. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>Thanks to the three responses above. My social skills outside of my professional life are a bit lacking so I’m probably to blame for my awful social life. In response to boysx3, a service should be provided with a good attitude or not at all. They took the job and knew about the socioeconomic status of the study body prior to the job. I’m not here to expect 5-star level service, but it would be appropriate for them to not speak about us in disdain. Additionally, I am aware of their statuses and I am outwardly polite to them; I expect the same from them. So yes, I would be happy if they served me with a grin.</p>
<p>Secondly, I can’t even believe how poor your assumption about my prospects of getting an LOR is. Somehow you think that everything I think internally is reflected outwardly. It’s people like you that give this forum a bad reputation.</p>
<p>OP, I don’t know you personally. All I know of you is what you have posted here–and it does not reflect well on you. I am not being snide when I say this, rather I am trying to be helpful, but do you think that maybe the thoughts you have internally are reflecting outwardly more than you think? And that this could be the root of your problems, both socially and with staff?</p>
<p>As far as social skills (I am a retired lawyer), mine are the same both professionally and socially; I have never seen the reason to have a dichotomy in how I behave with people. I may be in an environment more formal or informal, but my manners and the nature of my interactions do not change. I treat my cleaning lady with the same respect that I treat my doctor or my accountant or my neighbor or my best friend. I think about it this way: they may not be my equal socio-economically, or educationally–but they are my equals as human beings. Just as I expect to be treated from people who have more education or more money than I.</p>
<p>Part of growing up and being an adult is to learn to live away from and miss your family and manage that as part of life. And if you have poor social skills, you can take that on as a project. It will only serve you well in the future. If you think you are above everyone, you’ll likely be alone with your own company a long time. And get over having to have the prettiest girl in the room and learn to talk and get to know girls–try making some friends with some sensible ones, then you will get introduced to more. </p>
<p>Unfortunately food quality is poor at most universities because of cost. Only a few, but growing number, are known for good food. Unless you want to start an organization to change it for the future, there’s no value in making it the source of your unhappiness. The entitled attitude of being a paying customer doesn’t work in the college life model. Should have gone to High Point if that’s your attitude. If possible live off campus and cook for yourself asap.</p>
<p>I just want to say that many, many people have second thoughts in junior year. I think it is kind of normal to want out when it seems you cant see the end and it been a long grueling
time. Stick it out! Bury yourself in your work. Find time to volunteer in a local school or library to alleviate the us them dichotomies you feel. Time will pass quickly.</p>
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<p>That’s horrible, seriously. </p>
<p>I lived that life for pretty much until a few months; that type of lifestyle (12hrs/day) leads you to superior achievements, yet you have to sacrifice your social and romantic lives completely for that. And at the end of the day, you are feeling incredibly lonely and empty, especially when all your friends have already formed a solid social and romantic circle around them…</p>
<p>But you know what, money can get you anything…You can BUY friends, you can BUY girlfriends, you can BUY almost anything…EXCEPT intelligence, which is inane and unchangeable…In this way, a “nerd” can has a superior advantage over the most popular guy in the room.</p>
<p>*innate </p>
<p>10char</p>
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<p>If some dude; who drinks beer, does weed, and has 1.5 GPA has a hot girlfriend, ** give me the reason** the OP who “doesn’t smoke, drink, and hook up” should DROP his standards?</p>
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<p>So the KEY to social success is to convince yourself that you are inferior or “just like” everyone else?</p>