<p>i go to a private college i am just finishing my second year and it is the top school in the country for my major, which is Physical Education. I hate the people at my school i have a very small group of friends whom i dont even necessarily like all the time. my school makes my major so unnecessarily difficult. i feel like i could go to a state school for cheaper and it will not be so hard... but honestly its not the classes that really turn me off at my school. its mostly the people. its a really sports oriented school and i love sports. but people here are more into lifting, rather than team sports. 99% of the student population seems to fit the stereotypical jock/meathead, which isnt me at all. there doesnt seem to be people here that can handle an intelligent conversation. im not saying that i need to hang out with the most intellectual people but id like to be able to talk about more than just sports. its very frustrating. i figured after my first year was over i would start to "fit" in more. i dont know why i cant make friends like i did in high school. i was fairly popular back then but cant seem to connect with anyone here. i feel like im the only mature one here. i dont drink or smoke or anything but i actually enjoy going to parties and meeting people but as soon as someone finds out i dont drink its an immediate turn off for them. and believe it or not its hard to get invited to parties if you dont drink, hahaha. the only problem is that im starting to think that transferring would give me a good change in environment but would the result be any different??? maybe its me that doesnt fit in with college life. does anyone have any advice?? or have had a similar situation in which case what did you do?</p>
<p>There are things you can drink that look a lot like various alcoholic beverages, so that people don’t actually have to know you’re not drinking. You can also get a bottle of beer, dump some of it out, and carry it around with you without drinking it.</p>
<p>I loathed my high school. Like you, I found that there was only one kind of student. It was also small, which means that within my first few days at the school everybody knew I wasn’t someone anyone was going to like, and it set the stage for years of problems. When I went to college, I deliberately chose a large state university, in part because I figured I wouldn’t be able to alienate absolutely everyone on campus before I graduated. My time there wasn’t at all what I expected, but it was very different than my time at high school was, and I consider it the best time of my life.</p>
<p>Since then, I’ve gone back to education a few different times, and yes, in my experience different schools have different atmospheres and some are better fits for me than others. I’ve really never successfully predicted how time at a given school would go for me, but if I were in your position I would consider moving to another school that was different from your current school. It might not be any better, but may be a lot better and it’s not likely to be any worse, either. Unless your career goals are such that being at the top physical education school in the country will really make a difference, I wouldn’t worry too much about going to a school with a less prestigious program, either.</p>
<p>One thing I would caution you about is the feeling like you’re the only mature one and the impression that other people can’t have an intelligent conversation with you: if people get the impression that you’re condescending to them (whether the condescension is justified or not), they’re not likely to value your presence. It is possible (from the information you’re giving here) that people aren’t reacting to your not drinking, for example, but to a vague feeling that you think people who do drink aren’t as good as you are. That would make them not want to include you in social events too. So no matter what you do I’d suggest trying to find something you like or respect about everyone you’re dealing with and focus on that instead of on the ways in which they aren’t the people you want to be with.</p>
<p>I’ve noticed most people who don’t drink look down on people who drink.. that is really annoying. Make sure you don’t come off like that to people. The loud people yelling at the top of their lungs are usually pretty annoying in my opinion.. most people want to hang out with someone who’s chill and laid back</p>
<p>Sometimes it’s hard to find your niche in college. Many students feel the same way you do. Transferring is an option. Look into schools that may have more the sort of people that you feel are more like you. I transferred for the same reasons that you mentioned…I felt like a fish out of water at my first school. It made a huge difference for me.</p>
<p>I really don’t look down on people who drink. i have other personal reasons for me not to drink. the people at school though give me the impression that i do look down on them for drinking which is not true. my friends from home dont give me that impression at all. i realize that this is going to be a problem no matter what school i go to so im not that concerned with it. </p>
<p>i dont feel like i fit in here but at the same time i dont want to waste the opportunity to graduate from the best school in my field for something that maybe will make me happier for the next 2 years. if i knew id be happier there i would no doubt leave but im not sure if transferring will actually make a difference… all i know is that its been 2 years here and i dont have that many people i would call friends… maybe only 1 real friend who would do anything for me as i would for her. i dont know if it is the right decision for me… </p>
<p>by the way, if anybody knows anything about the Eastern Connecticut State University PE program i’d love to hear about it so it would at least give me an idea.</p>
<p>How small should a college be to make it claustrophobic u think? Is 1000 plus too small?</p>
<p>1000 is like high school, screw that.</p>
<p>actually my high school was only like 550. and my home town is only like 3000 but 1000 does seem a little small for a college. My school now is only like 3000. I believe that Eastern is about the same size too</p>
<p>There were 770 people in my high school class. When my high school friends who are attending big state schools stare at me like I’m crazy for going to a small college, I just ask them – Did you know all the names of everyone in our senior class? Anything about them? – and the answer is invariably no. Even “small” schools have far more people than you could ever possibly get to know, and I really haven’t found it to be limiting. Now, if you like to avoid face-to-face interacting with people and intense classroom discussion, don’t go to a small school, because your classes will be small and you can’t avoid your professor’s gaze.</p>
<p>As far as transferring goes – have you read any of the threads in the transfer forum? That might give you some insight. Good luck. :)</p>