First off, thank you for reading my post…I know it is very long but PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO READ IT AND THROW ME SOME ADVICE… i am in a very conflicted position at the moment and would appreciate any advice whatsoever. Heres my current situation…. I am currently a freshman at the College of Charleston and worked my butt off academically this year… and it paid off as i got into my “dream” school - the University of Miami as a transfer student for admission in the fall. I didn’t get into Miami originally when I applied as a Junior and was devastated and ended up going to the College of Charleston as my second choice school. I’m not leaning towards either school at the moment, and would appreciate any advice regarding my future after you read the pros and cons that I will be facing at each school…
Lets start with Charleston. I am CURRENTLY having a very good time here, but didn’t have as great of a time last semester (hence why i decided to apply to the University of Miami). I joined the fraternity AEPI, and really feel like i am starting to fit in and find my place here. There are so many “pros” to Charleston: however to be honest (whether this is a stupid reason to stay at CofC or not)… the main thing holding me back from transferring at the moment is the girl situation here. The quantity (something like 70% girls) and quality of girls hands down cannot be beat. It’s not easy to leave that behind. Another huge reason is the overall FRIENDLINESS at Charleston… that constantly spreads good vibes. It really does live up to its name of the “friendliest city in the world” This is something that cannot be found at Miami. I am also in a great apartment that cannot be beat. Overall, I just love the people at Charleston better than Miami. the first CON of Charleston is the weather. Coming to a school in South Carolina I didn’t expect it to be cold the majority of the school year. I am a huge fisherman (it is a passion of mine) and I don’t really have the opportunity to go fishing at Charleston as much as I expected I would be able to when I first came to the school. Charleston is not nearly as good academically either, but I don’t know how important this actually is regarding my future. I am a marine bio major, and although Charleston has a great marine bio program, UMiami’s blows it away. The night life here also tends to be poor, and sometimes I feel like I’m not even on a college campus.
Now for MIAMI… the main PRO of Miami is the fact that it is a top rated school with an unbelievable marine bio program which provides for a seemingly infinite of job opportunities and internships that are just not as available at Charleston. But, once again… how important is this for my future? Does graduating from Miami vs. Charleston really make that big of a difference? Another PRO is the WEATHER … you can’t beat it… and constant heat provides me with year round opportunities for my passion of fishing. Theres literally places for me to fish right on campus which it pretty much my dream come true. Another pro is that I will be able to join the AEPI chapter at Charleston… so my effort pledging at Charleston wouldn’t have gone to waste. There is always something to do at Miami, while Charleston can get boring at times… especially when the weather isn’t great (which is most of the year). The night life is also unreal, in addition to the opportunity to go to sports games (which Charleston doesn’t have)…. giving more of the feel of actually going to school on a college campus. Lastly, Miami has long been my DREAM SCHOOL. I took marine bio courses there for 3 weeks a couple summers ago during a summer scholars program, and was hooked on the school ever since.
For the CONS of Miami… i visited the school last weekend for the first time since I took that program there and was disappointed with some aspects of the school that i wasn’t originally aware of. My main concern is that the people at Miami, both guys and girls, seem to be extremely shallow, and don’t appear to care much more than regarding what other people think about them. Coming from Charleston to Miami, the hospitality that i was used to experiencing at CofC was shattered, and the difference in people’s personality was strikingly apparent. Also, there seems to be a lot of jock-like dudes there, with a smaller amount of girls; who seem very shallow and jappy for the most part. I know this might not be the best reason to not go to Miami, but I do feel that it is important to consider.
OVERALL, the dilemna seems to be between my social life (better at Charleston) and my education (better at Miami). I will definitely be a “smaller fish in the pond” at Miami, but I will be getting a better education. I can’t thank you enough for any help or advice whatsoever.
If you are going to transfer I would only do it if you think the program at Miami is significantly stronger than Charleson.
Look at the number of professors in Marine Bio at both schools. Look at the number of courses.
Talk to your adviser/favorite professor about the options at both. What internships are available at Charleston? Do you have all the info on that or are you guessing? Also talk to the career center at Charleston about how job placements/grad school is.
Also will it be better to be the big fish at Charleston? Will you get those research positions/internships?
Also think about cost. Do you have any scholarships now?
I’m surprised by your perception of the composition of the student body, in the several times I’ve visited I’ve found there to be many more women than men. I do agree with you on the “type” of person that you see there, though. I’ve lived in Florida all my life, and that unfortunately comes with the territory of the South Floridians, who are typically bred from carpetbagging Yankee stock and, again unfortunately, taught to value improper and senseless things over culture, art, spirituality, communal happiness, and so forth. By the sound of it, it sounds like you’re already quite set in your head to go to Miami. Disregarding the work involved in transferring and the stress uprooting one’s life brings on oneself, if a genie were to grant you your wish and with a snap of his fingers you’d be seamlessly integrated into the University of Miami’s culture, campus, and so on by tomorrow morning, would you take that opportunity?
absolutely, but i just fear regretting my decision to transfer
What do you want to do with your degree/after graduation?
I think your last paragraph sums it up well. What is more important, your education and maybe better career opportunities or your social life and fishing for the next two years. Only you can answer that. Once you determine your priorities, the decision will be easier.
i have no idea at this point to be honest. But i feel like i will have more options graduating from UMiami
Bottom line: What school will give you the best shot at meeting your long term goals? If UMiami is vastly superior for what you want in life (and you can afford it), then it might be worth comprising on the other aspects.
bump… still undecided
You say that what’s stopping you is the possibility of regretting your decision. Maybe it will help if you compare the worst-case scenarios, if everything you’ve said is true. Worst-case scenario to stay: You regret passing up a school with good weather and miss your fishing hobby. You find yourself bored a lot of nights. And you don’t get a job because the Marine Bio program wasn’t able to prepare you for or connect you with a job. Worst-case scenario to transfer: You hate all of your peers for the next three years.
Which sounds worse? Which sounds more likely to actually happen? For me, I’ve found a small group of people that I like and vibe with, so it doesn’t really matter what the rest of the campus is like TBH.
You won’t be able to assure yourself that you’ll be perfectly happy with any certain choice, because you don’t know what’s going to happen. But in either case, as long as you get the degree and a job, your regret about being sad for four years won’t really matter in the long run.