<p>I'm currently a sophomore at Gordon College in Massachusetts, a tiny evangelical Christian college that's pretty much a no-name school outside of the North Shore. I applied early decision after barely even looking at other colleges because I was "in love" after only a few visits. I'm regretting that now and wishing I looked at other schools before I made my decision.</p>
<p>The academics here are actually very good for a school of its kind. The classes are small, usually no more than 20-25 for a major class or 40-50 for a "core class" (my largest class had 125 people in it, and that was a class that everyone had to take). The professors are also wonderful people who are able to give a lot of individual attention to students, even though many of them are involved in research. This has been very helpful for me because although I'm quite bright, I have nonverbal learning disability and sometimes need extra help. The academic support center has also been very helpful with providing accommodations for my somewhat rare disorder. </p>
<p>But I absolutely hate the social scene. You have to fit into a certain mold to feel comfortable here. There are two types of people at Gordon: conservative evangelical Christians and "emergent church" Christian hipster types who seek to redefine Christianity (read: pick and choose the parts of the religion they like), who, like regular hipsters, think they're being cutting edge and unique, but in reality, are all the same. Since I don't fit into either mold, I find myself incredibly frustrated at times with the close-mindedness of the student body. It is a very sheltered environment because almost everyone is from the same background and has the same views, and it becomes a bubble of sorts because a significant amount of people never leave campus, not even to go to church. A friend of mine described it as a giant Christian circle jerk. Even though the professors are brilliant, the class discussions can be mind-numbing at times because no one challenges each other, and if you do, you are quickly dismissed or shut down. They also aren't very forgiving if you're socially awkward, which I am because of my NLD.</p>
<p>The rules are ridiculous. We are only allowed to visit the dorm rooms of the opposite sex during certain hours, and when we do, all of the lights must be on and the doors must be wide open. There is absolutely no privacy because they think that as soon as the lights are turned down or the door is closed people will start ripping their clothes off and making babies. We're also required to attend 30 chapel services a semester, which is a lot more annoying than it sounds.</p>
<p>It's also really expensive here and it's making my dad, a single parent who makes a mediocre salary, go into debt. My brother is going off to college at either Bucknell or Cedarville next year, and I don't think my dad can afford to pay tuition at two private colleges plus tuition at the private high school my sister goes to.</p>
<p>I'm from Rhode Island, and the only way I've survived is by going home every weekend to be with my fiance and friends who didn't go away to college. I'm considering transferring to URI because my fiance goes there and loves it. The in-state tuition is less than half of Gordon's tuition and I can live at home and commute rather than pay extra for room and board. I also find the idea of a big, non-religious university appealing because I won't have to fit into a certain mold and can be my own person. I went to CCRI my senior year of high school and loved it because there was so much diversity and no social pressure. People were very forgiving of my quirkiness there. My fiance told me that although URI isn't completely similar, the atmosphere is much closer to CC than Gordon is. </p>
<p>However, I'm worried that I'll be trading down academically. URI is a good school for the hard sciences and languages, but I've heard mixed reviews about the liberal arts. The classes will be exponentially bigger than Gordon's and I'm worried I won't be able to get as much individual attention. My fiance insists I'm wrong about the latter, but he's in a small major (the Italian major has a grand total of 60 students), so I don't think his experience is typical. I also know nothing about their services for students with disabilities. CCRI's were rather ****ty, and that was one of the main reasons I opted to go to Gordon right away instead of staying and getting my associate's degree first.</p>
<p>Anyway, sorry for the long and rambly nature of this post. I hope it was readable. So, should I transfer or stick it out?</p>
<p>TL;DR - Is being frustrated with the social scene sufficient reason to transfer if the college's academics are good?</p>
<p>EDIT - If it matters, I'm a psychology major, but I might switch to history.</p>