I’m currently a freshman at UCSD and I’ve never felt like I belonged here. I don’t know if it’s just me, but the campus feels very cold and unwelcoming. I have a hard time connecting with people due to my social anxiety, and while I have made some decent connections, I honestly don’t feel like they’re what I was hoping for. Choosing UCSD was a spur-of-the-moment decision based solely on the location of the school, since I had no idea what I wanted when I was applying to/choosing colleges. Now, I feel like I have a better idea about what I want. I think I’d like to attend a school with a warmer (?) environment and a more intimate, less impersonal feel. I’m planning on getting more involved next quarter to see if anything will make me want to stay here, but it seems unlikely.
Last quarter I had a 3.75 GPA,and this quarter it seems like I’m on track to a 3.5 GPA or above, although I had to withdraw from one class. My SAT score and high school GPA were both solid, and I’ve been involved in music extracurriculars in both high school and college. I’m currently a psychology major with a music minor.
I guess I really don’t know where to begin with this whole process. How would I withdraw from UCSD? Is it too late to transfer schools for sophomore year? If not, which colleges would accept me with these stats and how should I go about applying? Would anyone be able to compare UCSD to other schools in you’ve had experience with? How should I deal with the transfer of credits? Are there certain colleges that are especially generous with financial aid? I’m looking to stay in California but I’m open to other possibilities.
Any help/input/advice would be greatly appreciated!
I think it would be best to speak with a counselor/advisor to answer these questions. I am a transfer student so I do know a bit about the transfer process so I hope I will be able to give some help and some insight and the process.
How would I withdraw from UCSD?
This might be a good question for an advisor at UCSD or the admissions and records department. I am not sure if there is a formal process in doing this but I imagine that there is.
Is it too late to transfer schools for sophomore year? If not, which colleges would accept me with these stats and how should I go about applying?
If you are looking to transfer to another UC, for the most part, they only accept junior transfer students. Private institutions are much more likely to accept sophomore transfer students. I believe USC is one of them. It might be too late to apply for Fall 2017 to be a sophomore as those applications were supposed to be submitted November 2016-January 2017.
How should I deal with the transfer of credits?
I believe you can look at assist.org to see what transfers over. I am unsure if it does UC to UC as I have only used it for my community college courses.
Are certain colleges generous with financial aid?
I believe that FinAid is all need based, particularly with public institutions. You might want to look into schools that offer a lot of scholarships that you qualify for instead. Transfer students seem to not get as much aid as first year students.
You also might find this thread’s responses helpful in terms of financial aid information. Particularly the ones from Aunt Bea. The situation is for an out of state student but you mentioned that you’re open to other options to maybe this will give you insight into how complicated financial aid situations can be.
I hope this helps in some way. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help. It may be worth it to go to a community college first and then transfer since the process is more straightforward. Whatever you choose to do, good luck!
Are you in-state for CA, is that why you're trying to stay here?
Generally, schools are less generous with institutional aid for transfer students.
I think before you leave UCSD you should try to get involved more. Get into clubs, activities, etc. UCs and CSUs are big schools, so at any of those, you’re going to feel it.