Really, really confused sophomore looking for guidance

Transfer Students
1

<p>Hi, everyone. I’m a sophomore at a top 20 liberal arts college. I haven’t been fully satisfied with my college for a while now and lately I’ve been thinking about transferring. All of this thinking has left me feeling really, really confused and I have no idea what to do. I don’t really like my adviser, and my parents absolutely love the school I’m currently attending, so I’m not sure who to talk about this in real life. I’m posting, then, because I was hoping that some of you guys could help me sort things out and offer advice on whether or not I should transfer. </p>

<p>I want to transfer for four reasons:</p>

<p>1) The social life at my current school is very cliquey. I don’t like this because it’s very limited. I’ve always been the kind of person who has multiple groups of friends, but here it’s difficult, if not impossible, to do that because people get so comfortable and content in their friend groups. It almost feels like you’re intruding when you try to hang out with new people.<br>
2) I find the small size and rural location of my school suffocating. This is my number one complaint with my current school. When I’m at college, I feel like I’m cut out from the outside world. I get off campus as much as I can, but when I’m off campus, I’m still in a very very small town that’s also isolated. This is especially difficult for me because I’ve always been very interested and active in domestic politics, but there aren’t a whole lot of opportunities for that here.
3) I’m not so sure that I like the idea of a liberal arts education anymore. I’m a very intellectually curious person and I like learning for learning’s sake, but I don’t think this is what I want from my college education, especially since I’m paying so much for it and especially since I have no interest in pursuing a phd. which is what I feel like my college grooms its students to do. I would like a wider range of course offerings and majors as well as some pre-professional programs (journalism and international affairs specifically).
4) The cost. This isn’t exactly a driving factor, but it isn’t helping. Unlike most people at my school, I didn’t receive a great financial aid package and it’s a stretch for me to go here. Because of this, I feel like if I’m going to pay this much to go to college, I better love it.</p>

<p>Now, there are some reasons why I don’t want to transfer, too:
1) I’ve already established myself here with professors and I currently hold a few leadership positions. I’ve also made friends and familiarized myself with campus. Because of this, I feel like transferring would be a big hassle.
2) I’m worried that I wouldn’t be able to graduate on time if I transferred because I’ve taken a pretty random mix of classes so far. I’m unwilling to pay for more than four years of school, so taking extra time to finish a major at a new school isn’t an option.
3) My school is highly regarded and I know my degree will be worth a lot when I’m done.
4) There are a lot of opportunities available here that I’d easily be able to take advantage of because of my involvement on campus and connections with faculty and staff.</p>

<p>I’m also planning on studying abroad, so that means after this year, I only have three semesters left on campus, so I kind of think I should just stick it out. There’s also a possibility that I’ll study abroad for a year (because I don’t like my school) and if I did this, I’d only have two semesters left on campus. </p>

<p>Still, even though I know that I don’t have much time left here, and even though there are things holding me back, I’m not excited at all for the next two years. I also know that if I had the opportunity to go back to my senior year of high school, I wouldn’t choose my current school. I don't even know if I would want to apply for it. Then again, I know that if I'd stay at my college, I'd be okay as I'm not completely miserable. </p>

<p>So what do you guys think? Should I transfer or stay put? Any advice/guidance will be greatly appreciated, and thank you for reading all of this.</p>

2

<p>Studying abroad during the school year is going to be a problem at many selective schools, as they require that students be on campus for at least 2 yrs. Summer abroad would be a possibility, if that would help.</p>

<p>I think you have a very hard decision as your pros and cons are all valid. The one that is a little weak is the financial one. While you’re paying quite a bit now, the chances are that if you transfer to another private, you will also be paying a lot there. There are relatively few merit scholarships for transfers and need based FA is often not as good for transfers, although that’s not always the case.</p>

<p>My gut feeling is that you should stay and do a year abroad to break things up and give you a different perspective. I think that the pros of being able to do the time abroad, your being established at your current school, and the opportunities available to you there are very compelling reasons to stay. I don’t discount your reasons for leaving, and agree that it is likely not the best fit for your needs, but it also doesn’t sound like it is going to be a detrimental place for your long term goals.</p>

<p>Hope this helps and perhaps gives you something to think about. Again, it’s a tough decision, but your reasoning seems sound to me and I’m sure that you can make it work either way. </p>

<p>p.s. If there’s a school or two you’re really interested in, you could apply to them now and a the same time keep involved in your current school. Decisions won’t be out until May and you might have a better idea of which direction you want to take at that time.</p>

3

<p>Agh… you should have tried transferring in freshman year. I know I am; many of my reasons are the same as yours, and I attend a top 30 liberal arts college as well. The only differences in my experience are I have full-need financial aid package, and my school is located in a city. Regardless, even with one less negative reason and two more positive ones, I still want to leave. Call me a typical spoiled freshman. :)</p>

<p>I think reasons 3 and 4 against transferring can be ruled out, should you transfer to a school with strong opportunities and a great reputation (maybe even better than your current school). Although, due to reason 1, you are safely ensured opportunities where you are now, while elsewhere you would have to start from scratch all over again. Reason 2 is true. You will likely be spending more than 2 years at another university.</p>

<p>Personally, I think you should at least apply to transfer. See which schools you get into.</p>

4

<p>Thank you both for the thoughts! I really appreciate it. College admissions are funny, aren’t they? I thought I knew exactly what I wanted – a small liberal arts college in a small town, but then once I got to my small liberal arts college in a small town, I found that I wanted just the opposite. I did think about transferring last year, but my parents wanted me to stay longer to make sure I wouldn’t make a decision I’d later regret, which now seems very ironic to me. Can’t go back now though, so I have to deal with my current situation. </p>

<p>I think you’re right, entomom. Though I know I could make transferring work and be successful somewhere else, it’d probably be best to stay where I am, and that’s probably what I’ll end up doing. Studying abroad for a year would make it impossible for me to double major or have a minor, but I think this is the best solution I have to my unhappiness and the experience of living abroad for a year should be worth it. Another thing I might do is graduate a semester early (I have enough AP credits) and then do something cool with some of the money I’m saving from going one less semester.</p>

<p>I still will probably throw in one or two transfer applications – one to Georgetown (a school I never even considered going to freshman year) for sure and then I don’t know where else – just to see what happens. </p>

<p>Whatever happens, it’ll be okay. Who knows, maybe I’ll be a lot happier and more appreciative of my college next year. And if not, after this year I’ll hopefully only have two more semesters left.</p>

<p>Thanks again for responding.</p>

5

<p>I like your attitude, you’ll be fine.</p>

6

<p>^ Hopefully! Despite my frustrations with my college and not feeling particularly excited about anything, I’m just trying to keep my head up and remember that I’m better off than most people.</p>