<p>I'm currently a freshman at a USNWR Top 20 school-my former "dream school", actually. I am also the recipient of a merit-based scholarship that's worth the cost of tuition - approximately 40k/year. Here's the thing...I'm absolutely miserable! I can't imagine having to spend the next three years of my life here. So, I'm thinking about transferring for next fall. I am in the process of submitting my applications- all are public schools and none are nearly as prestigious as my current school. It's also probably worth mentioning that all of the schools I'm considering transferring to are out-of-state and don't typically offer merit aid to out-of-state transfer students, especially this late in the application cycle. Having said that, I'd most likely have to take out 5k-10k/yr in loans to attend most of the schools I'm looking at.</p>
<p>What do you think? Should I suck it up and just get by for the next 3 years at my current school without having to worry about money? Or is my being happy worth the stress of changing schools and taking on loans?</p>
<p>I'm so lost and confused. I would really love to hear any advice or thoughts you might have..</p>
<p>They say you can’t put a price on happiness…</p>
<p>What is it that’s making you miserable? Is it the current school’s fault, or is it individual (bad roommate, etc)? What made it your dream school, and how has it disappointed you?</p>
<p>First, why are you miserable at the current school (bearing in mind that freshman year is a big adjustment for many, it can be unexpected.) Second, why do you think the other schools would solve that problem–how do you know you’d be happier there?</p>
<p>Third, why didn’t you apply to schools where you’d get better aid?</p>
<p>Full ride vs up to $40 debt is something to consider carefully.</p>
<p>I’m currently at Vanderbilt. As far as transferring, I’m applying to University of Georgia, University of Central Florida, College of Charleston, and Florida International University.</p>
<p>Why am I thinking about leaving? There’s a couple reasons…</p>
<p>Location - I thought Nashville would be an awesome place to live, but having been here since for 7 months, I’m already bored out of my mind. I’m from a small suburb so I thought Nashville would be this booming metropolis…not so much. </p>
<p>Social environment - This is a big one. Vanderbilt has a really specific culture and I’ve really started to think it’s not for me. I’ve found the students here to be almost hyper-competitive when it comes to not only grades/schoolwork, but also partying. Even though we have over 6,000 students here, I feel like the student body is largely homogeneous. I’m involved in a lot of activities - I’m a member of an intramural sports team, went on a service trip earlier this year, and am part of a cultural organization. I know a ton of people, but feel like I don’t really “click” with anyone. </p>
<p>Academic environment - Extremely disappointing. I don’t find the content of my classes at all challenging, but do find the workload here almost unmanageable. Since January, I’ve had over 70 pages worth of papers to write. I pretty much feel like I’m doing a huge volume of work, but not really learning much or growing intellectually. My first semester grades (any money) will keep me from attending a school that’s “better” than Vanderbilt, but I figure that at a larger state-school, I’ll have a much less stressful workload that better corresponds to the actual level of academic rigor at the school.</p>
<p>Don’t fool yourself! Larger state schools have a very similar curriculum. I’m at UNC-CH and write more than you as a Sociology major, not to mention that I have over 100 pages of reading a week. </p>
<p>And as you get older and into more advanced classes, the work load gets harder. No one said college was going to be easy. I understand that you feel you’re not expanding your mind, which at Vanderbilt is hard to believe. Maybe consider taking a different course load/ changing your major to something more challenging. What is your major right now?</p>
<p>First, I’m sorry you’re so unhappy at Vanderbilt. Compared to the schools that you’re considering transfering to, I definitely encourage you to think about other options. </p>
<p>First, think about taking classes outside your comfort zone. If you find the workload too hard and you are studying, say, philosophy, why not take a language? Or if you are a bio major, what about taking an english class? Computer science? Music? Switch up the <em>type</em> of work (problem sets, reading/papers, program writing, etc) and you might find yourself less overwhelmed.</p>
<p>Second, most definitely study abroad. Even if your scholarship doesn’t fully cover it, you could take out smaller loans and avoid having to transfer to a much less prestigious school. If you plan ahead you can study abroad for a full year AND a summer.</p>
<p>Next, does Vanderbilt have a relationship with other schools where you could spend a semester studying there? Most Universities require a minimum # of credits received at that school to graduate…you could do your other credits elsewhere. </p>
<p>Could you put yourself on an accelerated track to graduate early? Find a part time job so that you can get engaged with the community and spend time away from other Vanderbilt students? Live off campus? Volunteer?</p>
<p>I know these may not all be possible, but they may make you a lot happier.</p>
<p>What you feel right now may be academic burnout, which is not that uncommon - especially for students who really pushed themselves in high school. Before you commit to a transfer, consider taking a leave of absence for a semester or a year. Talk with your advisor about that. It would give you time to see a bit more of the world, make some money, do some volunteer work, and think about where it is you really want to spend your college years, and what you’d like to do with your life.</p>
<p>I’m sorry you are unhappy at Vanderbilt and don’t like Nashville. My son is not what people usually have in mind when they think Vanderbilt, but he has had a great four years and has come to know Nashville well, and enjoy it as a good place for college.</p>
<p>Having said that, no school, and no city, are right for everyone, and transferring is often a good option–but in this case, I’m not so sure. I really don’t think there are very many college students who would say that Orlando is a better place to go to school than Nashville, for instance.</p>
<p>I like some of the ideas suggested above. If you don’t like the type of courses you are taking, maybe you are working on the wrong major. It is very late in the semester now, but in the fall, you could try to find a different kind of club, or join one of the service groups that are involved in Nashville. </p>
<p>Rather than dash off these last-minute applications to schools that probably won’t serve you any better, why not give it another semester, then take stock next winter break. If you don’t think Vanderbilt is the right place for you, put together a list of schools and apply for a transfer at that time.</p>
<p>I think ExAdmitCounselor has provided good advise. I especially like the recommendation of taking classes outside of your comfort zone. I would like to add to consider taking classes you know nothing about, or ones that you think won’t be useful to you either personally or professionally. From my experience, I can tell you that these classes can lead to a major you never considered, and if not, they still have the potential of being one/some of the most stimulating and interesting classes you will ever take.</p>
<p>Is the workload, or the feeling of not being intellectually challenged, due to your major?
If it is due to your major, you can fix that, and it probably won’t get any better by switching schools. If the workload is due to lower division general ed classes, then that may be something you might have to stick through. From my experience, general ed lower division classes tend to be a lot of busy work and cover a lot of information, as an introduction to departments/majors. Consider asking upper division students in different departments what there experience is like. If departments have syllabus banks of different classes, consider asking to look through some of the syllabus to see if the busy work just happens to be a Vandy thing or a lower division thing.</p>
<p>You’re bored in Nashville but you’re looking at Charleston? That reasoning doesn’t make sense. Charleston is charming, but much smaller than Nashville.</p>
<p>I don’t understand why you are dropping so low and not seeking out similar academics with a better fit.</p>
<p>I think that at a school with thousands of students you should be able to find a handful of friends over a period of time. </p>
<p>As far as Nashville, I’d make do. There are so many schools in the middle of nowhere. Nashville is not the middle of nowhere. I would think that you can make that work for 3 years.</p>
<p>As far as the work load, if you really feel that this is what is truly making you miserable, this is something to consider. If you have the fortitude and passion to do the work, I’d say that you should plug away. If not, you need to access why that is and then make decisions. Those decisions might mean staying and changing majors, sticking with it, picking classes and professor more carefully, etc. The decision does not have to mean a transfer to a new school, but it might be a solution.</p>