<p>So I'm at UNC Chapel Hill, just starting my second semester as a freshman. I absolutely hated it here my first semester. The size was so overwhelming. Even if I met people who were nice once it was very hard to keep in touch with them or see them again. Also, having majority of the school be from North Carolina is difficult because a lot of them knew each other coming here. I was also frustrated by the fact that I wasn't put in the honors program or offered any scholarships even though I had better resumes than some of the in-state kids who got them (I understand the in-state out-of-state quotas they have to fill, its just frustrating and by the way I did apply for the honors program I'm waiting to hear back). Things did get better, I know a decent number of people and the ones I hang out with are all from out of state. I still can't seem to enjoy myself here even though I do like the school and realize its a great place with beautiful weather, yadda yadda. I don't like greek life, and it's really hard to find clubs that I actually enjoy since there are over 600. I still have this nagging feeling that I'd like to be closer to home and in a smaller school. I finished last semester with a 3.8. My high school grades were strong my SAT was a 1490 out of 1600 and a 2270 out of 2400. Some of the places I'm thinking about are Skidmore, Tufts, Fordham, Lehigh, Brown (if there was any chance of getting in), etc. I'm also not counting out state schools like Binghamton and Stony Brook. Duke is also on my radar because even though its just as far from home, the research triangle is a really good place to be in for pre-med and med students, so if you have anything to say about Duke please share. Or any other schools that you would recommend in the northeast/new england.</p>
<p>If you've attended any of these schools, transferred at the beginning of your sophomore year, stuck it out at a school far from home, etc. Please give me some feedback and advice. Or if you just have a helpful opinion. Thanks.</p>
<p>you are still a freshman. personally, I would stick it out for the rest of the year and maybe sophomore year too. Instead of whining and seeing the things I don't like, I would try to shape my life and "join the crowd," so to speak. you don't like UNC b/c there's too many people, it's not personal enough, and you don't like dealing with the state. well, I would get to know some people in groups that you like and are good, and just join in. people don't intentionally bar you out of friend circles--they're perfectly willing to let you in, if you ask. as for the whole state issue, it's hard to avoid, but i guess it's something to tough out. the point is, TRY to become a part of UNC, take some risks, try out some new things that you might find yourself to like.</p>
<p>THEN, if you're still really miserable and you've tried everything you could, then I would try to transfer.</p>
<p>I would like to point out though...i don't know about the other colleges you're interested in, but brown and duke are both pretty big too. if you think you prefer the smaller colleges, why don't you apply to LACs or actually small universities?</p>
<p>Thanks for your post. Brown and Duke each have about 6,000-6,500 total undergrads whereas UNC has over 17,000, so relatively they are small. Having a little over 1,000 students in my class would be different than over 4,000. I have joined a lot of clubs and I agree with you that before transferring I have to exhaust every possible option. I go to games and do feel a part of the school. Like I said in the first post, the problems that I ran into initially have subsided but I still dont like being so far away from home, which is up north. So the major point of my question was whether, being a pre-med major, it would be an unwise decision to transfer from a school within the research triangle to a school closer to home such as Skidmore, which is a small LAC. I agree that I should stick out the rest of the year, which I plan on doing, but applications to transfer are generally due in March so I just wanted to collect some opinions on schools before applying. Additionally, by the end of the semester I will have around 60 credits completed, so I wouldn't want to transfer after another year as many schools will not take more than 60 hours of transfer credits. </p>
<p>If you have attended any of the aforementioned schools I would really appreciate your feedback about your experience there.</p>
<p>Just a warning that it is almost impossible to get into Brown as a transfer student. They tend to take disadvantaged students from community colleges who show a lot of potential.</p>
<p>I understand your reasons for not thinking UNC is the right fit for you, and I would suggest that you do some transfer apps (get going on it- some are due late Feb/early March) and the process is a pain in the a$ $). Lehigh might be a good option.</p>