I am a third year student currently in electrical engineering at Purdue University and I have two years left. I say currently in EE because I have bounced around a bit trying to find a good fit. However, Purdue has never felt good for me, in fact it has led to depressive symptoms and much envy of friends who go to other schools and are very proud of where they are. I can honestly say I have not found that pride in Purdue and I am not sure that I will. The reasons that I stay are that I am close to my friends here, and the school is a high ranked engineering school; but, the latter is seeming less important as I go on.
I am looking at transferring to OSU but I have some hesitations. The cons are that I would be giving up my friends and the notoriety of the school like I said above. I would also have to start over in a new location. The pros are that I would be moving to a still well respected university, I would be moving a lot closer to family, and I would be 4 hours closer to my girlfriend of four years who starts medical school this fall.
What I really want out of my undergraduate career is to get a degree that means something to employers, and to be proud of where I am. Right now, I do not feel cared for at all, my adviser didn’t even know my name the last time time I saw her. I feel I’m a little biased with some short term positives like family and a much larger culture to jump into.
My main question is this: is it worth it to make the switch with two years left if I am really this unhappy here? Or should I try to stick it out?
i think as far as your engineering degeee goes your professional life will probably play out the same whether you have a degree from Purdue or OSU. The difference in ranking is not going to materially affect the career prospects of someone with a EE degree. Therefore I would remove that from consideration as you make this decision.
What you really need to try to figure out is whether the things that will make you happier about being at OSU will outweigh the negatives of Purdue. And while I would hope you’d get a caring adviser at OSU there is no way to know how that will play out.
Do you expect to go home more frequently while at OSU or see your girlfriend more frequently? If yes those would certainly make the transfer worth considering. But as you said you would need to start over in terms of building a social network.
Have you checked to see how many of your Purdue credits will transfer? You should figure out in advance if transferring to OSU is going to require you to stay in school longer and also take that into account.
Everyone will offer you advice - but really this is a question that you have to answer. Should you cut your losses or double down? Right now you are entering the peak of most programs - Junior year. So I certainly believe you cannot wait if you are going to switch. To echo the other advice offered - make sure enough of your credits transfer and make sure the “grass is greener” on the other side. As an OSU alumni, I never had a second thought on OSU so it fit me. I would choose it again. It was further from my relatives and I really never let that bother me. I knew no one and made friends for life quickly. Real friends and relatives will not abandon you because you aren’t “next door”.
Remember, the first rule in a bad situation is to not make it worse. Good luck with your decision.