Should I transfer?

Transfer Students
1

<p>I am a current sophomore at Westminster College in New Wilmington Pennsylvania. I am majoring in Business Administration.</p>

<p>I have been contemplating a transfer to another college for some time and have narrowed it down to Youngstown State University as my choice if I transfer.</p>

<p>What I like about Westminster College: I love that Westminster is a small, rural university. It has strong academics and for the most part is a very good and highly regarded liberal arts college. We have a very good graduation rate (around 75+%) and only 2% of our students do not pay back their student loans. We only have about 1500 students, give or take. The professors tend to be pretty friendly for the most part. Technology surprisingly is more advanced than other schools. We run Windows 7 already, while a lot of other colleges are on XP still, which is nice. We also have wireless everywhere on campus and it supports mobile devices. I like that each class I take is worth 4.0 credits, which means I take less classes and still graduate compared to a college that offers 3.0 credit courses primarily. I also feel like Westminster is a more "prestigious" school when compared to YSU.</p>

<p>What I dislike about Westminster College: The price to go here is expensive. It costs a commuter on average around $30,000 a year and a resident of the college about $40,000. My EFC is 0 because my family is poor and I get enough aid to cover the cost there it just seems like I am going to be paying back loans for the rest of my life if I continue here. The financial aid staff are rude, and alot of the staff here are stuck up (not saying professors are). We have ridiculous requirements to graduate (at least I think they are) such as the requirement to pass a swimming course. They require 80 semester hours OUTSIDE of your major which leaves 44 hours actually INSIDE the major. Though we have good technology here a few things about our technology bother me. Our wireless tends to be a bit, picky. </p>

<p>Things I like about Youngstown State: CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP. The cost per year for a commuter is about $7500 (I get very close to paying in-state tuition because I am very close to the college. I am in what they call their "western-pa service region.) and only about 15,000 if I choose to live on campus. The staff so far seems very friendly and helpful. They have a lot of resources. Their fitness center is awesome! They have tons of food options on and off campus and their business program seems really good. They don't have ridiculous requirements to graduate like Westminster does. I spend most of my time INSIDE my major and not outside. 80% of the professors have the highest degree they can get in their area here as well. They just built a brand new building this year for business majors (accounting, administration) and it is very very nice.</p>

<p>Things I dislike about Youngstown State: The campus is very large (compared to Westminster) which is a bit intimidating. I feel like until I know the campus very well I could find myself getting lost there often. The majority of their courses are 3 credit courses which means I will need to take more classes to graduate here. There are a lot more students at YSU which means it will be harder to recognize people and what not. They have a low graduation rate somewhere around 35% or so. Financial aid is pretty limited, which means all my aid will most likely be federal loans and whatever grants I can get (but the cost is lower so I still won't pay as much back).</p>

<p>I am torn between the two schools. Do I stay at Westminster or do I transfer out to YSU? It is tearing my apart and if I am going to do it, I wanna transfer for next fall, so I need to make a final decision pretty soon. Any suggestions? Advice? Words of wisdom?</p>

2

<p>Honestly, the cons for your transfer school don’t seem too bad. A large campus is really not too difficult to navigate, and if you get involved in sports or clubs or anything like that, you’ll meet enough people. It’s not necessary to be able to recognize the entire campus IMO.</p>

<p>Also, the price con isn’t really a con for YSU, since you said it was much cheaper anyway. And don’t be put off by the graduation rate, you know yourself and if you will be determined to graduate or not.</p>

<p>All in all, at least in my opinion, it seems like your heart is set on YSU, and you’re finding somewhat nit picky cons about it… Not that that’s a bad thing, I’m in the same boat as you. In the end, it’s really about what makes you happy.</p>

<p>Hope this helped somewhat.</p>

3

<p>It still seems like such a hard decision. I’m so accustomed to Westminster and I really would hate to transfer out and then regret it because transferring back in is incredibly difficult. :/</p>

4

<p>I need help!! I am currently a freshman at American University in Washington, DC. In my senior year of high school I was very unsure of where I wanted to go, and I picked AU because I got a freshman internship and the city, and new it was a good school.
My first semester was good and bad, I found a group of friends, who I always hung out with and went out with. And we were all in the same dorm in a close family type of dorm, a little off main campus, with only 125 students. But now (second semester) I feel like I am losing the friendships, and it is awkward with my roommate most days. I feel like I do not fit in with the mold of this school, at all. Second semester I moved on to main campus with my same roommate, which I thought would be easier, and give me the ability to meet new people. But I have not found a close nitch of friends or anyone who enjoys the same things I do, or has the same interests. The campus is very small, and everyone seems to have his or her own group of friends already, also, I do not fit in with the typical AU student (preppy, very wealthy, and Greek). Both of my good (girl) friends both joined the same sorority (not my thing) and I feel left out when they go off with their new sorority friends.<br>
The campus is very diverse and a lot of international students, who tend to stick together. The nightlife at AU is pretty boring on campus, just frat parties every weekend that can get lame and repetitive. There are bunches of clubs, and bars to go out in DC but they cost money, and you need to have a fake I.D. or go to an 18+ place.<br>
I have joined an intramural basketball team, work at AU for events, and an internship with AU for sports marketing. But still nothing has not paid off and I have yet to find people that I click with. And most times I get down and feel very depressed, and lonely. I also, am very unhappy 24/7, nothing makes me happy anymore and it makes it harder to be outgoing. And right now I am not finding the good in college.
I am starting to think I really want to transfer, is this a good decision? Also, I am a very indecisive person and have been thinking almost too much what is the right thing to do. But another thing that I think about is I do not know where I want to transfer too, because I am scared the same thing will happen (socially), not the right fit, not the right college experience. Any suggestions?</p>