Please help me! Some background, I’m a current 1st semester undergrad at the U of Wisconsin-Madison. School has been hard and I don’t have any friends, there are people I know and talk to but when it comes to the weekend I get nervous because I don’t have anyone to go out with so I’ll either go home or my boyfriend (from home) will come to visit me. I’m originally from the suburbs of Minneapolis and went to a big high school, graduating class of 500, I knew TONS of people there and I always had friends to hang out with. At college I tried rushing but I ended up dropping out because I only got asked back to one sorority that I did not like. I came to Madison with 6 other people from my school, I know them but wouldn’t want to hang with them, there’s one girl I know better but I tried hanging with her group of friends but I just ended up leaving because they knew each other and I didn’t so I felt awkward. If I stay here I’ll applying to the business school and I think I’ll get in but if I don’t there is a parallel major that I can go for in the School of Human Ecology.
Madison doesn’t feel like home and I’ve been counting down the days until winter break. I have considered transferring to the University of Minnesota. Why I think the U of MN is better for me- it’s 15 minutes away from my house and I wouldn’t go home a lot but it’s nice to have the option to go home for just a day or not even (my dad works in downtown so he can easily pick/drop me up/off). I think I’d feel more at home because it’s a city I know more (vs Madison which I didn’t know at all) and a ton of people go to the U of MN from my high school. It’s be nice to be seeing more faces that I know, I think this would make me feel much better vs knowing no one here. I know that the U of MN offers transfer students a mini ‘welcome week’ for their first days on campus and I think this may help me meet other transfer students (Madison didn’t offer anything like this). I applied to the Business school at the U of MN during my senior year of high school and I was a direct admit, this does not mean I’ll be admitted to this school if I transfer but it’s a possibility, I’d be applying to that school in the spring as they admit each fall semester only. The U of MN has a parallel major outside of the business school that I could get if I don’t get into their business school.
If I’m to transfer I think I’d do it for Spring semester of this year (which I have been looking into and have already applied for). If I’d stay in Madison for the spring I feel like I’d be wasting time because I could’ve spent that time at the U of MN getting settled there. There’s a girl that I told I’d maybe live with next year (everyone is starting to sign leases) so I fear that if I stay next semester I’ll be stuck with a signed lease if I ended up transferring for the fall semester. The 2 colleges are similar in cost so that is not a worry. People say ‘join a sorority’ or ‘join clubs’ and I tried joining a sorority and I’m in 3 clubs but they meet once a week or less so I don’t see how I can meet people this way. I’m trying to get to know people on my floor but it isn’t looking too promising because many people have already solidified their friend groups.
Here’s the killer that I know many people will probably give me crap for but I’ll take it, my boyfriend (who is still in high school) is applying to Madison and the U of M. He just found out that he was a direct admit to the School of Engineering at the U of M and I could tell he was excited about it, I’m pretty sure he’ll end up there. I don’t want to choose a college based off of him but the 4 1/2 hour drives are hard enough now that I can’t imagine what it would be like when we are both in college. I know that people break up but I’m not sure if that’ll be happening anytime soon. He told me that if I had been at the U that he probably would be going to the U for sure.
Thanks for any help, if you have questions please ask! I’ll be listening to all responses