<p>There is no “record” (other than your health record?) that seeing a counselor would affect.<br>
If you had an academic problem, you would see a teacher.
If you had problem with sports, you would see a coach.
If you have emotional/mental health problems, you see a counselor. </p>
<p>@gottafigure - based on everything you have written (which granted, isn’t a lot, but does offer some insight) I strongly urge you to find a therapist you can work with to find out what the real issues are here and what you can do to change the situation before making a drastic change. If you were at a small school and were being bullied that would be one thing - I’d pick happiness and safety over prestige any day - but when I read that you also apparently had some issues in high school, I see there is a pattern here that will, as one of the other posters said, just go with you wherever you go. I honestly don’t see any benefit to switching schools only to have the same issues pop up, at which time you’d be equally miserable but at a less prestigious school.</p>
<p>You are young and now is the time to work on whatever you need to work on - whether it is something you need to do differently, or “just” learning how to develop your self confidence, or thicker skin, etc. There is no shame at all in working with a counselor, as Bopper said - trust me - by the time you get to middle age like I am, you’ll find it is a rare person who hasn’t at some point or another gone to a counselor, and the ones you feel sorry for most are the ones who should have, and didn’t! You owe it to yourself to be happy and I sense the solution is in changing something within yourself, not the school you are attending.</p>