<p>Hey all. I'm currently in my second semester of my freshman year at Carnegie Mellon University, as a physics major. My HS record was very strong- I was ranked third in a relatively strong public high school, lots of AP credit, high SATs and subject tests. I am not happy where I am, for a variety of reasons, and I'd like to transfer. However, I did not do well in my first semester. B/B/B/D. 2.6 GPA. I only took four classes, but two of them were regarded as the hardest freshman courses at the university, and one was Calc 3 (I had AP credit for 1 and 2). And CMU is generally regarded as a pretty tough school. I certainly could have done better, but I was not in a good place in a lot of ways and I can't change that now (though I am shooting for A's this semester).</p>
<p>I really don't want to be at this school anymore. I know that. I've changed my mind about my career and major as well. Obviously, I want to transfer. However, I feel like my poor first semester is going to shoot me in the foot, regardless of how strong my HS transcript was. Apparently transfer applicants' second semesters aren't heavily weighed, as only mid-semester grades are provided.</p>
<p>What can I do? The last thing I want is to tough out another year here. I don't think I could stand it. But I'm afraid that I will be forced to take a big step down in the competitiveness of the schools I apply to, if I actually want to be admitted.</p>