The price of ambition (hard to leave current school?)

<p>I feel really dumb saying this, especially on a place like CC where everyone shoots for the top, but is it a sign if my mind is telling me to accept the school I want to transfer to but my heart is telling me to stay?</p>

<p>I guess I should put it this way....did anyone else feel sad and even a bit regretful when you notified your old school that you were leaving? I know a lot of ppl here really want to transfer with all their hearts and minds, but for me, the main reason is academic. </p>

<p>I love the school I'm at now - okay, the student body could be a bit more politically active, and it's impossible to go anywhere without the use of a car. And I DID spend much of my first year miserably lonely, but looking back I think that was just as much luck of the draw as it was the school's fault. </p>

<p>And the program for my major is okay, but it honestly pales in comparison to the one in the school I was accepted to, which is in D.C and has an amazing int'l relations program.</p>

<p>It's just that sometimes, I find myself really, really sad at the thought of leaving the friends I did make there, leaving 2 or 3 professors I got to know really well (including the one who wrote my transfer rec.) and even the campus itself. </p>

<p>This school I'd be transferring to, it was my dream school as a high school senior, and I still get really giddy at the thought of attending it, but it's a much larger school (10k) located in the city, while my current school is more traditional, located just outside of the city, beautifully wooded and green, and only has only 3k students - I'm afraid that this new school will challenge me wonderfully with its academics, and I'd graduate feeling really fufilled...but will I still be as happy? Esp. if I desire a personal, warm college experience?</p>

<p>I'm most likely going to transfer anyway, lol, I was just wondering if anyone else had these last-minute "panics" (like "what if I end up regretting it?") and if/how they got over them.</p>

<p>Change is always scary and exciting at the same time. I've read many posts of transfers having the same last-minute jitters as you, but don't let them overtake you. Good luck in D.C.</p>

<p>I have a hard time relating because I hated the school I was at and all of my close friends ended up transferring out anyway but I can say that you need to do what's best for you and don't look back.</p>

<p>You're going to be faced with tough decisions like this all of your life but if you feel this is the best choice for you then do it.</p>

<p>I have "buyer's regret" all of the time. I can literally spend months agonizing over a decision - before, during and after it has been made. The level of mental gymnatics I sometimes go through has at times been crippling to profress. So in short, yes.</p>

<p>What I've learned is that when I have two reasonably good options in front of me, I need to focus on 1 or 2 top level concerns in the pro/con list. It seems like from reading your post that a top level concern you have is being academically challenged. The real key is going to be what is your second criteria? Let's say the second most important criteria is the warm college experience of the smaller school - if you stayed - would you feel proud and challenged by the academic experience? Will it launch you into your career as well, or set you up well for graduate studies? Will those 2 or 3 professors make a huge difference in your life if you stayed? I don't know the answers to those questions or what other questions fall under than heading... but that is what you need to explore. OR, perhaps the warm environment isn't really second on your list... and you should look at whatever that might be instead.</p>

<p>Chances are at your transfer school you will also build relationships with professors. 10K is not huge compared to public universities with over 20K students, so the size is somewhat managable. It sounds like you want to transfer but are grieving some of the good qualities (maybe some you didn't expect) of the smaller school. Or maybe you have discovered some strengths of the smaller school that place it in a more favorable light?</p>

<p>Could you go to your dream school for grad school? Best of both worlds - small for under, large for grad?</p>

<p>It really sounds like either decision will be okay -- so focus on your top 2 (maybe 3) criteria and go from there. Let us know how it goes!</p>

<p>Annika</p>

<p>I'm in the same boat.</p>

<p>I'm currently at SUNY Plattsburgh (which I've grown to both love and hate) and I'm transferring to Fordham LC in the fall and I'm worried about my decision.</p>

<p>But I spoke with my mother about it and she reasoned that transferring back to your original school is always an option. Transferring out to your dream school isn't always an option. I can always go back to Plattsburgh if I want to.</p>

<p>I don't know if that helps, but I'd rather make a mistake than regret never chancing it.</p>

<p>Even though I disliked a lot about my school, I was still a little sad to leave it. I'll probably lose touch with the friends I made this past year, but in the grand scheme of things I know it was the right decision. Change is always a bit difficult to deal with but it's a necessary aspect of life. A person needs change in order to grow as an individual. I'll miss a few of the people at my old school but the opportunities at my new school far outweigh the negative aspects of transferring.</p>