<p>This might seem ridiculously early, as I'm just a freshman, but I don't like it here, for multiple reasons! I will try my best to like it and will give it more time. However, I want to keep my transfer options open. That said, does anyone know:
-How helpful is the Cornell name in transferring?
-What if you don't know your major? Does that make you a less competitive candidate?
-Do schools really care about your extracurriculars?
-Is it really difficult to transfer into a school like Williams, Wesleyan, or Amherst from Cornell? I'm thinking small New England liberal arts college. Ugh I really dislike Cornell...sad. Do any other freshman not like it? It seems like everyone loves it here.
-Also, I barely know my faculty advisor. How can he possibly write anything about me for a college??</p>
<p>im sorry i have no idea for this but im just wondering why you want to transfer.. wasnt it hard to get in ?</p>
<p>-How helpful is the Cornell name in transferring?
Ummm...not so much to be honest. It might actually hurt your chances</p>
<p>-What if you don't know your major? Does that make you a less competitive candidate?
To a degree. Sometimes if a specific school is hard to get into, and you put in "exploratory" and decide to go to that school, it just seems bad. Don't know how to put it into any other words</p>
<p>-Do schools really care about your extracurriculars?
They want to ensure that you can multi-task and get good grades and actually give a crap without looking too desperate. It's like cooking steak.</p>
<p>-Is it really difficult to transfer into a school like Williams, Wesleyan, or Amherst from Cornell? I'm thinking small New England liberal arts college. Ugh I really dislike Cornell...sad. Do any other freshman not like it? It seems like everyone loves it here.
Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Possibly. But Cornell > those schools.</p>
<p>-Also, I barely know my faculty advisor. How can he possibly write anything about me for a college??
Ask him out for dinner. Maybe a movie as well. Make sure to bring a rubber just in case. ... go talk to him.</p>
<p>I have a question for you: can I have your spot? :)</p>
<p>You should post this in the transfer forum. Besides being a large university, what else don't you like about beloved Cornell? :)</p>
<p>I think people should try to transfer and go where ever they will be happy. Your faculty advisor isn't going to write a recommendation, your professors (2) are. That said, be sure to get to know at least 2 professors (go to office hours, etc) Now you just need to get good grades for a semester. I don't know how much the Cornell name will help. What college in Cornell are you in?</p>
<p>Transfer apps are alot of work so don't forget to start early! Good luck.</p>
<p>Actually I recommend not starting too early. You get a head of yourself and send out apps before your semester grades are even out and you find yourself in a pickle. Take your time. It could be the first couple of weeks, but it could work to your advantage.</p>
<p>Can I have your spot? :)</p>
<p>^Lol I don't mean that early. I belive most schools don't start accepting applications until at least November. Also, he/she has to wait at LEAST 3/4 through the semester before asking for a professor recommendation.</p>
<p>to the OP - before this thread, 4 of your 6 previous posts discussed your insecurities with what others throught of the university. Sounds like they've gotten to you. </p>
<p>Stop thinking about transfering (even though others said you were likely to do that anyways, before you even enrolled), and focus on getting involved around campus, making solid friends, and enjoying your time here.</p>
<p>What other schools accepted you before? I would contact them first.</p>
<p>I believe it was an ED choice.</p>
<p>If it is the large school feel that you don't like, really try to make a group of friends and get involved in EC's that you enjoy. You will make friends through common interests so getting involved beyond just classes is important to adjusting. When you find your niche, you might find that you enjoy Cornell. </p>
<p>If you do decide to transfer, you will have to explain why you want to leave Cornell. I would think this would be easier if you transfer to a small LAC than to another large school, as you intend to do. Also, I would expect that any new school reviewing your transfer application would want to see what positive steps you took to try to adjust to Cornell before deciding on transferring. So again, try to get involved in activities that interest you, also do well in your classes, and make the effort to get to know your advisor/professors by going to their office hours. It will be a good experience to do this whether or not you transfer.</p>
<p>Finally, recognize that going to college requires a major adjustment for many many kids. Not everyone loves their school the first few weeks. It takes a while for many kids to feel comfortable. And if you find that you are very unhappy, please go to the counseling center to discuss your issues.</p>
<p>Since this is an anonymous forum I think you might be able to recieve some guidance from those who are already attending so if you feel comfortable you should express what is making you dislike it here. People like me who love it could try to give you advice for adjusting or finding ur place. GL either way</p>
<p>ps y are you up at 3am? Lack of sleep definitely isn't good for happiness...</p>
<p>pps I agree with Gomestar. You felt so insecure about ur decision and expected lack of happiness so that is what you got. Go out there looking to have a great time and you'll find it. It's much easier to have a bad time then a good time so put in some effort or you'll just stay in the hole that u dig for urself. Cornell is an absolutely amazing University so just leave ur doubts in that hole and step out to look where u are and all of the advantages of being in this great university...they are endless!</p>
<p>Im, I feel for you. I didn't like being a freshman either. All the socializing and partying wasn't fun for me, and so I missed out on what was a great chance to make some friends. If I had it to do over again I would make myself venture a little out of my comfort zone, and try to be a little more extroverted -- just for the first month or so. Believe me, there are people just like you out there that are baffled and perhaps not too sure of their Cornell choice either. Try to put yourself out for one person each day, to make someone else happier. Find one organization and go to a meeting. Maybe you can meet in person with some of the helpful, unselfish Cornell souls who post on this forum. Put any thoughts of leaving Cornell on hold for at least a couple months. Otherwise you are just not giving the place a fair chance. Good luck!</p>
<p>First off- let me say that I was in your exact same position last year. For the first few weeks, even the first few months, I was sure I wanted to transfer. I was bent on transferring to a smaller school- Williams and Colgate were at the top of my list. All the advice most people gave me- "get involved!" - never really worked, because trying to get involved just for the sake of getting involved will only make the situation worse. As you go on this semester, here's my advice (and I truly am speaking from personal experience here- I can sympathize 100%): a) be yourself- don't change to fit in. b) do what makes you happy; this includes not doing things you don't want to just because you think you'll be happier in the end; here, the ends do not justify the means- a social experience like this is all ABOUT the means, and c) focus on your classes- the professors here are great.</p>
<p>Most of all, I strongly encourage you to at least consider what I call the "big school/small school" rule, which I've gathered to be true from hearing tons of stories about various college experiences:
A SMALL school is easy to get adjusted to at first because it's, well, small: less overwhelming, more comforting, more family- like. However, it's very likely that after your first year you'll want to shoot yourself because you're incredibly bored with your town, surroundings, and lack of diverse and new events that your school has to offer. (This applies to the best schools. Trust me. My best friend goes to Williams.)
A BIG school is the opposite; it's really tough to get adjusted at first. It makes you feel isolated and small and weird and strange and sad. Once you get adjusted (it IS possible- don't lose hope! I was completely in your position last year and I've at the very least gotten adjusted to and more comfortable with life here) you won't get bored. AFTER your first year you'll find that a big school (even one in an isolated town like Ithaca) doesn't get old because its sheer size allows for tons of diverse and new things to happen. Even as a senior you'll be discovering new things about the school- new things to see, new places to go, new activities.</p>
<p>Anyway, I wish you the best of luck. Again, I can totally sympathize with you; I was extremely sad my first few weeks here. (And don't believe that it only happens to a few of us- many of the most talkative, social, outspoken people who live around you are sad). It's hard. But if you're like me you'll learn some good lessons from the adjusting experience that'll help you in the future, whether you decide to stay or not.
And if you do decide that a transfer is in your best interests in the end, good luck with that, too. :)</p>
<p>It can be very difficult to transfer into small, selective LACs. LACs generally have small enrollments and low attrition, which means that there are few spots for transfers. And the demand for those spots can be high. </p>
<p>It's not unusual for small northeastern LACs to have transfer acceptance rates of less than 10%, like the following examples (data from collegeboard.com):</p>
<p>Middlebury: 199 applicants, 7 accepted
Bowdoin: 146 applicants, 13 accepted
Williams: 106 transfer applicants, 8 accepted
Colby: 138 applicants, 10 accepted
Hamilton: 118 applicants, 4 accepted</p>
<p>On the other hand, some schools accept greater numbers of transfers:</p>
<p>Dartmouth: 342 applicants, 43 accepted
Amherst: 162 applicants, 28 accepted
Colgate: 195 applicants, 59 accepted
Wesleyan U: 546 applicants, 123 accepted
Bates: 174 applicants, 42 accepted</p>
<p>If you do attempt to transfer -- and it really is too soon to make this decision -- check the statistics carefully, because the odds of success at certain schools are very low.</p>
<p>Hi, </p>
<p>You have stated a very strong feeling of dislike to Cornell. But what exactly are the things about Cornell that irks you so much? And are these things not going to be there in the colleges that you are thinking of transferring to? Do these college have what you can't find or do at Cornell? I think these are the minimal questions that you have to answer to.Once you find the answers to them, you can articulate them in your transfer applications. I would think that would be the minimum a school looks for in determining whether you and the school is a good fit. It certainly wouldn't want to see you getting in and then find it to be a disappointing match like Cornell and want to transfer again.</p>
<p>In reading some of you past posts, I hope you are not hung up in the prestige question and make it you primary motive for transfer. My whole family has members that are going to or have gone to HYPS, MIT and Penn. One was the department chair of Theoretical Economics at Princeton and have traveled extensively amongst the academic circle worldwide. Believe me, they all think very highly of Cornell and assured me that's the case internationaly.</p>
<p>As far as weather, I noticed you were even thinking of Chicago. So what gives there?</p>
<p>If having to take math is a problem, I think you will find the same thing as a general requirement if you are doing a science/ business or economic major any where you go. </p>
<p>As far as smaller LAC, it is true that the small size can limit your experiences and can get old very quickly.</p>
<p>As far as attention and contacts with professors,I think it's what you make of the opportunities. It's all up to you. </p>
<p>Social life. I think the large size is definitely a plus.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>im a freshman here and i dont really like it either but dont forget it doesn't mean that you will like the transfer school either. i think cornell actually gives you plenty of opportunities: if you want to talk there are always people to talk to and if you want to be a loner you can always go to the forests.</p>
<p>Yeah it's possible to get recommendations. I applied to transfer after my first semester of my Freshman year. I got one recommendation from a TA and another from a professor. I got into Penn but decided to stay because I didn't think it would make that much of a difference.</p>
<p>Definitely follow the above posters' advice and try to give Cornell the best shot you can this semester. You can't apply to transfer until the spring anyhow, so just relax. Study hard -- you'll need good grades! -- and get to know a few professors relatively well so they can be of help to you with recs later on if that becomes necessary.</p>
<p>The good thing about going to such an enormous school is that you can find ANYTHING and ANYONE you may be looking for. Perhaps the group of freshmen you've been hanging out with so far aren't the ones for you. But there are like 6,000 of you out there! Not to mention upperclassmen and graduate students! Get involved in on-campus activities.</p>
<p>And do take to heart the stats: transferring isn't easy. In fact, it's harder. Schools that have low transfer rates are because hardly anyone transfers out -- they're happy there. So it's harder for you. While it's easier at a school with a higher attrition rate because they'll haev a higher transfer admit rate, that also means that, well, a lot of people transfer out for a reason. Who's to say you're guaranteed to like it there? You don't want to be a double-transfer! (Poor souls!)</p>
<p>Breathe. Enjoy. Study. And think positive. Good luck!</p>
<p>Yeah, what nobody tells you is that going to college is like being the new kid ALL over again, times 10,000. You're not alone in itching to transfer, but it is to your advantage to wait it out and see what happens.</p>
<p>First, I remember I was pretty ucky through my first few weeks of college.... here I was, surrounded by all of these supposedly smart kids, and all they wanted to talk about was how much they drank last night. I'm not opposed to drinking, but I do think that talking about alcohol in such painful detail is so immature. Later, I realized that this was all part of that one-upsmanship that people do when they first meet each other, and after we got to know each other better, it died down.</p>
<p>I don't go to Cornell myself, but I know enough about the school to know that there are pockets of students whom you would NEVER imagine at Cornell who are there and quite happy. (Maybe current students could point out some of these pockets of kids and where they hang out... Risley is certainly one!) It's going to take time until you feel part of the pulse of the school, but it will happen.</p>
<p>sounds like you and Anbuitachi should get together because you already have something in common to talk about. That could be your first step toward recovery.</p>