Glad to hear that you are finding your feet, @CaptainSwirl What you are doing is hard (hard enough that 90% of your HS class isn’t doing it). Next time you hit a bump in the road (spoiler alert: there will be plenty!) do the same thing you did this time- reach out. No matter how alone you might be feeling, there will always be others who can - and will- share the load with you.
There’s nothing wrong with transferring closer to home if you’re miserable, especially when you’re going to a school as expensive as Duke. You might lose some credits in the transfer, but the cost difference would likely make-up for that. Also, if you struggle with anxiety, depression, etc, going out of state really makes those problems worse. OSU is a top engineering school that’s as highly ranked as Duke. Keep in mind that OSU’s engineering school is very competitive. Here’s the criteria:
Transfer students
Enrollment for transfer students in the College of Engineering is competitive. For students transferring from another institution of higher education:
If you have fewer than 30 semester credit hours, you will be considered under the criteria for new students in Engineering as described in the previous sections.
If you have more than 30 semester credit hours and a GPA at your previous institution of 3.0 or higher, and have completed college level calculus you will be directly enrolled as a pre-major in the program of your choice. You may not enter as an undeclared pre-major.
If you have more than 30 semester credit hours but do not meet the 3.0 GPA, you will be enrolled in Science, Technology and the Environment Exploration.
The most current University admission information and criteria for transfer students is available at: undergrad.osu.edu/apply/transfer.
“The culture here is basically study out of your mind on weekdays and party hard on weekends”
I would say many, many colleges have students that do just this whether its large public universities, private colleges, or LACs. I personally would not give up on Duke until you get through your freshman year. I have a feeling things will be much better by spring?