<p>This is a long post, but I hope you’ll bear with me. I trust some of the knowledgable, intelligent, thoughtful advice that I’ve seen from some users on this board and would like to see other perspectives.</p>
<p>I’ve just finished my two terms here at Carleton and having thoughts about transferring to another school. My thoughts are thus:</p>
<p>My high school was a New England Prep School. I was excited to attend Carleton because my thoughts at the time were that an opportunity to experience the Midwest and a different setting/group of people would do me well, and ultimately shape me into a more well-rounded person. </p>
<p>While I have discovered that everyone is nice here(“Minnesota nice”) I feel that a lot of people here hold bias against students from the East Coast, especially from prep schools and assume them to be “snobbish” or “pretentious”. When I choose to wear a polo sweater instead of sweatpants and a sweatshirt simply because I like to wear it, I get funny looks from people and often get asked if I’m “going out”.</p>
<p>In general I’ve met a good group of friends from my dorm and through class and activities such as IM sports teams. But for most of the freshmen here, there is a huge obsession with ‘floor life’ - I understand that you grow close to your floormates and bond with them, but it’s almost as though every floor just simply sticks with themselves. They can’t go eat a meal without sticking with themselves and it’s a pretty funny culture. </p>
<p>And a good majority of the people are soft-spoken and introverts. I don’t consider myself overly outgoing but I’m pretty sociable and open-minded but sometimes I can’t stand the awkward nature of the conversations. Aside from my closest friends 90% of the conversation revolves around what classes I’m taking this term, and what classes I’m going to take NEXT term. I’m intellectually curious and all up for serious discussions but talking about my classes five to six times every day gets tiring after a while.</p>
<p>Winter in Northfield is also so much worse than I thought. It’s snowing right now(Mid-April) and winters here honestly make Boston winters seem friendly. I think the length and severity of the winter here definitely leads to the overall student body preferring to stay inside and warm up instead of going outside and being active. There is literally nothing to do after class in the winter with the exception of getting drunk, or playing broomball.</p>
<p>While I do think my experience here has been alright, I think unless I join an athletic team in the winter next year I’ll drive myself crazy. People here are in general extremely satisfied or happy with themselves and college life(Carleton’s also been rated as one of the happiest students I think) and that added to my initial anxiety in having these thoughts.</p>
<p>I fully understand that 1/3 of the college freshmen population think about transferring. I don’t mean to sound like just another whiny college freshman because I’m not one of them. My experience here has not been downright disappointing or miserable, I’d just like to take an active approach to finding the place that I feel will make me happier and where I’ll fit better. </p>
<p>Academic-wise, Carleton is close to perfect. I love all my classes and the professors here are awesome. The hard-working nature of the students is also very motivating. Moreover, I’ve already developed a good group of friends through orientation, activities and sports and can rely on them for support. However, at the end of the day I can’t help but feel that after four years here I’ll have the lingering regret of “What if I took a chance at finding a place that will make me happier?” It all starts with my firm belief that the four years of your college life are one of the most important times in your life, and you can’t get them back. This thought has been on the back of my head from winter term, and I think about it almost every day. </p>
<p>With that said, while I do believe that “You must never give up on something you can’t go a day without thinking about” I hold a firm belief that there is ALWAYS something I can do to make the most out of the situation. I think if I’m to succeed somewhere else, I must first succeed at Carleton first. So i’m approaching the last term of my freshman year with that mindset, attacking my classes with hard work and trying to step out of my comfort zone in attempt to see if there are things about Carleton that I may have missed out on. I’m playing on three different IM sports teams, and started going to a Bible Study Group every Friday. I 've taken up some leadership roles, and most importantly am reaching out to different resources about my thoughts on transferring(Like posting on this board!). I’ve found this to be much helpful to listen to other people’s advice rather than to keep all these confusing thoughts in my head and carry them with me throughout the day. It’s actually changed my mindset and I feel so much better here every day knowing that I’m doing all that I can to take advantage of everything offered here. </p>
<p>Now, since transferring to another college is a ‘people’ decision meaning that although deep inside my heart it’s something I’d like to pursue, I do have to consider the perspectives of my parents and friends. My friends have been very supportive and understand where I’m coming from; While some of them suggest that a lot of the freshmen feel that way and that it gets significantly better after a year or two, some have also admired my courage and want me to go after what makes me happy. </p>
<p>My sister, a recent Carleton grad herself identifies with me very well, and although she loved her time here suggested that I do what feels right. My parents differ, however:
My parents don’t understand my reasoning for wanting to seek out another liberal arts college/ small school. They have spent very little time in the U.S. and believe that it would make more sense if I waited another year and transferred to an IVY or a more prestigious national university. They tell me that “there is no perfect school, you just have to get used to it”</p>
<p>What if I’d visited Bowdoin my senior year and loved it? I ended up not getting in, but I loved Maine and the atmosphere - I like being outdoors and am a huge sports fan. I loved how sporty a lot of the people were and felt very comfortable there. This is something I can’t really put into words and tell my parents in an eloquent manner. </p>
<p>I like the close-knit communities and the undergraduate classroom experience that LACs offer. I’d just prefer to be in a different setting. But I’m lost on how to help my parents understand what I’m feeling, and most importantly, what I would tell the admission officers in my transfer essay? I’d like to be honest, but would they take seriously someone who wants to transfer mostly because of social settings?</p>
<p>Now I turn to you guys for some thoughtful advice: I trust my instincts and will end up applying no matter what, because I want to be free from any feelings of regret or doubt that I’ll have in the future. But I’m very much aware of the double-edge sword that transferring is, and would like to hear from more perspectives. </p>
<p>Thanks.</p>