<p>I know Emory gives out lots of merit aid, although I'm not sure they give merit aid to transfers...but I totally think you should do whatever possible to transfer. Its too bad you don;t quailify for financial aid.</p>
<p>Transferring is tough--you will have already missed out on a lot of your college experience, you'll have to move and start all over in a place where many people are already established...ick, I wouldn't want to do it.</p>
<p>If you're that bored, I bet you can graduate from Kansas in 3 years, thereby meaning you're already 1/6th of the way done. You could study abroad in an exciting place like London or Sydney or Rome or Madrid or Costa Rica. You could try being more social, going out and partying--if you're doing so stellar academically you could probably afford a few drunken nights of revelry. You could join a sorority, a sports team, or a volunteering program. You could check and see if Kansas as Semester at Sea or an exchange program with any other schools, that would be a good way to get out for a little while. I'm sure there are ample opportunities to spice up your life if you look just a little harder.</p>
<p>Its not that bad...I transferred and ended up with an amazing college experience. You don;t want to graduate in 3 years to "make the best of it," college is one of the best periods of life and I believe to fly through it because of fear of taking a risk by transferring would be a serious mistake.</p>
<p>I would definitely recommend that you take a look at the schools that Cheers recommended--in fact, I was going to recommend AU and Tulane myself. In addition, you might want to take a look at Agnes Scott near Atlanta. It's a small woman's school, has great programs and I believe considers transfer applicants for merit aid. In addition, you can take classes at other Atlanta universities including Emory. I would also try and call up Emory to see whether it offers merit aid for transfers.</p>
<p>I think that you should spend the next few weeks doing some intensive research on merit aid for transfer students. Although your stats are excellent, the merit aid issue obviously creates problems (for example, I think that Reed would be great for you, but it does not offer merit aid).<br>
I would call up small schools known for interesting student bodies and/or location where your stats would be a plus. For example, I would contact Occidental (great location and active students). I might also take a look at Canadian schools (don't know anything about transfers though). While no financial aid is available, McGill is in Montreal (a terrific city) and the total cost is probably about $25,000--less than most US private colleges and similar to out-of-state costs at public universities. </p>
<p>I believe that for a talented, dedicated student such as yourself, there will be good options, but you'll have to do a lot of research and you might find yourself at a school that, while wonderful, is less prestigious than you might have hoped.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Another possibility: Wells College in NYC-- very good aid there, and you can also take classes at Cornell. Scripps, Colgate & Hamilton have good merit aid, too, though I don't know if it applies to transfer students.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>This sums up it all.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I really wish you good luck. Based on what you've said, I really think you'd be better off at a small college like Reed or Swarthmore or a large university like the University of Chicago. But if you can't afford that, you can't.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I too wholeheartedly wish you could transfer, but if you can?t</p>
<p>Here are some laundry lists that may help you regain your footings:</p>
<p>1) Wake up early in the morning and run a mile or so
2) Have a coffee at the "Fifi"( I don't know if it's still around, but last time I was there it was pretty good)
3) When you go classes, try Humming the famous song by Kansas</p>
<p>"Dust in the wind, everything is dust in the wind~~~"</p>
<p>4) Go visit KC more often, have fun, experience KC's night life (famous jazz & Blues clubs)
5) Make boyfriend(s)</p>
<p>Remember to take some hard classes next semester- you will be a'ight.</p>
<p>Call BU. Withthat 3.7 and all those ECs you have a proven track. BU has a good number of CGS kids who leave after one semester. You may be able to go next week.</p>
<p>Stop worrying about the money so much. Look at you. Look what you can do. Why do you think you won't earn enought to pay these loans back?</p>
<p>Try this experiement. Call Barnard and BU and see if you can negotiate your way up to Boston or New York City by the end of the month. Set that up as a challenge. If you get an offer from either school--consider that you have now demonstrated your ability to negotiate--and take that worry down another notch.</p>
<p>Forget your parents--you kept yourself in Lawrence Kansas by doubting your own capacity. </p>
<p>Option B--for the not-brave-of-heart:</p>
<p>Keep taking 20 hours to crank through your requirements--and then plan three semesters abroad--starting with first semester Sophomore year.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Cheers knows whereof she speaks. Good advice. Make the calls!!</p>
<p>^^definitely agree with that. go ahead and make calls and see what happens. you're never going to find out if you dont do it, right?</p>
<p>by the way, just so all you know, my father went to university of oklahoma as an undergrad. he then got into Harvard Business school. so it does happen</p>
<p>free time is expected as a freshman. agian the courses are a joke. my freshman year was a laugh. i had the same porblem, except insteading of whinigng about my free time i read philosophy and history. your problem isnt a school problem you just need to be more productive.</p>
<p>oh yeah it definitely happens. But still, my intention was not to say that it is impossible to get into a great graduate school with a less than prestigious undergrad degree. In my previous words:</p>
<p>
[quote]
it is rare for a student from a school like U of K to get into a top school after undergrad
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I imagine your father was a very exceptional applicant.</p>
<p>I second one of the earliest posters who said Gallitan. I know very little about the program, mostly b/c I didn't know anything about it when I applied to colleges and I think I'm too jealous (in some ways) to learn about it now! So take my suggestion with a grain of salt b/c I am working on limited knowledge, but if you can find some way to manage the finances, it sounds like it might be perfect. There are a million scholarships out there if you're willing to put the work into applying to them. You have excellent stats (a 3.7 is very strong, especially for a freshman in an honors program at a state school, which usually--although I am no expert on Kansas--comes along with a harsher-than-usual grading curve). You could put your excessive free time to very good use scrounging up a lot of external merit aid.</p>
<p>Read past the posts telling you to grow up or to settle. It is not at all "expected" that freshman year will be a boring breeze-through. It's the most transitional year and is often one of the most difficult. Yes, you'll be taking GEs, but these don't have all be high school reviews. You shouldn't pick pre-med based solely on the fact that it might give you a challenging courseload. You're auditing classes, which will help you find an interesting course of study...you're doing the right things. If it's not the right place, it's not the right place. </p>
<p>If you want to transfer, which seems like a pretty good idea, then do everything you can to make it happen. If it's not going to happen, then don't just sit around "sucking it up." You say you have good friends who are in the same boat. Get people together and start a reading group with a professor. Find somewhere to volunteer. If you have a professor who's doing research in an area that really interests you, talk to him/her about getting involved. Regarding your friends, I would warn you against "wallowing." A school where you might not be blissful, but might be perfectly content, can make you miserable if you surround yourself with people who are willing to support your complaints and add their own. I've seen a few very content students get dragged down by the negativity of their closest friends. It's one thing to listen and empathize, but try to keep it in check. Don't give up on Kansas, even if you think there's a good chance of your getting away from it.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>