Transferring BACK to original university?

Transfer Students
1

Hi guys, I desperately need advice.

Freshman year I attended a city school in the Midwest. I hated it at first, and applied to other schools. I applied to my dream school in California. I found out I got in at the end of freshman year. At this point, I had adjusted to my previous university, learned how to live in the city successfully, and made some really good friends. However, I didn’t want to pass up attending a really good school in California.

So, I transferred. I’m home for the summer and always visit my first university because my best friends go there. Every time I visit, I regret transferring for these reasons:

  1. I realize I love the city life.
  2. People are much more open minded and less ignorant than California school.
  3. The Cali school is much more prestigious. I am an average student, so I kind of struggled academically.
  4. City school is at home and am near family and good friends.
  5. City school is also much less expensive.,

I can’t decide what to do. My gut feeling is telling me to return - but do I really want to do the transfer thing again?? I almost find it embarrassing to transfer back to my original school. I feel like I failed. Has anybody done this or regretted transferring??? NEED FEEDBACK!!!

2

What are the schools? What were your truest, deepest reasons for taking the California school even though you had made really good friends & adjusted to your university?

3

Columbia in Chicago and University of San Diego. The main reason was because I had always wanted to move to California, possibly start a life there, and because USD is an amazing school. Honestly, I don’t think it was the best decision. I do like it there, but I think I’d be happier and thrive more at Columbia. But I don’t know if going back would be the best decision.

4

That is helpful.

From your parallel thread:

Statistically, that is simply not accurate. The percentage of non-white students is almost exactly the same, as is the proportion getting financial aid (though it does seem that the average may be somewhat higher at USD, based on the number of Pell grant recipients- Columbia has about twice as many). And given that the admissions rate is half Columbia’s, I am hard pressed to believe that the entire student body at USD is substantially more ignorant than at Columbia. It is a Catholic school, so the people may have a more conservative bent, but that doesn’t necessarily make them all close minded.

That you are painting it such stark- and inaccurate terms- is interesting. Remember that at the end of your first year at Columbia you were ready to drop

for something shinier. Now you can’t wait to get back to them- and to go home. New is hard- as you found when you went to Chicago in the first place, and then ditched it for warm and sunny San Diego. When we lived in Brazil I always felt sorry for the people who were posted there for just a year- it took longer than that to get through the hard part and get to the good part.

I think that this:

is worth thinking through a bit more: have you found your feet now? is it the kind of struggle that isn’t much fun at the beginning, but gives you a sense of accomplishment once you realize that you can do it?

None of us on CC can possibly know you- or the situation- well enough to give you a simple answer. A lot of the parents on here would want to know how much debt is being accrued at USD (and how much you have from Columbia). But the above points / questions may help you clarify your thinking.

5

Go where you feel most comfortable. And with all due respect, compared to and relative to your home school, USD is not that prestigious–it just isn’t. You will be just fine at your original school.