Transferring from a prestigious private school to a large public school because of fit

<p>Hello College Confidential,</p>

<p>I am strongly considering transferring from a fairly prestigious private school to a large public school. I original chose the school that I'm at because it has a unique engineering program, offers small class sizes, and is in the suburbs of a large city with many opportunities. I felt pretty confident about this decision, but after attending for a quarter it just doesn't feel right.</p>

<p>I grew up dreaming of going to a specific large public school in a rural area. Both of my parents went there, my grandfather taught there, and my grandparents still live in the small town where it is located. It still has a great engineering program and actually has an even better alumni group, but its program is a little less innovative, and its rural location makes a co-op much more difficult.</p>

<p>My issue is that I feel like I would be more at home at the public school. I feel almost no connection to my current school, its city, or even its region of the U.S. Meanwhile, I've spent months at a time at the small town where the public school is. I thought I would be able to get over this connection due to the academic opportunities of my current school, but this is not the case. I feel as if I'm missing out on the opportunity to live in a small town for four years, while the rest of my life I'll probably be near a city anyway. Am I crazy for wanting to switch?</p>

<p>Other reasons to switch, aside from feel: Would have semesters instead of quarters (more time to learn material). I would have more motivation to be outgoing. Greater personality diversity. More clubs and leadership opportunities.</p>

<p>Side Notes: Both schools are far away (across the country) from my hometown. My brother will be attending the public school next year. I am not an introvert, and have made friends at my current school.</p>

<p>This is phrased more as an announcement than a request, but I assume that if you’re posting here you’re asking for input, so: It’s not that uncommon of a move, really. As long as you know that you’ll be getting a very different experience, and your eyes are open to the downsides as well as the upsides, what’s the problem?</p>