Transferring from a prestigious private school to Penn State

Colleges and Universities A-Z Penn State
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<p>I am strongly considering transferring from a fairly prestigious private school to Penn State. 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 Penn State. Both of my parents went there, my grandfather taught there, and my grandparents still live in State College. 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 Penn State. 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 State College. 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? Also I'm concerned about the party nature of Penn State. Is it easy to fit in as only a moderate/balanced drinker?</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>

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<p>Bump</p>

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<p>Can u afford OOS tuition at Penn State?</p>

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<p>Yeah it will end up being less expensive at Penn State, but cost isn’t a major factor.</p>

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<p>You’ve articulated legitimate feelings. Why not make yourself happy?</p>

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<p>

Wanting to switch isn’t crazy but doing it might be! Seriously, the issues you are mentioning are almost entirely non-academic, and that makes it hard to give advice - if your current school is better for your education and career (impossible to even guess without knowing the school) then it would make sense to tough it out unless you really genuinely feel that these issues will substantially impact your ability to complete your program. Remember that transferring schools is no small matter - there is cost, uncertainty, and usually a significant time increase involved.</p>

<p>If you are so attached, is there a reason you don’t just consider coming here after you graduate? There is grad school as well as some professional opportunities, depending on your major.</p>

<p>

It’s a big school. Huge. If you don’t want to party much, you will find thousands and thousands of other students with similar appetites. “Party school” just means that there is a dedicated group of heavy partiers, it does NOT describe full student body. Seriously, this is not the part to worry about.</p>