Transferring from KSU; Will I regret this?

Hello,

A little background on me: I attended a private high school and underestimated the value of my GPA, despite what people told me. I showed little interest in studying and focused on making websites instead, because it made me money and I saw the value of that to be greater. Naturally, this would come to bite me in the butt, and land me with a 2.85 GPA, thus preventing me from getting into UGA. I had gotten into GSU, KSU, Auburn, and UNG, but ended up going to KSU. I have been here for 1.5 years.

While I have enjoyed my time here at KSU and received numerous opportunities, most of which I have taken advantage of, I still feel that there is something missing.

At KSU I have a managerial position in an on-campus job, I have a nice apartment on campus, I am in the Honors program, I am able to get into the Coles business college by the start of junior year, and have made a few friends and many acquaintances.

However, socially, I am unsatisfied. There is little that occurs on campus other than one big concert a year, one “KSU Day” a year, and some clubs. I have made some friends through work, but they share little of the same interests as I do, and all of my friends are either juniors or seniors. Half of them will be gone by the end of my sophomore year and that leaves me with even less of a social life. I tried a Swing Dance club to meet some people (cough: girls), and there were 2 people there the whole time, one of which being the club leader.

Though KSU is growing at a rapid rate, and they merged with SPSU, the football team is starting this semester, they just upgraded the busses, the Recreational Center was just opened, new on-campus housing was recently built, an art building was recently built, etc. etc. it still seems like there is a lot of growing it has left to do.

UGA seems to be much more promising, with its incredible school spirit and it’s established traditions. The campus is overwhelmingly big, which I find attractive, there are endless extra-curricular activities to do, and the business college is well-respected, and the MIS major (my major) is ranked #9 in the nation.

My family worries that I am leaving too much behind, putting too much at risk, for a school that may be too competitive for me to do as well. They say I may not even find an on-campus job or land an internship as easily at UGA. But with a managerial position under my belt, experience in my field going back to when I was like 10, and the fact that I do work in my field professionally as a sidejob, I feel that I still can hold my ground when competing against other students.

My question is if it is worth it.

Already, my friends who went to UGA have made their friends, joined their fraternities, and are due to graduate in the expected time. I may not graduate on time if I transfer, as it may take me one extra semester. I will have to find friends all over again, I will have to figure out campus quickly as I would be coming in right in January, and I would be facing a harder curriculum.

Also, my GPA at KSU is a 3.65, and I find the Honors program to be less than satisfactory as the classes are far too small and feel very high schoolish.

I have already gotten accepted into UGA, so it’s up to me now.

Any advice?

Hey there,

Although I might not have the answer, it may give you comfort in knowing that I’m in pretty much the same situation as you are. I am a MIS Major at Kennesaw State too and feel that the social scene at KSU is underwhelming. Unlike you, I commute from home so the living experience is a tad different. Like your parents, my parents are also skeptical that going to UGA is the right decision for all sorts of reasons. In my opinion, I believe that they don’t think the extra money for a UGA education will be worth it in the long run. So far, I’ve maintained a 3.9 GPA, I’m on the right track to business school, and living at home (which they love). My friends have also established friend groups and joined fraternities so its frustrating for me to not have that as well. I was accepted to UGA a couple of months ago and have been going back and forth over what I should do. I eventually decided to go ahead and transfer to UGA in the spring, hoping that the college experience can be fulfilled. I hope that the decision you make will be the right one. You seem to be a smart, well-rounded guy so I have faith you’ll figure it out. Plus, it’s nice to know that someone else is going through the exact situation.

How has transferring to uga turned out for you? What’s the difficulty level compared to KSU? I’m wondering because I’m considering transferring to UGA, also as an IS major. I’ve kept a 3.8 GPA and don’t want to have it all go to waste once I transfer since it resets. Are you satisfied with your decision?