I am a third year student currently in electrical engineering at Purdue University and I have two years left. I say currently in EE because I have bounced around a bit trying to find a good fit. However, Purdue has never felt good for me, in fact it has led to depressive symptoms and much envy of friends who go to other schools and are very proud of where they are. I can honestly say I have not found that pride in Purdue and I am not sure that I will. The reasons that I stay are that I am close to my friends here, and the school is a high ranked engineering school; but, the latter is seeming less important as I go on.
I am looking at transferring to OSU but I have some hesitations. The cons are that I would be giving up my friends and the notoriety of the school like I said above. I would also have to start over in a new location. The pros are that I would be moving to a still well respected university, I would be moving a lot closer to family, and I would be 4 hours closer to my girlfriend of four years who starts medical school this fall.
What I really want out of my undergraduate career is to get a degree that means something to employers, and to be proud of where I am. Right now, I do not feel cared for at all, my adviser didn’t even know my name the last time time I saw her. I feel I’m a little biased with some short term positives like family and a much larger culture to jump into.
My main question is this: is it worth it to make the switch with two years left if I am really this unhappy here? Or should I try to stick it out?