<p>I'm a freshman at Stanford, and am currently in my second quarter. I know this may sound surprising to some, but I'm not very happy here. I miss my family and home terribly and feel isolated (freshmen can't have cars) and lonely. I don't like feeling like I can't stand out here among so many talented people. Everyone is nice, but the competition in classes and even outside of class gets annoying. I've been here for four months, so I don't think this is just an adjustment issue. Also, my dad just declared bankruptcy, and my mom just had major back surgery (they're divorced), so money is another factor (although not a huge one, because we can just bury ourselves in loans)</p>
<p>I'm from Colorado, and was admitted to Stanford last March after being deferred Early Action...CU-Boulder was my alternative at the time, and I had a Norlin scholarship ($2000/yr) there. Would it be completely ridiculous to transfer to CU with all of the above in mind? I'm doing well in my classes at Stanford because I just bury myself in my books--I got a 3.9 first quarter. I just feel that I would be happier closer to home, and at a place where I can stand out more. Right now, I'm planning to attend law school. How will my future be affected if I make this change? My family has accepted it, and supports me, but I just can't seem to put the prestige of Stanford out of my mind, and the fact that I feel like I'll be throwing away my future if I transfer. </p>
<p>Thanks in advance for any advice you can give. I relied on CC during the application process (when I thought I would die if I didn't get into Stanford), and I respect all of the people on this board!</p>
<p>I think that's a very respectable reason to transfer. If you get a 4.0 at CU-Boulder, it probably won't matter that you left stanford when applying to law school. You'll still be really competitive. Law School is all about GPA and LSATs. When they see 4.0 CU-Boulder (I assume if you get a 3.9 at Stanford, a 4.0 at Boulder would be very easy) and 180 LSAT you're pretty much in. Also, you'll probably feel better helping out your family by being closer to home than staying at Stanford.</p>
<p>at 1st, I thought you were crazy for transferng out of Stanford, but as I read on, it made sense. I'd say yes, transfer to CU so you can be with your family.</p>
<p>Happiness is worth more than any degree, regardless of the school. Like a previous poster said, I'd recommend you stick it out till the end of freshman year, and see how things feel. Going to Stanford is not an option most of us will get, so you want to make sure you're making the right decision.</p>
<p>i think you would be a fool to transfer to colorado, u may not think it now, in 20 years from now, you willl so regret it, u will be one of those lawyres on ur resume that reads: </p>
<p>I attended Stanford and graduated from Colorado University....</p>
<p>stanford is one of those magical places that will forever change your life, i wouldn;t give it up in a second</p>
<p>that whole family thing - gotta grow up. parents aren't here anymore and that is how it is going to be. do you know what i would give up to be in stanford? the other university you mentioned i have never heard of. the second you get in touch with the subpar education it is going to give you the unescapable feeling of wasting your life. specifically for law school - IT DOES MATTER WHERE YOU GO FOR U-GRAD. It is not like med school where you can get a 4.00 from wherever and be competitive.</p>
<p>martini, i've respected you up until this point, but that was totally unacceptable, bro. even not given his circumstances. i think you should be a man and apologize. i wont comment on the afterthough given its three in the morning, but w/e.</p>
<p>Well,
If you decide to transfer out of Stanford, that will only open a few more slots for those who want to transfer to the school. Do what you have to do with your personal circumstances. If it was me, I wouldn't transfer out. But I'm not at Stanford. If they accept me, there is no question.....I would go in a heartbeat!!!</p>
<p>You feel isolated at Stanford? Well, CU Boulder is huge. I'm here and I'm trying to transfer out. I just don't feel that it's academically rigorous, unless you want to be an engineer - that program's fantastic; however, you want to be a lawyer? Pick a school that is more middle-ground, man. I think you'd get here and want to be back at Stanford. A lot of people like it here, but in my (very, very limited) experience they are either a) engineers, or b) pulling 2.5s and partying nonstop. With a 3.9 from Stanford, and the right finesse as far as financial aid goes, you could transfer anywhere. Why the hell would you go to Boulder?</p>
<p>Dude, bball is completely right. If you transferred from Stanford to Boulder, you'd view it as the biggest mistake of your life when you're 40. And you're worried about standing out? You have a 3.9. That's pretty damn impressive. How do you think you'd stand out at Boulder, where there are 3x more people than at Stanford, even if on average they're not as talented?</p>
<p>Okay... please don't listen to the idiots on here telling you that this will be the biggest mistake of your life. Go to CU Boulder, and be happy. Being satisfied and close to your family is sooooo much more important than a degree from a certain school. And it's not like Boulder is a typical state school, it's pretty darn good. Honestly, five years after you graduate no one really cares what name is on your degree, they care about what you can do. </p>
<p>I went to Cornell engineering my first year, and it sucked. I was homesick and the students were unhealthily competitive. So I came back to my state school, and I love it. For me, it's way better than Cornell. Anyone telling you they would grab your spot in an instant is aimlessly chasing prestige. If you are smart enough to get into Stanford you're smart enough to make this decision. Go with your instincts. </p>
<p>Of course, if you stay at Stanford for your whole freshman year and end up being more satisfied and liking it more, then there is absolutely nothing wrong with staying. But don't push yourself to stay somewhere you don't want to be, it's not worth it. </p>
<p>You'll probably have great opportunities to be in some sort of honors program and do research with professors at Boulder. Staying at Stanford could be a huge mistake, doing what you want to do won't be. Good luck.</p>
<p>To make your decision easier, Cornell told me that I could come back any time in the next ten years, if I suddenly had an epiphany and realized that Cornell was the right school for me. I don't know how Stanford does it, but I'm sure that it's similar. Your decision is not set in stone, and frankly I don't think you need to stick it out until the end of the year if you really don't want to. </p>
<p>Martinibluex is very "grown up". All the mature kids sit on CC all day and criticize people who are smarter than they are.</p>
<p>zemookmook:
I apologize, as my intention was not to insult anybody, but simply remind the audience that dissatisfaction is a part of life just as much as moving out of the home nest. I am not sure what exactly I said that could have upset you, though...
Was it trashing SU-Boulder? Or saying "grow up"?
I am a firm believer in separation from the family after a certain age - it is the only way to find and reinvent yourself. As is by the way depression. It induces creativity and makes finding balance possible. You need to learn how to regain equilibrium without falling back on false moral supports. Looking for comfort and going back would be a sign of regress, at least for me, and it would be nothing less than running away from things.</p>
<p>to the original poster:
No school will hand you happiness. But it's your life - take the easy way out. Go back home, whatever. I simply wanted to protect you. You'll bleed, you'll learn.</p>
<p>CUlater21:
Being online a lot might mean that I am a loser but not [in any way] that I am not mature or grown up, which physically I am, since I am much older than you. However, I do come here quite often, since I like practicing my writing and acting abilities through giving impromptu emotional responses. Sometimes I would do it to be provocative, sometimes just because it feels apropos.
Also, I do research things a lot. I became obsessed with how much personality takes place in college admissions and I have found so many things - unbelievable things that would help me show sides of me that other applicants wouldn't even think of looking for.</p>
<p>As for my controversial behavior here - isn't that what the internet and all these boards, chatrooms and forums are all about? Being whoever you want and saying whatever you want. After all... all it is... is just somebody else's thoughts. Do you really want to be a cheap shot artist and hit my intelligence for that one? Don't go there. Seriously.
I like to live uninhibited and you make me suffocate.
<strong>COPYWRIGHT PROTECTED POST. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.</strong></p>
<p>By the way I was the only one that gave a FACTUAL ANSWER TO THE ORIGINAL QUESTION: "How will my future be affected if I make this change?"
facts:
1. Law schools admissions practices discriminate between undergraduate institutions. 4.0 in CU would not get you half the way closer to where 3.9 in Stanford would.
2. Below top 14 in the law schools it is pretty much all the same - I am not sure if you care about that.
3. It is really bad what happened to your family but the only way you could help is by calling them a lot and going to Stanford to avoid the probable unemployment which migh follow average-ranked education. After that, sending money would help too.
4. If you want reduce courseload, pick up a part time job so you can get money to fly out and see them
5. Stanford-inflicted college debt feels bad, but CU-incurred one would feel worse </p>
<p>Stanford is defined by it's exorbitantly passionate students... It would have been somewhat more clairvoyant not to apply there if you wanted to stay away from overly-competitive people.</p>
<p>I agree with bball. Your going to have leave the nest at some point, anyway. Everyone misses their family, but it's something that you inevitably have to face at some point. Why not do it now? Also, fierce competition is the other reality of life that you will inevitably face. Staying at Stanford will only put you ahead in the longer run (so long as you don't become discouraged by not being the best, and still work your hardest). Stick it out another year and see how you feel.</p>
<p>I've met classmates at my school who transfered out of the following school to attend a community college:</p>
<p>UChicago
Cornell
Upenn
Stanford</p>
<p>I asked each of them,"why on earth did you choose to come here?"; they all said that the schools were not what they had expected; in addition, they wanted to save their money and be closer to home.</p>
<p>Personally, I felt that they have wasted their time in doing so. But I don't know what prompted them to leave. But it leaves an extra place for the transfer class.</p>
<p>One more thing. Most of my friedns were depressed during their first semester. Some cant even shake it off during the whole freshman year. Adjusting is hard, but then you find friends, you find your niche and you will grow, blossom and be happy. Give it a little longer. I had a friend who was in the army and he said that he had to run so much... and he said that at some point you think that your body is going to give in and you are going to fall and die. But you don't... you just keep on running.
I hope everything works out for you.</p>
<p>Okay Martini...I think you're right in saying what you did in your last post, but successful lawyers HAVE graduated from CU in the past. </p>
<p>There was a study posted in The New Yorker recently about the relationship between a person's success, as measured by income, and the prestige of his or her university. It was concluded that the success of students who were accepted to both U Penn and Penn State and who chose Penn State was not distinguishable from that of students who went to U Penn. As in, if you have the caliber to be accepted at a school like Stanford, you probably could succeed in life - no matter where you graduate from. This goes for lawyers and anyone else.</p>
<p>That said, Stanford DOES look a hell of a lot better to law schools than CU does - no argument there. Especially with a 3.9 GPA. And it does take time to settle in. And I haven't found CU particularly cozy. So don't think that all your problems will be solved by coming here. It isn't cutthroat, though, if that's what you dislike about Stanford.</p>