<p>I'm reposting this here because I would like to know what you parents think about my situation.</p>
<p>Alright, a few months after high school, I decided to go to a very large out-of-state school, but I was miserable there because I didn't think I really fit in there (and also it was very expensive) and was homesick and depressed a lot, so I decided to go to a smaller in-state school, but it's farther away from where I grew up, and I'm just as miserable here. Fortunately, my hometown has a pretty decent 4-year university (although it's mostly commuter) and I'm thinking that going home for good might be the best idea for me. I plan on going to graduate/law school at said university, and wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life there.</p>
<p>So, I guess my question is, would it look bad to employers with three schools on my transcript? Everything else would not be a problem. The only cost I'd be paying is my time.</p>
<p>The answer is ‘no.’ I transferred twice. It did not hurt me at all. First, you get a job interview with a resume. Your resume schould list the schools you GRADUATED from, not every school attended. The list of schools attended and other personal information goes on your application. I’ve interviewed for and gotten many job offers in my lifetime. I’ve also interviewed and made hiring decisions about many job candidates in my lifetime. By the time employers review the job application of a college graduate applying for a professional salaried position in a corporation, let’s say, they’ve already decided whether they want to hire you or not. If the answer is ‘no’ they won’t even bother to look at your application. If the answer is ‘yes’ or ‘maybe’, they will use information on the application to reconcile with background checks, to make sure you haven’t lied about the information you’ve given. This may be different when applying for blue collar jobs, government jobs, part-time and seasonal jobs, where often a resume isn’t required or desired. They just want to look at the application. </p>
<p>The last two Fortune 50s that hired me never looked at my application until they had already made up their minds about me. I received offers contingent on passing background checks etc. They could’ve cared less that I had transferred twice as an undergrad or that I’d even transferred from one graduate school to another. </p>
<p>Nobody really cares where you started. They only care where you finished and that you did earn your degree, and that other information like honors, GPA, salary at previous employers, etc. etc. is accurate. </p>
<p>Caveat: That you did transfer could come up in an interview. Just tell the truth. I’m sure you had good, sensible, mature reasons for doing so. If you do, there will be no problem. If you have immature kid type reasons (my boyfriend/girlfriend dumped me, I couldn’t stand the green paint in the library, the food sucked), it won’t go over well.</p>
<p>I don’t think there is any problem with transferring twice per se, but you say that you have been miserable at two vastly different institutions. I just have to advise you to reflect and make sure that there aren’t deeper issues going on. If there are other issues, whether something serious like depression, or less-serious, like simply not being ready to handle college, you won’t like any institution. Also, just bare in mind that “going home” might sound like a good idea, but “home” will never be the same place that it was in high school. Friends move on, relationship with family changes, etc. Of course, none of these could be at issue here. It could be that you just erred in your choices. So after a little reflection, go for it!</p>
<p>I agree with calgirl. You really, really need to think about why you want to transfer out again. You also might want to look at the recent Room for Debate on NYT about freshmen changing. You might be surprised.</p>
<p>Friends really do move on and relationships change. After 6 years since graduating from HS, I can tell you that I’ve let go a lot of people except for a couple. And those “couple of friends” went off to schools in different places. They are still my friends today because we’ve grown on our own in our own ways and we already respected each other for who we are/were. Your family dynamics will have changed as well. Again, I’ve gotten so used to being on my own and my family had a new dynamic that it was very difficult for me to fit my niche, especially watching how everyone treats each other. There are more days that I wish I could be out of this town because so much has changed and I might as well explore a new place.</p>
<p>It sounds like you might have some general transition issues. As calgirl said, try and seek some counseling to make sure you’re making the right decision beyond homesickness.</p>
<p>Thank you very much! That’s exactly what I want to know.</p>
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<p>I think there could be some more underlying issues with me, but I’m going to go to my school counseling service to make sure that I’m making a good decision and not basing something off of emotion. Thanks!</p>
<p>I seem to recall a certain vice presidential candidate who attended five (or was it seven) undergraduate institutions before graduating. It probably did not hurt her career – although it is one of the few facts I remember about this person.</p>
<p>Part of life is trying on different hats – only to find that some hats just don’t fit very well. Keep trying on (and thinking deeply and carefully) until you find a groove that works well (but don’t expect perfection). </p>
<p>Hopefully you were a wise teen and never verbally trashed your hometown. If not, be prepared to eat some crow. </p>
<p>Do make sure you talk this over with your parents. You don’t want to start playing out a scenario in your mind only to find out that it is a scenario that they don’t support. (“You want to move back home and major in Discovering your Inner Self through tea leaf readings instead of attending Big U on an engineering scholarship???”) You can see where there may be some wrinkles to iron out . . .</p>