Transferring

I am currently in college as a freshman at a school that is fairly cheaper. After aid and a student loan, I didn’t have to pay that much out of my bank account. I signed on a house for next year with 4 girls that I don’t really vibe with anymore, they all do things together and I get left out. My classes feel like high school classes, I don’t have a single class in a huge lecture hall, which is what I was expecting from college.
I toured my current school and fell in love with the campus and how beautiful it is. If I were to transfer, the campus doesn’t have much to do with my decision, except for the class size.
My boyfriend goes to a fairly bigger school, a little bit more expensive and offers tons of different opportunities. I have been looking at transferring to his college because I think it would be a good opportunity for me to come out of my shell and go to a bigger school. He lives off campus in a condo that is paid off by his grandparents so I would only have to pay for tuition and grocery shopping.
My mom thinks I am only wanting to transfer because of my boyfriend, but if I didn’t go to my current college, my second choice was my boyfriend’s college. It is a little more expensive but I plan to work a very good job this summer and save up as much money as I possibly can.
I think I am pretty set on transferring, but if anyone has any thoughts or advice about my situation, or my parent situation please send them my way!!

Are you just 18 or 19 or are you an older first year student?

Not trying to jinx anything, but what happens if living together isn’t as good as you thought it would be? What happens if the two of you break up? Can you afford the new school if you end up having to pay rent? Would you still be happy at the new college if he weren’t in the picture?

I would say, stick it out at your current school. If you don’t like your future living situation, there’s lots of time to change it.

However if you do decide to transfer, do it independently and make sure you’ve really thought about the “what ifs” (financial and otherwise).

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I am 18 years old, will be 19 in March. I visit my boyfriend at least every other weekend we “live” together during the weekend. My boyfriend does come to visit me as well. We have been dating for 3 years, and yes I know anything can happen even if we have been dating for awhile now. I plan to work at a very high paying job so I am able to pay for my tuition with a little student loan, and possibly pay for rent if needed. My second choice is the school he is at, so I could see myself transferring there if he wasn’t in the picture. I don’t want to be miserable at my current school due to my living situation with 4 girls that don’t include me. I have done so much research and plan to continue to do research to make sure I am making the best decision, for myself.
I am not trying to say your response is wrong, I am just explaining my answers to your questions!

Tough to offer advice without knowing more specific information regarding the schools, your major & career goals, and the actual difference in cost.

Without more information, my impression is that you want to transfer for social reasons as you no longer socialize with your 4 future housemates & because you miss your boyfriend.

Sometimes social reasons can be enough to justify transferring if the target school is affordable & offers your desired area of study as a major.

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Interesting - many might envy you.

I realize of course, that class size alone doesn’t tell the whole picture. But seems as if many students can’t wait to get past the big lecture classes, and expressly seek out smaller/seminar classes where one gets more immediate attention/feedback/interaction with the Prof.
In fact, it might be one of the selection criteria for many.

Just offering an observation - won’t really help with your decision.

Relationships at your age and in your circumstances can be volatile. My advice would be to transfer if: a. you would be happier at the school you are transferring to without your BF in the picture and b. you would be able to afford this school without the BF in the picture.

These are difficult hypothetical questions to answer but when reading between the lines of your post I think that your main reason to transfer is the BF and if all works out with him it will be great, but make sure that it is right move for you personally. Would he be willing to transfer to your university to be together? Hypothetically speaking?

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If you transfer, get your own housing. That way, it doesn’t matter what happens with your boyfriend. If you can’t afford the college unless you live with him, it’s too expensive.

I plan to work at a very high paying job so I am able to pay for my tuition with a little student loan, and possibly pay for rent if needed.

Do you currently have a high paying job? If not, I wouldn’t commit to a more expensive school. Is your mother going to continue to fill out your financial aid forms if you transfer? She’s not going to be able to accept responsibility for the bill at the more expensive school if she can’t afford to pay it.

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My current school is the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire and my boyfriend is at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. I am an elementary education major and he is double majoring in sports management and finance. I could achieve my major at any school with a good program, and my boyfriends career goals need a good program for both majors he is pursuing. My tuition is about $9,000 this semester and my boyfriends tuition was less than that, but he lives off campus and had tons of money towards scholarships. I didn’t put my scholarships towards my tuition this semester, but I didn’t have that much anyway.

I do not have time to respond now other than to say I just visited UW-Eau Claire & University of Minnesota.

I love the University of Minnesota. Many years ago, it was the second university to which one of ours was accepted, but ultimately did not attend. Great school with an exciting atmosphere & vibrant city with lots of attractive career / job opportunities.

I will offer cautionary advice similar to that offered above: Relationships can & do change. What if you & your boyfriend break up ? Will you still be happy with your decision to transfer ?

Otherwise, transferring seems as though it might be a good move for you if you want to experience a larger, highly respected school in a major US city. Also, the gender imbalance at UW-Eau Claire may be another factor to consider. More balance at the University of Minnesota. T/C.

What does your boyfriend think about your plans ? Important since you intend to live together. Understand that if you do transfer, then you are pushing the relationship to a new level which forces each person in the relationship to reassess his or her readiness to fully commit at such a young age.