<p>me too, if you dont mind!</p>
<p>maybe it would be best to just tell on the forum since they are meant to help people learn about Smith, and if there is something negative that made you want to transfer, it would be useful for people like me to know. :)</p>
<p>I think ticklemepink has the right to keep her story private if she wants to. I don't know anything about her reasons, but several of my friends who I started with first year no longer go to Smith, and in most of their cases they made the right decision. If you're interested in TMP's story, you should shoot her your own private message and I'm sure she'd be happy to respond.</p>
<p>But I don't see how sending a PM to at least 5 different people is keeping her story private. She might as well save some time and just post it here rather than PMing every Smith prospect. </p>
<p>But of course, it's none of my business. Maybe she just wants to avoid her situation being discussed on the forum, which I guess makes sense.</p>
<p>Look, I have every right to keep my story private and I have posted over the past 3 years on Smith forums (and elsewhere on CC) regarding my opinion on Smith. You can save yourself time by clicking on my name on your left and press "More posts by ticklemepink" and go pretty much to the first pages of it (not the last few). </p>
<p>The reason why I don't want to talk anymore is because I have matured a lot over the past 3 years and I realize that my true reasons for leaving Smith was very personal, nothing against the campus actually. My best advice to every college bound student and freshmen... though it's been said over and over again but it is so true- college is what YOU make of it. You can't depend on the admissions literature to guide you what your life will be like- only YOU can change your life to what YOU want and only YOU can make it happen. Every campus has the same departments, campus organizations, and, most of the time, facilities. The bottom line is whether you will ultimately strive to fit or not. If you find out that you don't see a niche for yourself, perhaps you didn't try hard enough which is why it's important to try many different departments and try joining new activities in your first year so that you can find a niche on campus. If you don't try, then that is NOT a good reason to transfer. I gave it all in my second semester of first year and I actually managed to find my niche in places I never thought I'd end up. Ultimately, I had to leave for personal reasons and needed to be away from Smith for a while. </p>
<p>Do I regret transferring from Smith? No, I do not because Colgate provided me with what I really needed to meet my own personal goals and I'll probably give a verdict by spring break :) But there are things that does make me regret transferring like friendships, lively Northampton, the housing system, and several great professors that I would've loved to know more personally. (And occasionally when Colgate's workload stress me out, I want to go back to Smith's grade inflation!). I have my own fond (and not so fond) memories of being there because Smith gave me a great experience on growing up and experiencing new things that never entered my vocabulary. I still carry all the lessons with me. I have yet to encounter a friend or a family member who has told me that it was the stupidest idea ever to transfer so obviously I made the right choice all around.</p>
<p>So looking back, I know that I did the right thing at the right time and it does make me sad to know that I missed out some opportunities and will not be graduating with the class that I started pre-orientation with. On the other hand, Colgate has also given me a lot in ways I couldn't have thought pursuing such same opportunities as had I stayed at Smith. </p>
<p>Realize that pretty much everyone will know at lesat ONE person who transferred in or out of their campus- that is how common transfer is in college. So when you send in your deposit in May, just know that it might be the same place that you will graduate from and it won't be the end of the world if the school doesn't live up to your expectations. You just have to make do with the reality. Don't be afraid to speak up about your thoughts as you go through your freshman year because everyone will want you to be happy (even your worst enemy) and will try to help you out.</p>
<p>Thanks for that. Of course I know you have the right to keep your story private. I just thought it was sort of silly that so many people were asking for PMs because then it seems to defeat the purpose.</p>
<p>Couldn't agree more with TMP. You shouldn't expect to slip into a perfect life at any school, you're have to really work to find your niche. But if, in the end, you don't find it, or you find it but you're not really happy there, transfering is a smart thing to do, and hardly the end of the world. One of the great benefits of going to university in the United States is that you do have that self determination that allows you to make changes if you are unhappy, and you shouldn't ignore it. </p>
<p>Once you start college you need to listen to yourself carefully and don't be afraid to make changes. Your path may be circuitous, like my roommate who transferred out of Smtih and then back in to Smith later, but she was much the better for her time away. Or my friends who have left Smith, or other colleges, permanently and gone on to be happier in new locations. This is the reality of college students today, so embrace it. Make your life as you want it to be.</p>