<p>I am soon going to start my first year at some public midwestern school, but I never wanted to go here and even after living on campus for only a few days, my lack of energy for this institution and lack of excitement for being here is making me feel like an outsider. The school I have always wanted to go to is Notre Dame, and I am hoping I can transfer there next year. I am worried that because I might not be making many friends here, my grades could be mediocore and my dream of attending Notre Dame will fade away while I am stuck in a place I don't want to be or belong. What should I do in the meantime to try to have at least some fun at a school I do not belong at? I obviously can't ask my roommate or anybody else on campus. Does anybody have any advice?</p>
<p>You obviously can ask your roommate or anyone else on campus.</p>
<p>You need to make the best of what you have now.</p>
<p>Don’t decide to be miserable without giving it a chance. Acclimating yourself to a new school as a transfer student can be very difficult, and if you’re determined to do it I won’t try to dissuade you, but don’t discount the possibility of having a good time at your current school as best as you can until you transfer. A swift attitude adjustment is called for.</p>
<p>I say this very compassionately, because my parents forced me to stay in their monstrously dysfunctional home and commute to community college for two years after letting me visit my dream school and think I would be allowed to go. I was practically suicidal the first semester-- the people at that community college didn’t seem to have anything in common with me, I HATED living at home, the classes were all way too easy for me, all my friends went away to school and I was the only person I knew left in town, and I was bored stiff. But I found the will to make the best of it and in the end it wasn’t a terrible experience. I figured out who I was and what my passions are at that school-- as useless as the experience looked like it would be to me going in, I ended up getting more out of it than any other time of my life. Did I need to transfer to a residential four year school ASAP? Yes, I really did-- I didn’t belong at the community college at all. But my incessant whining about it first semester was childish and a waste of my life, and looking back I am humiliated by my behavior. So I’m here to tell you grow up, shut up, and learn to find something positive in a bad situation. You never know, sometimes things aren’t as bad as we convince ourselves they are. If you were meant to be at Notre Dame right now, you would be. If you’re meant to be there sometime down the road, you will be. Don’t waste your life with a bad attitude.</p>
<p>ETA: And, in case it helps, I joined a crapload of clubs at the CC and started finding things outside school to make myself happy to tide me over until I could transfer. I was on the newspaper staff (and got paid), had a job, volunteered every week as a dog handler at the humane society, was the non-profit fundraising chair on the student activities board, joined the video production club and got to help broadcast live OHL hockey games, participated in rotoract, and did phi theta kappa. I kept busy, and I made money. It put me in a great position as a transfer applicant to my dream school (which was not the same dream school I wanted to go to originally, because somehow 18 year olds don’t seem to know as much as they think they do), and I had a lot of money saved up to spend in my new hometown when I transferred. I’d never done volunteer work in my life before and realized from those experiences that I was born for service, and I’ve never felt better about myself or more fulfilled. If you’re not happy, figure out how you can make yourself happy and go do it. Keep yourself busy. Do not waste time complaining.</p>
<p>Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.</p>
<p>Live a life you can be proud of (i.e. study hard, make some friends, join some activities, push your comfort zone a little bit)…and if you still find that you want to transfer, go ahead. At that point Notre Dame will probably find you a lot more interesting that they would if you had spent the time sitting around feeling sorry for yourself.</p>
<p>Study hard, get good grades and transfer. but while you’re there make the best of the situation. You’re gonna be there for a semester/year depending on your grades so don’t spend your time depressed and complaining.</p>