Will I regret not transferring schools?

Transfer Students
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I’m supposed to be leaving for Georgetown tomorrow as a transfer student, but all I’ve been doing is crying for the past few days. I’m so scared I’ve made the wrong decision, and I’ve been so overwhelmed.

I initially applied to Georgetown because of its strong IR program (SFS) and proximity to Washington DC. I went into school this fall knowing I wanted to transfer… I worked hard to get a good gpa and build a relationship with my professors who could write me a rec letter.

Throughout my first semester though, I began to actually like my school. I was beginning to make friends and joined some really cool clubs. I didn’t really think about transferring anymore… Ultimately, I decided to still apply because I just wanted to see if I could get in. I even wrote my essays at the very last minute.

When I got my acceptance back in May, I was so shocked. My mom was so excited, and rightfully so - I just didn’t know how to react. Don’t get me wrong, Georgetown has INCREDIBLE professors and the SFS is world-renowned, but I spent so much of my time making friends and getting good grades at my old school - I just didn’t want to start over. I decided I would make my decision based on my financial aid package.

I really hoped Georgetown would not give me as much financial aid so it would make my decision easier. To my surprise, I received so much financial aid that I would be paying the same amount of $ as I would at my in-state school.

I didn’t know what to do. So, my mom suggested we go visit Washington DC last minute, and we did.

I couldn’t really feel the vibe of the campus when we visited. Nobody was on campus because of COVID, and the campus just felt depressing. Its much smaller than my old campus. Georgetown, the city itself, is so cute, however. My mom absolutely loved DC, and I could tell she wanted me to transfer. She came to the US as a refuge and never got the opportunity to attend college, so it felt good seeing her so happy.

I don’t know how to explain it though, I just didn’t get the feeling of “this school is definitely right for me” when I visited.

Because I saw my mom so happy and I knew Georgetown was powerhouse for politics, I decided to put down my deposit at the very last minute. Once I put it down, I stopped thinking about Georgetown and just school overall. It was so stressful being a student during COVID and staying home for the semester, I just wanted to enjoy my summer.

As August approached, I started to become extremely overwhelmed. The thought of going to a new school scarred the heck out of me - and it still does. I locked myself multiple times in my room and just cried because I didn’t know what to do.

I still don’t know what to do.

Georgetown’s academics are AMAZING, and I know I would regret it if I didn’t at least go and try it out. That’s what my mom keeps saying. She’s been very supportive throughout this whole process. She told me I should go try it out and, if I don’t like it, then I should transfer back or go somewhere else. At my old school, I would be majoring in polisci, but at Georgetown, I would get a BSFS degree and it would be much more flexible that polisci.

But, I am so scared to leave my friends and the comfort of being close to home. Also, I know I can excel at my state school - which is important to me because my goal is to get into a T-14 law school.

I’m such a type-A personality that my mom thinks my hair would be falling out trying to get a good gpa at Georgetown. But, she also thinks I would have the best time ever if I let go and just focused all my energy on learning and enjoying my experiences.

I’m so conflicted, and I don’t know what to do.

Will I regret not going to Georgetown if I stay at my current school?

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Growing pains.

Fear of the unknown.

Your resistance to change is probably mostly due to the fact that no students were on campus when you visited.

Georgetown is preppy. Is that a positive or a negative for you ?

P.S. Just read your prior post which shares that you are transferring from the University of Michigan paying resident tuition.

Georgetown will be a big change from Michigan because of the difference in size & in type of location (college town versus nation’s capitol).

In my view, you are transferring from the best campus & college town in the country to what is arguably the top program in the country / world for your area of study. Easy to understand why you are conflicted. You won’t know whether or not this is the right move for you until you complete this year. You are fortunate to be able to attend Georgetown University for the same COA as a resident of Michigan at the University of Michigan. Wash DC is the most formal city in the country. I would love to read about your thoughts & experiences throughout this year. Good luck !

In short, big change. You are going from one great environment to another outstanding opportunity, but in a very different environment. Better to be excited than scared. You are going to miss the University of Michigan; the question is will you love Georgetown ?

In my view, your mom is right. She wants the best for you & Georgetown SFS is the best program for your interests. Plus, the University of Michigan is a great option for grad school or law school.

It will be an adjustment with respect to the typical student encountered as well as with respect to the different campus culture.

NOTE: Your thread title is confusing since you are transferring.

FINALLY: It should be stated that for your major area of study, transferring to Georgetown is wise. Despite the social & cultural differences–and they will be apparent–Georgetown’s SFS is outstanding.

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Why did you apply to transfer? It makes no sense to go to a school, only to want to transfer up front.

Now, last year was hard - and perhaps harder for kids to make friends - so maybe you don’t feel cemented at Michigan - and that I get.

Nonetheless, you leave tomorrow - you don’t have much choice.

You made the decision.

DC is awesome. Gtown is awesome.

Run with it - and stop second guessing yourself.

Good luck.

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Do not do anything because someone else wants you to. Only do it because YOU want to. Your mom wants to humblebrag about a name. YOU have to go to school there.

Keep your academics up and your extracurricular activities strong at Michigan and your Law School chances will be the same at Michigan as they will at Georgetown.

The reality is that year after year, when graduates are surveyed, over 80% say they were happy with their undergraduate institution, even if it was their last choice. That is essentially for two reasons. The differences aren’t as vast as we paint them to be, especially between the two schools you’re wrestling over. More importantly, it’s far more about what the student does than where they go.

Go with your gut. Good luck!

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I do think that Georgetown’s campus culture / vibe / typical student differs to a meaningful degree from that at the University of Michigan. Both are great, but different.

To some extent, the overlaps for each university might reveal some differences:

University of Michigan overlaps: UCal-Berkeley, Univ. of Illinois, Cornell, Ohio State, Michigan State

Georgetown overlaps: Boston College, University of Chicago, Duke, NYU, Notre Dame, & University of Virginia.

Both Georgetown & Michigan have Northwestern University & the University of Pennsylvania as overlaps in common. I find these two overlap schools to be a reasonable middle between the cultures found at Michigan & Georgetown.

P.S. @gtransfer1: I just looked up the college matriculation numbers for our family’s prep school. The students are very intelligent, very hardworking,and most come from financially successful families. The students typically qualify for & matriculate at the most selective universities in the country. Over the past 4 or 5 years, the students’ most commonly matriculated at:

  1. Brown
  2. Georgetown
  3. Cornell
  4. Yale
  5. Harvard
  6. Univ. of Pennsylvania

The University of Michigan was not among the top 25 colleges or universities at which these students matriculated.

(The list has not changed much over several decades except for MIT becoming a more common destination.)

My point is that you are entering into a different league of undergraduate school–even more so when considering your major area of study. Save Michigan for grad school or law school. Academically, you are clearly making the right move.

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Here’s the thing: you have made a choice- and now you have another choice to make. Your first choice was to apply to transfer to Georgetown, and to do all the steps needed to get that offer. And you were successful! hooray!

Now you have to make another choice: to do everything you can to make Georgetown be the “right” choice- or to stay stuck focused on what you are leaving and all the doubts/unknowns/possible negatives of change.

Remember that whether you are at UMi or Georgetown, there will be rainy days (literally & metaphorically). There will be good people- and not so good people. There will be great profs- and not so good profs. There will be fun aspects of campus life- and not so fun. NEITHER place will be all sunshine and roses. It’s how you choose to deal with the thorns that will make the difference.

Now, luckily for you, IF you put your heart and soul into making Georgetown be your place and IF by March or April you genuinely can’t see your way forward there, dollars to doughnuts transferring back to UMi is not impossible.

BUT- and this is a huge BUT- if you start out with that mindset the likelihood is that you won’t actually make the same effort as if you say to yourself, ‘I have made this choice, and I can make it work. I can find my people. I can find my place. I can thrive here in ways I never even imagined!’

So, make another active, conscious choice. Take yourself by the scruff of the neck and say 'this crying every day lark isn’t getting me anywhere. Yes, change is hard- but I can- and have! - done hard things! So, I am going to focus on the fact that I will be in living in DC for the next year!! I will be able to go / see / do X, Y & Z. I will be listening to and meeting all these amazing leaders. I can’t wait to see what internship possibilities I might get for next summer. I will make the most of the good - and the not so good- parts of this opportunity.

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Absolutely. That’s essentially the point I was trying to make. They are both good, but different. It’s clear that the OP feels more comfortable at Michigan and might be making a mistake chasing perceived prestige. It should be noted that USNWR ranks Michigan’s Law School above Georgetown’s. This board is littered by students who chase a name and then are unhappy because the fit is all wrong.

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Or the OP can stay at a great school where they know they are already happy and will have every opportunity they need to reach their next goal.

I’m a little confused as to why posters are counseling her to do something she’s clearly uncomfortable with when her current school is Michigan. She started there thinking it wasn’t “the place” and now has grown to the point that it is. Why move?

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Agree.

Of course, the OP is an undergraduate. Law school may be in the future & Michigan would be an outstanding choice for law school.

No one is counseling the OP to transfer; OP has made the choice prior to posting & has transferred. OP is having last minute jitters akin to buyer’s remorse. Initially,change can be frightening.

Nonetheless, for OP’s major area of study, Georgetown is the superior choice.

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I’m not as sold that it’s ‘clear’. OP chose to apply to SFS but is having cold feet at actually moving away and changing. That is not uncommon or unreasonable. There is no info that the fit is wrong at this stage. The relative rankings of the 2 law schools is unrelated.

She’s leaving for Georgetown tomorrow. The contract with Georgetwon is signed, she is no longer enrolled at UMi, the journey is booked, the bags are packed. If she was still deciding I would have a very very different message.

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Respectfully, you need to re-read the original post. She likes Michigan, doesn’t feel connected to Georgetown, and is going to Georgetown to make her mom happy. I’m not reading between the lines. That’s what she said.

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Is staying at Michigan an option at this point?

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Right! It’s either Georgetown or nothing at this point. The OP no longer has a spot at Michigan.

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There’s nothing in the original post that confirms that. It’s logical conjecture, but no one here knows for certain what the OPs options are.

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I’m sorry you’re having a tough time. When you first posted about this decision 9 days ago, I tried to be helpful with a lengthy response, and more than half a dozen other folks tried to discuss it with you as well, but you never returned to the thread to continue the conversation. Georgetown vs University of Michigan

Now, it’s unclear whether your decision is a “done deal” and you’re just having feelings about it, or whether you can still actually reconsider.

Can you clarify whether there’s still a decision to be made here, or whether you just need to be talked through the decision you already made?

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To add, if you post and ghost as you apparently did on your other post, don’t expect to get much useful information from the exercise. Your participation is vital to answering the question you posed.

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I apologize everyone.

I’ve made my decision, and I’m going to attend Georgetown.

I’m sorry for ghosting everyone. It’s been a hectic few days, just full of emotion. COVID really messed up all my plans for the future and put a dent in my mental health. CC is my venting place, and all I wanted was to hear other people’s opinions. Thank you everyone for all your feedback and advice. It’s been really helpful, especially as a FGLI.

I know Georgetown is full of opportunities that I could not get at Michigan. My gut is telling me to go and try the SFS, and I have come to the conclusion that I want a backup plan of law school fails - which I will have with an SFS degree. Plus, Washington DC is just an amazing location.

I officially withdrew from UMICH ten minutes ago.

Note: I don’t know how to close threads on CC, so if somebody could please tell me how that would be appreciated.

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Congrats. That must have been a tough decision. Ultimately you make your own way no matter where you go. A moderator will close it for you. Good luck!

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