Transferring Schools

[your local goomy]

Hello! It seems that every single thread I post here on Brewster’s Cafe is going to be about school now, lol. But over my Thanksgiving break, I’ve been thinking a lot about my current situation and honestly, I think I’m about ready to transfer to a different college. The tiny, private—owned place I go to now just isn’t cutting it and I’d rather go to the local state school…I could commute, better manage things such as my dietary issues, do work from the comfort of my own home, would be in significantly less debt, and even get a part-time job on the side to get some extra income to justify me always wanting expensive things. Unfortunately I’d have to finish out this semester and next semester, as the school only does Fall transfers. I haven’t told my parents yet, which is important, considering that they’re helping me with tuition and I’d be living with them, but I’m just terrified that my mom will freak out on me. I also don’t know how to feel about going to a state university because I grew up in a very sheltered household and had to leave public school pretty early after constant bullying made my mental health spiral downward. The whole process just kinda freaks me out.

To those of you, preferably in the US, who have transferred schools, what is the process like? My biggest concern is being able to graduate on time. College has been the most stressful and miserable time of my life, and I want to graduate as soon as possible. If I have to take an extra semester or two, forget it. I’ve looked at the process, but I’d rather hear it in layman’s terms.

Thanks!

 

[moo_nieu]

i attended 3 colleges before i graduated, and the middle one was a state commuter school like the one you mentioned! i did not do well at the first school i went to, i was going through a lot and even just quit my medication randomly and didnt tell anyone. i made it 1 year and a half before i needed to medically withdraw. i remember not attending any of my classes the last semester i was there, it was just not good for me at the time.

i ended up taking a break and working full time for a year as a server. i had to pay off the school debt from the time i wasted so i figured id spend my in between time working. after a year i transferred to the commuter school, but i took online classes bc i cant stand living at home for mental health reasons to be honest, so i did as many online classes as i could and lived where i wanted to. i made up my lost time and was almost through my sophomore year, but i needed to take lab classes to actually complete that so i moved home and commuted for a semester. it wasnt a house i grew up in, it was actually a townhouse meant for my grandma but she never moved in, and my parents were living across the country in that time so i got to live alone which was nice. i found the commuter school really easy, and the teachers did not give an overbearing amount of work. it seemed like everyone there knew that they were there to get a degree and move on in life rather then to bust their butts having to prove they deserve to be there or something. my first college was a smaller school and gave freshmen a ton of work so it was a nice change of pace haha. felt a little like grown up high school without the long school days or friendship drama or any of that. just simple classes.

after i finished my sophomore year, i transferred to the school i ended up graduating from! it was in a different state so there were one or two credits i needed to catch up on, but for the most part all of the freshman sophomore classes carried over and i just needed to complete my two years of classes for my major. i did soooooo so much better academically after taking my gap year and coming back to school. i was also very glad to have finished the remainder my early years at the state commuter college, and i would absolutely recommend it to anyone looking to earn their credits without the "big college experience". the college i graduated from was actually a big college, but i just wanted to get my degree so i never took advantage of most of the resources there and i wasnt interested in partying or anything so it was kind of a waste of money haha although there were a few teachers there i really loved, the large classes were overwhelming and overstimulating so i still preferred taking classes online when i could.

anyways that was a long story about me, but my point is that i definitely recommend transferring if you feel thats what right for you. maybe even take a semester or two off to work and focus on you more. you absolutely do not have to be on some set life path where you go into college immediately after high school. also, if graduating college is something you really want to do then i believe you will do it. mental health is really hard to manage and classes can become really overwhelming if you take too many. i didnt take a full semester load when i went back. i would take one fewer class each semester and then two online classes in the summers to make up for those lost credits. it was a lot more manageable for me. if your school has given you an academic advisor, you can always go discuss your ideas with them! unlike me who only really has my experience, its their job to have lots of ideas for different life plans and help you figure out what path to take for where you want to go. good luck to you!!

 

[your local goomy]

i attended 3 colleges before i graduated, and the middle one was a state commuter school like the one you mentioned! i did not do well at the first school i went to, i was going through a lot and even just quit my medication randomly and didnt tell anyone. i made it 1 year and a half before i needed to medically withdraw. i remember not attending any of my classes the last semester i was there, it was just not good for me at the time.

i ended up taking a break and working full time for a year as a server. i had to pay off the school debt from the time i wasted so i figured id spend my in between time working. after a year i transferred to the commuter school, but i took online classes bc i cant stand living at home for mental health reasons to be honest, so i did as many online classes as i could and lived where i wanted to. i made up my lost time and was almost through my sophomore year, but i needed to take lab classes to actually complete that so i moved home and commuted for a semester. it wasnt a house i grew up in, it was actually a townhouse meant for my grandma but she never moved in, and my parents were living across the country in that time so i got to live alone which was nice. i found the commuter school really easy, and the teachers did not give an overbearing amount of work. it seemed like everyone there knew that they were there to get a degree and move on in life rather then to bust their butts having to prove they deserve to be there or something. my first college was a smaller school and gave freshmen a ton of work so it was a nice change of pace haha. felt a little like grown up high school without the long school days or friendship drama or any of that. just simple classes.

after i finished my sophomore year, i transferred to the school i ended up graduating from! it was in a different state so there were one or two credits i needed to catch up on, but for the most part all of the freshman sophomore classes carried over and i just needed to complete my two years of classes for my major. i did soooooo so much better academically after taking my gap year and coming back to school. i was also very glad to have finished the remainder my early years at the state commuter college, and i would absolutely recommend it to anyone looking to earn their credits without the "big college experience". the college i graduated from was actually a big college, but i just wanted to get my degree so i never took advantage of most of the resources there and i wasnt interested in partying or anything so it was kind of a waste of money haha although there were a few teachers there i really loved, the large classes were overwhelming and overstimulating so i still preferred taking classes online when i could.

anyways that was a long story about me, but my point is that i definitely recommend transferring if you feel thats what right for you. maybe even take a semester or two off to work and focus on you more. you absolutely do not have to be on some set life path where you go into college immediately after high school. also, if graduating college is something you really want to do then i believe you will do it. mental health is really hard to manage and classes can become really overwhelming if you take too many. i didnt take a full semester load when i went back. i would take one fewer class each semester and then two online classes in the summers to make up for those lost credits. it was a lot more manageable for me. if your school has given you an academic advisor, you can always go discuss your ideas with them! unlike me who only really has my experience, its their job to have lots of ideas for different life plans and help you figure out what path to take for where you want to go. good luck to you!!

Thanks for the advice! This school has definitely given me a run for my money and I've switched majors about once a semester. But now that I've finally settled on a history major, I can finally settle down and choose a school because this private one has led to frustration after frustration. Incompetent professors, stupid core requirements, an online learning program that barely functions, and classes so difficult that I was transferred to a psychiatric facility after attempting to take my own life. The school's also in a pretty crummy area that I, being a somewhat short lass who couldn't fight to save her own skin, constantly feel threatened. At least at the state school I'd have a car so I wouldn't have to walk all over God's green earth to get the stuff I need. Their history program isn't much different from my current school's, so I'm not missing a ton, but it really depends on how next semester goes, I suppose. Maybe if it's better than this semester I'll consider staying, but right now I just want out.

 

[your local goomy]

Might as well just lock this thread because I talked to my mom about it and she just victimized herself and insulted me in front of my face again. I don't know why I even try.

 

[Croconaw]

Might as well just lock this thread because I talked to my mom about it and she just victimized herself and insulted me in front of my face again. I don't know why I even try.

You don’t need to listen to your mother. You have the right to make your own decisions regarding your life.

 

[your local goomy]

That's something that you people don't understand. I have authoritarian parents and doing anything they don't like will end up with me getting kicked out. It's not my choice. Until I'm out of school and at my own place, it's their decision, not mine. They're helping pay the bill. When it comes to matters like this, I don't have free will. All I know is that I don't want to stay here because I've done nothing but lie in bed all day.

 

[Croconaw]

That's something that you people don't understand. I have authoritarian parents and doing anything they don't like will end up with me getting kicked out. It's not my choice. Until I'm out of school and at my own place, it's their decision, not mine. They're helping pay the bill. When it comes to matters like this, I don't have free will. All I know is that I don't want to stay here because I've done nothing but lie in bed all day.

I can only imagine how hard that must be. My parents are a lot more lenient than most, but I want to still offer advice. My main priority would be to save money right now and get out of that situation. I don’t feel that being there is a wise decision if it’s putting this much pressure on you. I have a savings account and I’m building interest on what’s in there. I know apartments are rising in prices right now, but there are still affordable ones out there. You just have to know where to look. I’d suggest focusing on yourself right now and finding your own place.