First Year Undergraduate Student Not Completely Happy... Should I Transfer?

[emily1197]

Hello,

 

I am finishing my first semester of university in a kinesiology program. I like it, it's okay, but I don't love it like some of my peers are loving their programs and schools. This bothers me because it is so expensive, a lot of effort, time and stress. I know I want to stay in a program like kin, but I have also had nursing bothering me in the back of my mind since applying to schools in grade 12. Some of the things I really like here are: the campus and surrounding areas, the vegetarian-friendly community, my volunteer placement and the content of most of my courses. However, compared to other schools I find this school to be boring & somewhat disorganized. Not many clubs, campus becomes a graveyard on weekends, not a good party scene. I just feel like I am not having a good time and all I do is school work. I don't know if this is me adjusting, or something else, but I just know this university is not as great as I thought it would be, and it is kind of upsetting. I want more out of this experience.

 

Should I look in to other schools/programs? Should I wait another semester or two to see if this is where I want to stay? How do you know if you should transfer/consider transferring? Is it WORTH it to transfer?

[sportsMD23]

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[MountainAmoeba]

Nursing is difficult to maintain a high GPA in, and the pass fail component of many classes might cause problems when applying to schools. Just something to consider

[canucks_14]

If I wasn't happy with something and I wanted more out of it then I would definitely go out and actively change my situation in order to get what I want, rather than passively waiting for something to happen to me (usually unlikely to happen anyways). I would do that because then I'd have no regrets. Regrets can make you a bitter person and change who you are.

 

Honestly I'll just go out and say it. You're only young once so go and transfer to one of your friends' schools. The fact you're even bringing it up shows it's a problem in my books, personally. Talk to all of your friends and ask why they love their schools and ask good questions to try to cut through the BS to decide which one is best for you. When asking them, just try to ask them for reasons as well as getting the "general sense" or atmosphere and vibe of each enviornment. But if they actually do love it then chances are you will too. Have fun but keep working hard too to keep that GPA up.

 

And as long as you like a program at your new school then you are set. No one cares if you've transferred. Most people don't transfer but people do it and transferring is something people do for a variety of reasons. If you're unhappy because of a bland, lackluster, unorganized, and generally amateurish environment, then I think that's a pretty good reason to transfer. Some people may like the place you are at but also many may secretly hate it and some people might be ok with it but are realizing maybe this isn't the best place and they may simply just want more out of it. I would personally try to get more out of life.

 

All you need is a degree with excellent grades and good activities for med school, and you need to be a busy person. As long as you're getting that baseline (I'm assuming medicine is your goal?) then you can make your life decisions on whatever else stuff you want to.

 

Edit: this post is referencing transferring schools, and has nothing to do with transferring programs. I have little knowledge of nursing or kin compared to others on this forum so I'll leave that aspect for others to comment on.

[Wasteman]

Canucks gives good points, and trying to change your situation is good. However, remember that being an adult now means that you have to make sacrifices and bear with the unpleasantness. It supposedly builds character, Iunno. My best bet is just try to do the best you can in your subject. Once you start to succeed in it people generally tend to start to like what they're studying. Also, keep this in mind: you're at university to study. I don't know about anyone else, but as a first year that works about 20 hours a week, unless I really plan out my time, I barely have time do the many extracurricular programs that I'd like to, let alone give ample time to study well. But then again, maybe your situation is different and you don't have to work and can party much more. 

 

The best advice I can reliably give you is to plan your days and weeks out. This way, you can study on the dead days, and hangout and party during the days that have all of the activities. If the first year doesn't work out, then try transferring. I know that moving to new places seems to reinvigorate me, so maybe it does the same to you. Anyways, good luck, and I hope that you can find the time to study and party.

[Edict]

Hello,

 

I am finishing my first semester of university in a kinesiology program. I like it, it's okay, but I don't love it like some of my peers are loving their programs and schools. This bothers me because it is so expensive, a lot of effort, time and stress. I know I want to stay in a program like kin, but I have also had nursing bothering me in the back of my mind since applying to schools in grade 12. Some of the things I really like here are: the campus and surrounding areas, the vegetarian-friendly community, my volunteer placement and the content of most of my courses. However, compared to other schools I find this school to be boring & somewhat disorganized. Not many clubs, campus becomes a graveyard on weekends, not a good party scene. I just feel like I am not having a good time and all I do is school work. I don't know if this is me adjusting, or something else, but I just know this university is not as great as I thought it would be, and it is kind of upsetting. I want more out of this experience.

 

Should I look in to other schools/programs? Should I wait another semester or two to see if this is where I want to stay? How do you know if you should transfer/consider transferring? Is it WORTH it to transfer?

 

Honestly, just stick it out. A lot of people don't love their undergrad universities, but at the same time, university is about studying. Not everyone in university is going to study hard that is true but if you do want to go to medical school which is I guess why you are posting on this forum, you probably will be spending a lot of time doing activities for your application. 

 

I didn't like my undergrad university much at the time, used to complain about it non stop, but looking back i have positive memories because the lack of things to do meant i spent a lot of time in the library which thus helped me get into med school and in addition, things became more interesting and fun in my final year, so things can turn around. You are only one semester in after all.