Should I forgo my full ride?

paradise44
Sat, 09 Dec 2017 21:22:12 +0000

Hi all,

I currently am a freshman at the University of Miami with a full ride. Throughout all of high school, I dreamed of leaving Miami for college to somewhere with snow, a beautiful castle-like campus, and the like. I worked hard in high school to get where I wanted: I was a National Merit Finalist, National AP Scholar with 10 AP classes, and the President of Science National Honor Society.

I got into Cornell University, my dream school, but I decided against it because of UM’s enticing offer. My parents are upper-middle class, and I’m an only child, so we don’t qualify for need-based aid. Even though they insisted they could support an Ivy League education, I was uncomfortable with making them pay 70k a year. I was convinced I could eschew rankings (who decides on those, anyway), and have an education of a similar caliber at UM.

However, I’m thoroughly disappointed with my experience so far here. Though I’m in an advanced bio/chem/calc sequence with an original research lab, I don’t find myself pushed outside of my lab work. My AP Biology and AP Chemistry teachers were better than the ones I have here. I have a 300/300 in my biology course, and I didn’t even have time to study for two of my exams since I was at an equestrian competition all weekend.

Out of the 4 clubs I tried to join this semester, only one was truly active. I feel like student involvements in the clubs I’m interested are very superficial; then again, I might have just had very bad luck. I also don’t feel very comfortable within the equestrian team, and will most likely quit.

In the same vein, I haven’t made very many friends. I have one friend here from high school, and I end up spending the majority of time with her even though I want to branch out. I’m the only Latina on my floor, which came as a great shock to me (we are in Miami, after all; my high school in the county above Miami-Dade was more diverse than UM). The culture on my floor is too party-focused for me, and though I like going out to party, I’ve found the frat clubs unappealing – I like drinking in moderation, but I dislike the feeling of “if I don’t drink, I won’t have fun.” I’d much rather hang out in a dorm with good friends, with or without alcohol. The few times I have gone out to frat parties, the girls on my floor have been somewhat cold to me. I have one friend on my floor, who also dislikes this culture (it’s worse for her, since she’s an international student), and has also thought of leaving UM.

I also don’t like football that much. I thought I would like it more once I started attending a D1 school, but I’ve consistently left the football games at halftime every time I decide to go. Homecoming was a big disappointment. It made me miss my high school’s crappy dances – I’d prefer anything to watching football. I’m very glad football season is over, since I’m tired of football talk.

I’m thinking of transferring for fall 2018 admission to a more rigorous institution, but I’m very hesitant because of my scholarship. Very few people receive the honor, and I am very grateful for it, but I also don’t want to spend my college years in an institution where I feel like I can’t reach my fullest academic and social potentials. I thought the “party school” reputation UM has was just a negative stereotype, but I unfortunately find myself agreeing with it more and more every week. I’d like my peers to push me intellectually instead of simply hope to pass a class.

I haven’t felt at home here since my orientation week, which I find disappointing because the CITY of Miami IS my home; University of Miami just feels like a resort for northern kids that were fed up with the cold. Not a week goes by without hearing someone complain about how Uber drivers only speak Spanish. I started out wanting to do a year of exchange during my sophomore year, since my scholarship would cover it, but I know that it’s only because I want out. I’d rather be in a University where I can’t bring myself to study abroad because I’d be worried about all of the things I would miss out on. Every time I try to sit down and do work, I just end up researching transfer requirements. I don’t have motivation to do anything for this school anymore.

I’m currently thinking of Rice University, Brown University, Cornell University, Barnard, and University of Southern California (the only institution that offers some merit scholarships to transfer students, as far as I know). I know that I’d be spending full tuition at all of these institutions (Save USC, hopefully). Thankfully, my parents say that they support me with whatever choice I make. Since I’m thinking of applying to vet school/some graduate program, though, I’m still worried that I might exhaust my college funds within my undergrad career.

Either way, what do you all think?

TLDR I feel academically and socially undermatched at UM and wish to transfer to a better institution, but am hesitant to do so because of my full ride.