I am freshmen this year at UW Madison and realize this school is very much not a good fit for me academically, socially, or even physically. I have regretted this decision ever since I was forced to hit the accept button to this school, that being the very last day. When I first was applying to schools I was under the impression that I had to stay in the UW system of schools so I only applied to a series of public schools in the state and now realize how horrible of a fit any these are for my own personal interests and what I want to get out of college.
I am not a drinker, a partier, a sports enthusiast, nor someone who is looking to get by with just a degree in something. I hate the culture at this school and have struggled to meet any groups who do not participate in the common things students do for “fun” at the university. What I really want from a student body at a university is to be surrounded by students like me who are extremely driven and willing to work at studying well beyond what is required to gain complete mastery of the subject. Being at Madison has also thrown a label on me that I can not stand. Every time I tell someone where I go to school, I am instantly labeled as a partier and a drinker and I find that to be of a great insult to what I personally value and getting to a place where I would no longer be considered that kind of an individual would be great for who I am.
Furthermore, UW Madison has yet to impress me academically for it lacks giving any personalized education to its students through close collaboration with teachers to students. Every single one of my classes has 200-300 students and I am extremely unsatisfied with such impersonalization. I make sure to use office hours when I can, but I have come to throughly hate the system they have in place.
Finally, I am not a huge fan of the cold, busy roads, and rowdy atmosphere; although, it is definitely the least of my concerns.
I am currently looking to transfer to schools which will have smart student bodies that are wiling to dedicate themselves to studies over other petty actives. This has lead me to schools such as uchicago, whose infamous saying “where fun goes to die” has really spoken to me because if madison is everything that students perceive as fun, going to a school that literally kills that would be ideal. Other institutions I have considered is Swarthmore, Amherst, Pomona, Grinnell, Reed, and University of Minnesota - Rochester (if I want to go medical that is, I am still undecided)
The problem I am coming across it that I have made very good connections with student organizations and some leaders on campus, putting me in a spot to take large leadership roles by next year. Furthermore, I have also gotten the chance to start working in research labs and collaborate with professors in that way. I am not sure if it is worth breaking these connections and chances to achieve if I have to start over.
Another thing that is problematic is transfer polices at these colleges for I entered with over 56 college credits through both AP and dual enrollment and it looks like hardly any of them would transfer to many of these schools, so it is hard to warrant a transfer when I am so miserable, but yet would lose so much if I do.
I have also come across the problem of weather it is even possible to get accepted to many of these schools. I was the valedictorian of my high school and always took every AP and duel enrollment course available and maintained a 4.0. During college it looks like this semester should be the same so I believe that I will continue to receive a 4.0 this semester as well (O-Chem is much easier than people claimed). The problem comes with ACT scores for I only received a 26. I never studied for it or even knew what the test really was until it was far too late. Many probably wonder how this is even possible, and looking back I think the same, especially with the huge obsession I have recently grown in different colleges and college admissions. However, it happened nonetheless. Mostly due to my impression that it was simply a college test where it tested your basic abilities and so long as you did alright you could get into college. I was partially correct, at least for the schools I was looking at for the time, but I was completely unaware of possibilities to attend universities that are better fit for what I am looking for academically. I really just want to be surrounded by other individuals who share the same desire to work towards learning instead of the things Madison students value. I am considering either applying now or waiting to practice and get my score up during the summer and then apply to transfer my Jr year.
I also am unsure of if it is financially feasible at this point in time to transfer. I completely missed my chance at scholarships because I didn’t know the importance the ACT played in that. Furthermore, it seems like most scholarships of any significant value are designated towards freshmen year students leaving me with little to no chance of going anywhere that I want to go or afford.
I blame myself for all my faults into ending up in the miserable position that I am in and am unsure on the direction to take moving forward making me all the more confused and more miserable.
However, I also know staying at a school like Madison may help me also standout because I am one of the few who actually really care about my education. Staying at the top of my class may be beneficial in standing out than going to a highly competitive college; however, I also value fitting in and would love the chance to be surrounded by individuals who want to actually make the most of their college learning experience.
Basically, I am a mess. If anyone has been in a situation like this, or has thoughts on the matter, please respond and give me some words of wisdom.