Was anyone happier at their old school / regret transferring?

BruinsJEW
Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:40:23 +0000

Mi_Lie,

I can relate to you. Last year, I transferred as a second semester freshmen to a new university that was closer to home, in a warmer climate. I’ve lived in South Florida for the past seventeen years of my life, and decided it was time for a transition. I was sick and disgusted of everything that South Florida had to offer. My first three-choices for college were UCLA, University of Virginia, and the University of Maryland. I got denied from UCLA, wait-listed at UVA, and accepted to UMD. I chose UMD. I loved UMD despite a few altercations that I probably should of dealt with.

As a transfer to the University of Miami, I felt unwanted and alone. At Maryland, not to sound conceited and cocky, but I was popular in the sense that I could walk around campus and would see people I knew, my friends and acquaintances. Maryland was a constant festival for me, Miami for the 1st and still continues to be on and off. Socially, I was much more content at Maryland. I had numerous friends, from all walks of life, religions, and backgrounds. At Miami, I find it is much harder to meet quality people. I realize it is the public-private debate. Last year and into portions of sophomore year, I felt alone and did not have the moral support that I had at Maryland. It caused me many days of frustration, anger, and even depression. I regretted leaving Maryland and unfortunately still do from time to time. I realized in college, you cannot get the whole package, but you must weigh the most important factors and think as an economist, and chose the basket that has more benefits than disadvantages. I’m indifferent to continuing at Miami and have applied to other colleges, but I’m going to really have to weigh these options that I talk of, before I make a decision, so I do not have anymore regrets. Sometimes what it comes down to, is you need to sacrifice top notch academics for a better social lifestyle, and you can still get a quality education just not with the prestige.