Will things improve, or should I make a bold move?

oxycodone
Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:34:08 +0000

I chose a school last year based on a really strong campus visit and overall great impression of the school, backed by strong parental favoritism of this school. I had several great, extremely prestigious options, but found myself feeling that this school would be the best for me and did not really give up much in terms of prestige, as it is roughly equally prestigious.

I have found so far into the year that I have a great group of friends, am doing well in my classes, but have certain reservations about my school. I don’t feel confident saying I go here. I feel like I have very little school pride/spirit, since my impression of the school prior to visiting was not exactly positive or very intellectual. I have found that while many are smart here, the intellectual atmosphere is not nearly what I had expected out of such a highly-ranked school.

This lack of school spirit is troublesome to me, as I feel that had I chosen either of two of my other options, I would not be at all hesitant to wear t-shirts around and brag about my school (in a non-pompous way). I feel like my impression of the school before the visit was basically correct, and even though there are a lot of great aspects about this school, part of me wishes I were somewhere else, simply because the identities and stereotypes of the other two schools in question seem to better match the way I would like to be viewed by my peers and/or employers. A certain part of the school culture here which many find to be especially salient does not resonate at all with me, either, and the number of students who I feel have not worked nearly as hard as I have to be here also troubles me.

To summarize, are these concerns legitimate, or will I get over them? I feel like no matter how much good I see in this school, I will never really view it as top-of-the-line in academic respectability, which has always been the most important thing to me. Will these remorseful feelings only get worse, and should I look into transferring out?

Part of me feels like going to a different school would be officially cutting the ambillical cord between me and my parents and would mark a decision truly made on my own to reflect my personal needs and desires. The liberating feeling of making such a decision, I reason, would be so invigorating and exciting that I would gain motivation to work harder, since I would feel more in control of my own decisions and more independent overall. I feel like I’m here because it was the most comfortable decision with my family but that it is not really the best school for me. In short, the social life at this school may be a little too pronounced…I’m a chameleon extrovert/introvert, so I can fit in quite well in almost any social situation and be pretty popular and well-liked wherever I go, but in all honesty I would prefer a school that emphasizes intellectualism over alcoholism/football. That’s my biggest concern.

My work ethic seems to not be as strong as it was in high school, where I had big dreams and goals to look forwards to (i.e. a prestigious university that would become my haven). I’m afraid I’m losing motivation to keep pushing myself and that a part of it has to do with the school I’m currently attending.

Thanks for reading, and any thoughts would be appreciated.