Should I transfer to Undergrad closer to home?

[Sags2riches]

Hello. I am currently a freshman at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. My major is Broadcast Journalism, but I am on the Pre-Dental track. Ultimately, my goal is to be a dentist. The reason I am posting this thread is because currently I am trying to make a decision on whether to stay at this university or transfer to one closer to home. I am from Chicago and most likely would be sacrificing undergrad degree reputability by going to a school such as DePaul. The reason a transfer is on the table is my first semester was really rough. I am a home body, very close to my family and being so far away from them was very difficult. I thought I could handle it, but I have not really fit well into the constant party scene that Miami has to offer as I do not drink. This semester the situation has gotten somewhat better but at times I still find myself thinking about home, although I have been busy. I just do not know if I could do this for 3 years though. The way I see it is now might be the best time to be able to live at home because I will have a solid support system and resources to keep up with the rigorous science curriculum. Also, I could just use this time to mature a little and apply to go somewhere again for Dental School. I am really just confused and everyone I have been talking to has given me different viewpoints. I could really use some help. Thank you.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[aaa127]

go back home, hit the reset button and get alls A's in your classes. no one cares about undergrad reputability.
Better to go back home now, than risk the chance of post-bacc (more time and money needed).

 

[Incis0r]

You can always mature while you have the safety net of being near your home in case of emergency. Just make it a gradual transition to complete independence instead of the abrupt one.

I think you should move back home- you sound distressed and it could hurt your academics.

I don't think dental schools give much weight to which UG you went to, so don't worry about reputability.

 

[kholley25]

I would also move back home if I had the opportunity and knew I could transfer credits. From my understanding, most D-schools typically don't put too much emphasis on school rep. Just keep your grades up and you'll have a shot.

Personally, I disliked my undergrad experience because of similar feelings. While I was much closer to home than you are, I would/will never put myself through another 4 years of that experience.

Ultimately, I think you should do what you think is best for you. You live only once.

 

[doc toothache]

Sooner or later you will need to grow up.

 

[Scumbag_Steve]

.

 

[meeshii00]

You should move back home if it will make you happy. Don't worry about school rep. As long as you work hard and challenge yourself in your classes you will be fine. I went to a public university about 15 minutes from my house. It's not as prestigious as other universities but I worked hard and still got into dental school. You just gotta prove to the schools that you can handle dental school.

 

[Sags2riches]

Thank you everyone. You all have cleared up the decision making process quite a bit. I definitely like the city of Miami. The school was the hard part to adjust to. Albeit, my grades have suffered a little as Science is not my strong suit, so with my end goal in mind maybe a transfer is a solid decision. I think the main reason people were telling me to stay is that Undergrad is supposed to be a time for you to flaunt your independence. But, I guess in our case we have all of D-School to do that, even though that might be considerably different. My family has been generally open to the idea of me coming home (Mom was initially adamant I stayed here, but was more open once we had to figure out a housing situation for next year), but they did warn me that I will receive backlash from the community for doing so. Like "Why would you leave Miami to come back home? Could you not handle it?" While I like to believe I can just rub anyone else's judgments off my shoulders, I do not think anything can prepare me for what is going to come.

On the other hand I know that being at home I will not have to worry about my next meal, laundry, and tasks like that. My main priority will solely be studying and working to achieve my goals. I will be giving up that quintessential college experience by taking up the commuter style college life, but as I am not a big proponent of binge drinking or drinking underage in general, was that ever really for me in the first place? My parents also brought up the fact that at home my social life will not be the same as it was in high school. Most of my friends will be away at college, and they simply told me that they are busy too and cannot be my only friends. Which I totally understand. It would not be fair to them. Haha you can see why this has been a nerve-wrecking decision on my part. I just want to make sure the right decision is being made. One that will hopefully make me happier in the short run, but will benefit me in the long run also.

 

[fogorvostan]

Thank you everyone. You all have cleared up the decision making process quite a bit. I definitely like the city of Miami. The school was the hard part to adjust to. Albeit, my grades have suffered a little as Science is not my strong suit, so with my end goal in mind maybe a transfer is a solid decision. I think the main reason people were telling me to stay is that Undergrad is supposed to be a time for you to flaunt your independence. But, I guess in our case we have all of D-School to do that, even though that might be considerably different. My family has been generally open to the idea of me coming home (Mom was initially adamant I stayed here, but was more open once we had to figure out a housing situation for next year), but they did warn me that I will receive backlash from the community for doing so. Like "Why would you leave Miami to come back home? Could you not handle it?" While I like to believe I can just rub anyone else's judgments off my shoulders, I do not think anything can prepare me for what is going to come.

On the other hand I know that being at home I will not have to worry about my next meal, laundry, and tasks like that. My main priority will solely be studying and working to achieve my goals. I will be giving up that quintessential college experience by taking up the commuter style college life, but as I am not a big proponent of binge drinking or drinking underage in general, was that ever really for me in the first place? My parents also brought up the fact that at home my social life will not be the same as it was in high school. Most of my friends will be away at college, and they simply told me that they are busy too and cannot be my only friends. Which I totally understand. It would not be fair to them. Haha you can see why this has been a nerve-wrecking decision on my part. I just want to make sure the right decision is being made. One that will hopefully make me happier in the short run, but will benefit me in the long run also.

I think you're overthinking things a bit. I moved from PA to FL for undergrad. The first semester was the most rough because most of my friends went to Penn State and were still all together. I was upset that I didn't have that instant group of friends. Instead of coming back home, I made a conscious effort to get involved at USF. I joined organizations that I was interested in, start forming study groups, made it out to social events on campus, etc. Some of the people that you meet might become your friends, some won't, but you won't know until you put yourself out there.

You also need to relax about the worries related to drinking. Not everyone binge drinks every weekend - even in Miami. If you are truly concerned that you won't fit in because you don't party, then I would suggest looking into organizations more focused on academics. Joining an IFC frat might not fit what you are looking for, but joining a service fraternity might. Either way, like someone else said, use this time now to grow up.