Freshman year

[hnbui]

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I'm not really feeling my school.....(Tulane)..... I just didn't expect it to be like this.....



Did anyone have similar feelings about their school during their freshmen year?

 

[Fermata]

I'm not really feeling my school.....(Tulane)..... I just didn't expect it to be like this.....



Did anyone have similar feelings about their school during their freshmen year?

How exactly are you "not really feeling" it?

What exactly were your expectations?

 

[hnbui]

How exactly are you "not really feeling" it?

What exactly were your expectations?

I just don't feel like i would like being here for 4 years.

I don't like the professors... they seem more interested in their research than actually teaching.........

I was expecting better professors, opportunities for premeds, more facilities..... I was just expecting college to be different....

I don't know i was just wondering if it was normal to feel this way as a freshmen.

 

[La Miraflorina]

I felt that way, too, at my college. After my first year, I ended up changing my major and finding a group of friends I adored, all of which, made me stay at the school. My college years were some of the best of my life but after graduating, I realized just how wrong the school was for me, (academically), and now wish I had transferred.

My advice is to sit down and write out exactly what you don't like about the school. Don't write things like, "it's just not what I expected". Write exactly what you expected and how the school is not fulfilling that. i.e. write concrete reasons. With that list in hand, I think you'll know what you should do.

Good luck..

 

[goheel]

Don't worry, it'll get better. You'll get to know more people. It's like my freshman year, there was this guy named Zane, who was really annoying, but he turned out alright. 😉

 

[Fermata]

Don't worry, it'll get better. You'll get to know more people. It's like my freshman year, there was this guy named Zane, who was really annoying, but he turned out alright. 😉

..... 😀

 

[DrYo12]

Don't worry, it'll get better. You'll get to know more people. It's like my freshman year, there was this guy named Zane, who was really annoying, but he turned out alright. 😉

you sure about that? from what I hear, he's one taco shy of a dozen...😀

 

[Fermata]

you sure about that? from what I hear, he's one taco shy of a dozen...😀

You all will pay dearly. 😀

 

[DrYo12]

You all will pay dearly. 😀

you'd have to get off the porch and put the banjo down first! 😛

 

[Fermata]

you'd have to get off the porch and put the banjo down first! 😛

My time will come. 😀

 

[DrYo12]

My time will come. 😀

yes, but who really knows how long it will take for pigs to fly?

 

[Fermata]

yes, but who really knows how long it will take for pigs to fly?

"Hey, it could happen." 😀

 

[DrYo12]

"Hey, it could happen." 😀

👍 Find your happy place, Fermata. 😀

 

[vikaskoth]

I'm not really feeling my school.....(Tulane)..... I just didn't expect it to be like this.....



Did anyone have similar feelings about their school during their freshmen year?

hey, i'm a senior at tulane and i'm originally from LA. I think this is a pretty common occurance, i thought first semester kinda sucked too. It jus takes everyone a lil while before they find people they like and what type of stuff they like about the school and new orleans. But on the other hand New Orleans does seem to be a love it or hate it type place to come to college. our tour guide at tulane med said he couldnt stand being in new orleans the first 7 mo and after he loves it. I guess also i'm wondering what you mean but i didn't expect it to be like this? pm if you want, I felt i missed out on a lot of stuff during undergrad cause it sure goes by fast.

 

[vikaskoth]

I just don't feel like i would like being here for 4 years.

I don't like the professors... they seem more interested in their research than actually teaching.........

I was expecting better professors, opportunities for premeds, more facilities..... I was just expecting college to be different....

I don't know i was just wondering if it was normal to feel this way as a freshmen.

ok i skimmed through the thread, didnt see this reply.

Professors i believe are like that at lots of schools, your freshman year you really don't learn anything very interesting at all and for this reason you might find this out, Tulane has some good science profs and good classes at the upper levels. There are also supposed to be plenty of great profs outside science courses, go to yahoo and search grade-it.com for Tulanes ratings

I think there are very good opportunities for premeds, There are plenty of hospitals to volunteer at. I have friends doing research all over, at Tulane med, Lsu med, and at Tulane. Most start after sophomore year though.
And the premed office is good about making sure your on track for the app process and they require you to get your app together before you file amcas. I've talked to friends at other schools where there preprofessional office is not as involved. I have friends in TEMS, and while the calls on campus arent the greatest, one of my friends is fully certified and worked during the summer. Cactus is supposed to be a very good organization and its one i regret not joining, plenty of community service projects around new orleans.
hell maybe you jus need to go up to the levee with some friends, hang out and get drunk.

 

[hnbui]

Well i don't like the city...I grew up in neworleans.

I have great friends at the school... It's just that i wished that there were more classes available, that more teachers taught, that class registration wasn't so competitive. I was just expecting more because i heard alot of good stuff about tulane.


But... mainly...i had a bad attitude about tulane before the semester even started. I really wanted to go out of state.....

I'm confused right now to tell you the truth.

 

[vikaskoth]

oh ok, well if you think tulanes got competitive registration, be glad you dont go to lsu. I'm from lafayette and it seems that many people that go out of state, get sick of that and transfer home, and some are super happy to leave.
A lot of college is what you make it, and that seems to be the same with med school, but maybe you can sort out stuff over the break, good luck.

 

[hnbui]

yeah it's probably from studying for my chem finals.... 😀


oh yeah i hate the chem book.... petrucci sucks.......

 

[DrYo12]

I just don't feel like i would like being here for 4 years.

There's a couple of factors at work here. If you're away from home, there's a bit of homesickness going on here. I was only 45 mins from home, and I was still homesick because I lived in the dorms on campus. I know its different for everyone, but when you're visiting the campus as a high school senior that goes home, its a very different reality than waking up every morning to come to campus. Give it at least until the end of the year until you decide what you think.

I don't like the professors... they seem more interested in their research than actually teaching.........

Professors--At the stage of the game you're at, that's unfortunately what you're going to find. Most professors are obligated to teach something in order to stay at research-oriented institutions, and will often pick the basics (gen chem, gen bio, etc) so that they can just deliver some lectures that they've got canned. They can hire TAs to grade all the work and even though the class is huge, they end up with less work because they can delegate. Not all profs are like this, but unforunately, there are enough so that you may have gotten the impression that they're all like that. Try not to let it get to you--you will have plenty of professors that love to teach.

I was expecting better professors, opportunities for premeds, more facilities..... I was just expecting college to be different....

Premed opportunities, etc.--At this point, you're smart in figuring out what's out there, but try not to get so bogged down in participating in everything that you start worrying about missing something. As you become more familiar with the campus and with each office, you will figure out where to go for posting job or volunteer or research opportunities. You're still a wee one on campus--give yourself a chance to figure things out!!

I don't know i was just wondering if it was normal to feel this way as a freshmen.

All this is perfectly normal as a freshman. Some will come in thinking they've got it all figured out (and some people actually do) but most will start college expecting things to be a certain way and will realise that college isn't what they thought it would be while they were in high school. And if you haven't figured this out yet, not everyone is going to tell you the truth about how they feel. If you ask other people, many will tell you that everything is great and that they're doing well (they're gunners, don't become like them). Everyone has something that they have to adjust to about being in college...give yourself some time!

 

[tank you]

if theres one thing i regret during my freshmen year, its that i didnt meet enough people and didn't make any close friends. just make sure u go socialize in the dorms and at parties, you will feel better.

 

[ShyRem]

I hear everyone saying it will get better... and perhaps it will. However, don't close your eyes to the possibility of transferring. I'm currently a non-trad finishing my bachelors degree, mainly because I went to a college the first time that absolutely was NOT for me. I went there for all the wrong reasons, and ended up hating the school, not going to classes, and finally withdrawing at the end of my sophomore year. Yes, I tried.. I went to all the socialize things, the gatherings, the study groups. The academics at the school were awesome - the personal fit for me just wasn't there. Sometimes the school just isn't for you.

I'm absolutely not (not not not) saying that you'll end up feeling that way; but be prepared and perhaps investigate other schools you might be interested in transferring to if you still feel this way next year.

 

[QofQuimica]

I'm not really feeling my school.....(Tulane)..... I just didn't expect it to be like this.....

Did anyone have similar feelings about their school during their freshmen year?

I think that most people go through a period like this when they first start college or even anytime they start at a new school. Three years ago, I transferred grad schools, and even though I'm used to being on my own and I'm imminently pushing 30 (!), I had a rough first year. It's a difficult adjustment, maybe your first time away from home, you're a little fish in a big pond instead of maybe being a big fish in a little pond like you were in high school, that kind of thing.

I would suggest that you try to figure out what exactly about your school bothers you. Do you think it is Tulane specifically or just the stress of college in general? You might also try speaking to a counselor at your school; your student health clinic can help you find one and you probably won't have to pay for it. Finally, if you aren't absolutely sure that it is Tulane itself that is making you so miserable, then make a deal with yourself that you will stick it out for at least the whole year. If you don't feel any better about being at Tulane by the time you are a sophomore, then you can look into transferring somewhere else. But make sure if you do this that you do your homework about the new school ahead of time, because you don't want to keep shifting from school to school. I can tell you from experience that you lose a lot of time and credits every time you transfer! Still, if you are so miserable that you'd rather do just about anything than continue there, then it may be worth it.

Here's wishing for a great spring semester for all of us who are slogging through school.

 

[LauraMac]

i HATED where i was freshmen year and i transferred right away. i LOVED where i transferred. really investigate why you think you're not happy there and see if transferring will change those things - be sure to check out the school before going. before i transferred i went to the school a lot to party and i asked my friends how their classes were and if they were happy. after really investigating things i made the decision to transfer, and it was the best decision i ever made!!

good luck to you! i hope you figure out exactly what you want to do.

 

[logos]

I think college is never what anyone expected. Particularly living in the dorms is a hell of a shock. I was in a very similar situation. I didnt hate the school I went too my freshman year, but knew it wasnt a good fit. Really I could tell within the first few weeks that it wasnt right, but I didnt know for sure until February or so. As a result, I transfered to another school which I absolutely love.

The decision to transfer is a really tough one to make. Its like risking a crappy but familiar situation for an unknown, and thus much scarier, situation. You need to sit down and try to rationally determine what it is specifically about your school that you dont like and whether that would be alleviated by changing. (eg. the professors thing wont change from school to school...but will probably get better as you get to higher level courses). The things I really didnt like about my first school were the people (school well known for having a really f'ed up student culture) and the rural environment (20k students, 5k townies). I knew that both of these would be different at a different school. (my current school, OSU, is the largest in country)

Whatever you end up doing...just make sure it is based on reason (be honest with yourself and use some logic) and whe you do make a decision make that your final decision and pursue it. What i'm trying to say is once you decide, dont be wishy-washy...pursue what you want and get it. Also be aware of deadline which might cause issues.

Oh yeah, and remember that whatever you do the future will be great...gotta be positive. It all worked out fine for me (just got into med school), and im sure it will for you too. Feel free to pm me.

cameron

 

[Homer Doughnuts]

If you are not feeling Tulane, try feeling the bars in the French Quartrer I'm sure the will help you cope !!