Lately the idea has crept into my head that it might be a good idea to transfer to another university next year. It’s a pretty big decision, and I know how my parents feel about it as well as how my friends do, so I thought I’d ask the Teeming Millions to get a broader perspective.
Right now, I’m a student at Oklahoma City University, majoring in English Composition and planning on law school for my graduate work. It’s a good school, with an excellent law program. However, I didn’t exactly know what I was getting myself into signing up to attend this place. There’s a huge emphasis on performing arts. Without exaggeration, there are probably less than 20 other English majors in my class. The vast majority of students are theater, vocal/instrumental performance, or dance majors with whom I have very, very little in common.
I know it’s sort of an intangible, but I don’t want to spend more years in a place where I have to hear mildly talented students belting out musicals to each other in the cafeteria, or watch them do random dance steps while walking down the sidewalk.
The English program isn’t, so it seems, very good. I’ve spent the first 9 weeks of my Honors Composition essays being forced to write essays about how doing research projects makes me “feel.” It’s really, really hard to generate some kind of profound emotional revelation over something that I don’t have much of an investment in.
Plus, the school is located, literally, in the ghetto. Once you drive off campus the crime rate absolutely soars; we have to have 24-hour armed security patrols on campus, and, even with them, a potential stalker made his way into my friend’s dorm building. He got caught purely by chance, as security was there responding to a call that someone had heatstroke.
Another intangible, but it’s just not “clicking” for me. I don’t have any sense of connection to this place, only the obligation to go to class and get decent grades. I’m fine with slogging through it for another semester, but I don’t know if I can handle undergrad plus law school in the same place.
On the positive side, all of my money is taken care of. They gave me full scholarship, so my parents only pay for room and board and textbooks. I don’t have to work, and I’m guaranteed a virtual “in” to the law school when the time comes. My parents don’t see the point in me leaving a situation that seems so easy on the surface, but I’d rather work and have a more difficult time if I were more satisfied with what I’m doing.
My two main alternatives right now are Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and University of Texas in Austin.
My boyfriend goes to Wash. U., so I have more-or-less a group waiting for me there. Their English and law programs are great, and the campus is absolutely gorgeous. It’s located in a nice neighborhood, so I don’t have to worry about walking off-campus at night, much less in the daytime like I do here. On the downside, it’s quite a bit more expensive, which my parents, obviously, will not be thrilled about. According to FAFSA, they can afford to pay more than the full tuition, but their willingness to do it is another matter entirely. I do have a good ACT score and academics, plus credits from the Oklahoma School of Science and Math and recommendations which could net me enough money to make it viable. Maybe.
The University of Texas costs almost exactly the same as here, and I think I could get it all paid for. A cousin I’m close to lives there, and he keeps telling me how much I’d love the city. It would definetly be nice to have family in the area, and somewhere to ‘escape’ to whenever I needed t get off-campus.
So, Dopers, what should I do? I don’t want to waste time here being unhappy with it, but I also don’t want to get myself stuck in a difficult situation somewhere further away from home.
Thanks!
-Kody