should I transfer colleges?

Question

I'm posting this again because I accidentally closed it to new answer...
Should I transfer colleges?
I am completing my fresman year at a small prestigious university 5 hours from my home, where I am on partial merit scholarship. the people are nice, the classes are challenging but great. However, I'm not happy; I cry a few times a week and have even been diagnosed with clinical depression by the counseling service here. My friends are great and have made an effort to help me; some days are actually very nice but I feel like they are so rare. Over winter break when I was home with my parents I was happy for the first time in a long time. Now I am considering transferring to NYU, from which I can hop on a train and be with my parents anytime I need to in 40 minutes. However, NYU is very expensive but I have a best friend from home there to live with. What should I do? Please give advice.

Answer 1

To start with if u have clinical depression, u need to be in therapy and on anti depressants.. Changing colleges is NOT going to cure depression.. College courses in themselves are enough to cause depression. Have u talked to ur parents about the depression? I don't know that transferring schools will help.. It may make things worse because it's so much more expensive and u have that stress. Nobody can tell u what to do.. Eventually u have to be "independent" and get away from home. I would first talk to ur family DOC about ur depression.. He may recommend therapy or meds.. The meds will NOT start working for 4-6 weeks.. Don't make any drastic decisions u will regret.. With depression good times will come and go.. IF u are crying a lot, u def. need professional help..they can help u decide what is best...

Answer 2

I'm glad you found that you were happy when you were at home with your folks. Being depressed is awful and it is such a relief when there is some sunshine. But are you sure that transferring is the answer? Perhaps you need to take a break from school altogether to remove the stress you appear to be feeling. A lot of people I know take a gap year. This is a really valuable opportunity. You are at a point in your life where you can afford to pause and explore what satisfies you,

Please consider this option before you jump into something expensive that may or may not make you happy. There are a lot of opportunities for travel and volunteer work that could prove enriching. You don't say what your major is or even whether you have chosen one yet. Is it possible that this is an underlying concern? Please think about what might be making you unhappy or anxious before you continue on the same path, spending more money, with only a closer travel time to your parents as reassurance.

Here are some sites to get you started:
www.gapyear.com
www.yearoutgroup.org/organisations.htm
www.gap-year.com

just google gap year and you'll find a ton more.


On a personal note, I took a year's sabbatical and traveled in Europe. It was a most enriching, happy time! Impossible for me to be sad - the first winter I didn't feel down.

I wish you the best of luck and the happiest of lives!

Answer 3

Follow your heart and be happy for now. Have no regrets.