I am posting this here because I respect the opinion of café members. I am a freshman at Fairfield University and I am considering transferring. I have 4 A’s and a B (French.) I hardly do any work. Aside from writing papers, I do maybe half an hour of work per day. My teachers do not challenge me, and I am not learning to my full potential. Non-academically, I have not molded well with the student body. There are a fair amount of snobby people here who are concerned with nothing else but how they look, and what others think of them. In short, it feels like high school all over.
I am looking for a school with a more rigorous academic program, the type of professors who will push a student to achieve new knowledge, and a student body that actually cares about learning. Problem is, I don’t know a whole lot about where to look. I live in Massachusetts, and I want to stay within 3-4 hours driving distance of Boston. I want a smallish school (2,000-6,000,) a strong liberal arts program (I am still undecided,) close proximity to a city, and most importantly the factors I listed above.
Put it this way; I want to go to school with kids that will be willing to talk about more than just sport, girls, and beer – I want to go to school with kids who have some substance to them.
I want to go to school with kids that will be willing to talk about more than just sport, girls, and beer
The only place I know of to find that would be an all girls school...
Yes doctor, I am sick. Sick of those who are spineless. Sick of those who feel self-entitled. Sick of those who are hypocrites. Yes doctor, an army is forming. Yes doctor, there will be a war. Yes doctor, there will be blood.....
bceagles04 wrote:There are a fair amount of snobby people here who are concerned with nothing else but how they look, and what others think of them. In short, it feels like high school all over.
I hate to be the one to break it to you, but that will likely never change, no matter where you go. Look around you, anywhere, and we're constantly fed materialism. This is certainly not exclusive to your university. If you're looking for a challenge, this is it. You'll have many more like this and if you begin running now you'll never stop. Eventually you will find someone who shares your interests as well. Until then, when not being bored not chasing girls and/or drinking, get a constructive hobby and get really good at it. Go over the reasons why you chose this school in the first place. Don't make a decision based on the social aspects. Good luck.
bceagles04 wrote:There are a fair amount of snobby people here who are concerned with nothing else but how they look, and what others think of them. In short, it feels like high school all over.
I hate to be the one to break it to you, but that will likely never change, no matter where you go. Look around you, anywhere, and we're constantly fed materialism. This is certainly not exclusive to your university. If you're looking for a challenge, this is it. You'll have many more like this and if you begin running now you'll never stop. Eventually you will find someone who shares your interests as well. Until then, when not being bored not chasing girls and/or drinking, get a constructive hobby and get really good at it. Go over the reasons why you chose this school in the first place. Don't make a decision based on the social aspects. Good luck.
Agreed. College is the new high school in this country. You probably would get challenged more at a school like UMass, though. I know an "intellectual"-type person that went there and got a degree in ACS Chemistry. He seemed to enjoy it. If you're looking for stimulating conversation amongst your peers you're probably going to have to wait until graduate school if you choose to pursue it.
Other than that I'm not too familiar with the Boston area universities. And honestly, I think you'll find that no matter where you go, aside from a Vanderbilt/Harvard/etc., liberal arts will not be challenging as an undergrad.
Also, if you're a freshman, you're probably taking mainly general ed courses, once you get into higher level classes and start focusing on your major, I would suspect that the classwork will become at least somewhat more challenging, and some of the students who are just there because they don't have anything better to do will get weeded out. And you really don't need to rely on your professors to learn. Motivate yourself if that's what it takes. They don't know anything that can't be found in a book.
Also, if you're a freshman, you're probably taking mainly general ed courses, once you get into higher level classes and start focusing on your major, I would suspect that the classwork will become at least somewhat more challenging, and some of the students who are just there because they don't have anything better to do will get weeded out. And you really don't need to rely on your professors to learn. Motivate yourself if that's what it takes. They don't know anything that can't be found in a book.
That's what I was thinking. Since you're a freshman, you are probably 2 1/2 months into your colege career. That is much too early to make a rash decision. You are at a very good school. Give it time.
I agree with everyone. Typically, your freshman year is full of core curriculum classes and even if you have a specific major, typically you're taking one or two courses per term on the major you're on. You'll get more involved with whatever major you decide later in your college career.
Seems to me every university has its crop of snobby, materialistic kids. I used to think this was confined to private schools, having gone to a rich kids' Catholic college myself, but turns out it holds true elsewhere. In this day and age, most businesses want to market to 18-25 year olds and you'll find most going to college to be quite cosmopolitan in thought and in the way they carry themselves. I didn't get along with most people I met too in my first 2-3 years in college, but I found that by senior year, I had more friends. I think it has to do with the maturity gained having gone through 4 years of college and to varying extents, I think all have gained such maturity.
IllinoisBandit wrote:Other than that I'm not too familiar with the Boston area universities. And honestly, I think you'll find that no matter where you go, aside from a Vanderbilt/Harvard/etc., liberal arts will not be challenging as an undergrad.
In some majors, no college is REALLY challenging for the intro level classes. Some majors give you tons of busy work (like team projects, weekly quizzes, ect..) others you will just have papers. Most of the people i know in college never did any of the "required" reading and graduated at the top of their classes.
A lot of people do transfer schools, but i wouldn't necessarily recommend that until you have spent more than one semester there.
"I do not think baseball of today is any better than it was 30 years ago... I still think Radbourne is the greatest of the pitchers." John Sullivan 1914-Old athletes never change.
I felt a similar way regarding the classes I took my first semester last year (my freshman year). In fact, I am pretty sure core classes piss a lot of people off because it's not what they want to study. As far as the people you have come across and disliked, I would say give it another semester. You never know, you may grow into it and end up liking it.
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by bceagles04 » Tue Nov 20, 2007 1:07 am 
