If you find yourself on campus and not connecting with the culture, your classmates, faculty or major, transfer. Don’t wait to see if your disappointment changes, because it probably won’t.

For undergraduates wanting to transfer colleges, spring term freshman year is a great time for this. Most smaller to mid-size colleges accept a certain number of transfers in the spring to compensate for those students who were kicked out or dropped out from the previous term. It’s a gamble, but it may pay off. Right now the acceptance rate for transfers is about 64%.  Many college students don’t consider this option because they’re tired from the application process and most likely don’t like the idea of meeting new people and getting adjusted all over again.  It can be a burden, but well worth the pay off if you are unhappy with your school.  I recommend staying at your initial school for 1 semester (or 1 year), get great grades, look into the transfer process early on and start preparing the transfer materials ASAP.  The longer you wait, the less chance there is for ALL your credits to transfer. Don’t stay at a school you don’t enjoy. It’s not worth the time, money or experience.

Side note: The downside is that many schools do not offer housing to transfer students, just entering freshman. Be sure to look into this as well.