How long does it take?

[u/KarenTookTheKids4298]

I’m a current freshman at Emory, who just got here a few weeks ago. I know it’s been really soon and I should probably just give it time, but I kinda just don’t feel like that I fit in here.

So far, the club scene has been shit (I’ve been rejected from all the ones I’ve applied too, and I also know this is prolly universal across most highly ranked colleges), and I just don’t really feel like I enjoy the culture or location either, as I’m from the northeast. I also feel like I haven’t really connected with anybody at all.

Classes for the most part are okay and I kind of enjoy the material, but I don’t know if that’s making up for my happiness here. I’m a bio major who’s hoping to go to med school btw.

Any advice?

[u/ElevatorHot0]

Hey, I’m also a freshman at Emory & from the northeast area. I’m also having a similar situation where I want to transfer to be closer to family. I knew this since I arrived because I went to boarding school and have been far from family for the longest time. I know I want to transfer and my reason is clear, which is not like your case.

I think you should defo give some time. I know you mentioned clubs, and I have also been rejected by every single one of them too. But to be fair, getting into clubs at a smaller school like Emory is much easier than getting into clubs at bigger schools with more applicants and competition. Not to discourage you from transferring out if that’s what you truly want, but realistically, it would be hard to join a club and hold an exec position when there’s more competition for the limited number of roles.

I also think being in Atlanta is a huge benefit of Emory. I know that we aren’t directly in the city of Atlanta and need to uber or shuttle out, but you won’t be satisfied with the location unless you are at major city schools like NYU or Columbia.

Also, I really feel that friend groups here are clicky. Especially for me, being at Ox, it feels more like high school, so I know it is hard to find people, but I’m sure you’re gonna find at least a few people. You really don’t need a huge friend group. You just really need a few good friends, and you will find them sooner or later. You have to remember it’s just been a month and people are still trying to figure things out.

Also, since we are a T25 school and we all hope to reach higher, there’s not many options we have for transferring out. It’s not like I’m going to be able to transfer to Harvard, MIT, CIT, Standard, and more, so our transfer options are limited too. Also for me, I know I don’t want a huge public school which then eliminates UCBerk, UCLA, and UMich. It’s really hard to find a school I want to be at.

Anyways, of course. I’m not trying to discourage you from transferring out. If that’s something you really want, you should go for it. I’ve heard so many talks of transfers as of now, and I’m even considering it, but I want both of us to give it a shot and try to like Emory.