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Can't stand my school, want to transfer badly but should I now or wait?


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Hello, I am 18 and currently in my second year of online college. The college is a well-respected school, not some for-profit scam school like Phoenix, Devry, or Capella. The problem is I am experiencing a lot of issues. No, it is not me just being lazy and not putting in effort. These issues are with the actual staff and interface itself. My student advisor is very absent a lot of the time. If I send her an email, she will not reply for at least a week and when she does reply it does not directly answer my question. I am taking 2 classes this term (semesters are split into terms rather than just one continuous semester) and will be taking 2 classes the next term, for a total of 12 credit hours. So far, I have not had a wink of support from ANY of my professors. I email them with questions I may come across and like my advisor, they take eons to answer. The answers I do recieve are very rude and basically contain a "figure it out yourself" kind of attitude.

 

I am not looking to be babied. I know this is college and they're there to prepare me for the real world but my questions are actually very legitimate questions. The interface we use for the e-classroom is always buggy and has loads of problems. For example, one assignment I needed to do required me to submit it to Turnitin after completion. The Turnitin portal in the classroom was not configured by the professor so I had emailed him. No response. This was due Saturday and guess what happened? He graded my assignment a 0 because I did not submit it to Turnitin. How the hell am I supposed to submit to Turnitin if you did not configure the damn setup or answer your email?? I just sent him an email giving him a piece of my mind. I did the work and I deserve credit!! I had a perfect A in that class and now I have a B. Anyways, these are just examples of why I wanna transfer.

 

I have several options of where I can transfer. I live in NJ and my boyfriend lives in Florida so naturally, I am gonna wanna transfer to Florida. Not only because of him though. I hate being up north and I have been to Florida many times. It is lovely!! I just gotta find out where I wanna transfer to. He lives in Tampa so I was considering USF but at the rate these grades are coming in, I don't even know if they'd accept me. I have a 3.57 GPA currently. All because of my professors being grade robots rather than teachers who should actually support their students. The school I am going to now is based in Florida but definitely I am not transferring there after all this nonsense that's been occurring. I was looking into several schools in Miami which have low requirements. Miami is a nice city and has nice weather, also has a lot of nightlife. I am considering transferring to one of those Miami schools but I'm not sure what I should do yet. I have a great job as a freelancer working remotely so money isn't an issue since my job will follow me anywhere.

 

I just don't wanna end up making a decision that I would reget since I don't know if I'd be allowed to transfer twice if I don't like the school I transfer to. So what should I do? Should I try to transfer now or wait until I bring my grades up so I can go to USF? Thanks for your help!

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Start applying now and see what credits you can transfer. This online course/school sounds substandard. Also make sure your device and software is up to date, compatible with the collage's interface and you have a secure stable internet connection. Does this online collage have any tech help available? That as much of a problem as lazy, unresponsive teachers.

 

Apply to all the schools in that area and shoot for the best. Also look into scholarships, student loans, student housing etc.

I have several options of where I can transfer. I was considering USF but at the rate these grades are coming in, I don't even know if they'd accept me. I have a 3.57 GPA currently.

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Devils advocate. Wouldn’t the entire class have had problems if the portal wasn’t set up?

 

But yes. Research options. But remember, professors and such are not at your beck and call. When I was a TA, I hated when students emailed me right before an assignment was due. If it was due at midnight and you emailed me at 11 pm, too bad - I’m in bed.

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Start applying now and see what credits you can transfer. This online course/school sounds substandard. Also make sure your device and software is up to date, compatible with the collage's interface and you have a secure stable internet connection. Does this online collage have any tech help available? That as much of a problem as lazy, unresponsive teachers.

 

Apply to all the schools in that area and shoot for the best. Also look into scholarships, student loans, student housing etc.

 

It is certainly substandard! They try to portray themselves as a "prestigious" university but prestige is absolutely NOT something I've experienced. I found a school that is actually 30 minutes away from my bf! And the amazing part is they offer the program I am going for. Downside is the tuition is kind of high since it is a private school but I would likely qualify for some of their scholarships since my GPA is within the minimum. I would even qualify for a guaranteed admission track once I get 17 more credits! I should have those by April. Hopefully I can get into this school. The acceptance rate isn't too competitive either so I have a good shot.

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Devils advocate. Wouldn’t the entire class have had problems if the portal wasn’t set up?

 

But yes. Research options. But remember, professors and such are not at your beck and call. When I was a TA, I hated when students emailed me right before an assignment was due. If it was due at midnight and you emailed me at 11 pm, too bad - I’m in bed.

 

I usually only email if I have something serious that I need to ask about. Meanwhile, I see other classmates posting about stupid stuff in the "HELP ME" discussion board and the professors are so polite to them. But with me, they're rude and condescending. I think they're discriminatory because I have an LGBT flag on my profile.

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I usually only email if I have something serious that I need to ask about. Meanwhile, I see other classmates posting about stupid stuff in the "HELP ME" discussion board and the professors are so polite to them. But with me, they're rude and condescending. I think they're discriminatory because I have an LGBT flag on my profile.

 

I sincerely doubt that. When do you email them? And what about the TIN comment I made?

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I would think about what is most important to you, in terms of a school experience. Student involvement? A sense of community? A field of study? My inference from your posts so far is that you want the feeling of a supportive community. To that end, I would look at smaller schools. Secondarily, I suggest finding small community environments within larger university settings such as fields of study that are small, or topic-specific dorms, etc.

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I usually only email if I have something serious that I need to ask about. Meanwhile, I see other classmates posting about stupid stuff in the "HELP ME" discussion board and the professors are so polite to them. But with me, they're rude and condescending. I think they're discriminatory because I have an LGBT flag on my profile.

 

Email v posting in the Help Me discussion board -- two very different venues.

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I transferred from a community college then two a series of two California state colleges before graduating from the final one. My ultimate goal was the one from where I earned my degree.

 

I was initially fine with the first university, but it had a lousy vibe. I had settled by going there. So I moved to toe last school. I am glad I did despite doing so adding a year onto my schooling.

 

I vote for transferring.

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I sincerely doubt that. When do you email them? And what about the TIN comment I made?

 

Usually during office hours. Only email outside of office hours if I was busy earlier in the day and couldn't get to them. I think it's just the online schooling may not be for me. I did online high school too and I experienced similar issues but not as bad cause the teachers would be quick in responses, almost like instant messaging. But online school is more for someone who can work well by themselves and not require one-on-one. There are times were I need one-on-one which is why I am wanting to transfer to campus.

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Usually during office hours. Only email outside of office hours if I was busy earlier in the day and couldn't get to them. I think it's just the online schooling may not be for me. I did online high school too and I experienced similar issues but not as bad cause the teachers would be quick in responses, almost like instant messaging. But online school is more for someone who can work well by themselves and not require one-on-one. There are times were I need one-on-one which is why I am wanting to transfer to campus.

 

Another reason to target a smaller school or small structured program of study. Also, when you get to campus, find a reason to stop by your teachers' offices once a week. It helps in several ways - it forces you to think of a topic to discuss, it keeps you engaged, and both those things make it easier for the teacher to be ore supportive of you.

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You need to consider two things. What are you studying and how well that college or university is ranked on that program. I don't mean that that school claims to be prestigious, but how are they actually ranked by outside agencies on that particular program? When you are graduating and looking for a job, where you got your degree from will matter a lot. Graduating from a top ranked university in that field makes a big difference not only in your ability to get work, but in your paycheck. It matters because that will set up the rest of your career and I can't emphasize that enough.

 

Second thing to consider is out of the top schools for your particular area of study, which suits your needs best? In other words, where will you be most successful personally. If you need one on one attention, then definitely don't go to a university where you'll be student #45,059. Aim for a smaller school where you will be able to get the attention that you need to succeed.

 

Again, don't just read what the school claims, check independent rankings, check what other resources say. Finally when you have your top 3 narrowed down, go visit in person and spend a few days there. Go sit in on lecture, meet the admin staff and professors. See what the atmosphere is like and what the student body is like.

 

Finally, as tempting as it may be to want to go where your bf is, do not base your major life decisions on a relationship, especially not a college one. Hate to say this, but relationships come and go, your degree is for life and you want to be sure it's actually worth something.

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You need to consider two things. What are you studying and how well that college or university is ranked on that program. I don't mean that that school claims to be prestigious, but how are they actually ranked by outside agencies on that particular program? When you are graduating and looking for a job, where you got your degree from will matter a lot. Graduating from a top ranked university in that field makes a big difference not only in your ability to get work, but in your paycheck. It matters because that will set up the rest of your career and I can't emphasize that enough.

 

Second thing to consider is out of the top schools for your particular area of study, which suits your needs best? In other words, where will you be most successful personally. If you need one on one attention, then definitely don't go to a university where you'll be student #45,059. Aim for a smaller school where you will be able to get the attention that you need to succeed.

 

Again, don't just read what the school claims, check independent rankings, check what other resources say. Finally when you have your top 3 narrowed down, go visit in person and spend a few days there. Go sit in on lecture, meet the admin staff and professors. See what the atmosphere is like and what the student body is like.

 

Finally, as tempting as it may be to want to go where your bf is, do not base your major life decisions on a relationship, especially not a college one. Hate to say this, but relationships come and go, your degree is for life and you want to be sure it's actually worth something.

 

I'm definitely gonna go to a smaller school. Nothing beats the one-on-one support recieved in those type of environments! Plus the close interaction with peers means more parties. The good part is I was able to get my professor to change the grade and give me credit for my assignment. So now I have an A again! As for going to school near my boyfriend, that isn't the only reason why I wanna go to Florida. I just love Florida as the state and I wanna get outta this cold weather here in NJ. The one school I have eyes on is so close to the beach which will be an amazing stress relief for when I get overwhelmed! Being close to my bf would just be a bonus. I thought of going to school in Las Vegas at UNLV since I've always wanted to live there but I've been hearing a lot of bad stuff about that school so it is a no-go for me. Sticking with USFSP as my target school but Eckerd College and University of Tampa will be my safeties.

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I'm definitely gonna go to a smaller school. Nothing beats the one-on-one support recieved in those type of environments! Plus the close interaction with peers means more parties. The good part is I was able to get my professor to change the grade and give me credit for my assignment. So now I have an A again! As for going to school near my boyfriend, that isn't the only reason why I wanna go to Florida. I just love Florida as the state and I wanna get outta this cold weather here in NJ. The one school I have eyes on is so close to the beach which will be an amazing stress relief for when I get overwhelmed! Being close to my bf would just be a bonus. I thought of going to school in Las Vegas at UNLV since I've always wanted to live there but I've been hearing a lot of bad stuff about that school so it is a no-go for me. Sticking with USFSP as my target school but Eckerd College and University of Tampa will be my safeties.

 

I just googled usfsp; it has a 32% graduation rate for full time students within 6 years. You may want to look into it further: students may be somewhat transient and you might not get that sense of community you seek.

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