Should I transfer from a private university to a public one?

Hi Rebecca! Good question! My biggest piece of advice is that college is what you make of it. I went to a small, private, liberal arts school and one of my best friends went to a large, public, state university and at the end of the day we both loved our schools and had similar experiences.

Given that, it is important to consider the environment you work well in. For me, I am pretty shy and quiet, if I had gone to a large school, I think I might have gotten lost in the crowd and I don't know that I would have become the person I am now. Going to a small school helped me to grow in an environment I felt comfortable in. The smaller class sizes made it easier to get help/attention from my professors and build relationships with them. It also helped build relationships with people who were in my major who helped me through college in study groups and people I have kept in contact with for potential job opportunities and such. The small student body helped me to get to know people quickly and develop friendships that will last and again opened up opportunities for networking and jobs. Further, at my school we had a strong sense of community that included our alumni who would constantly reach out to help us find and get jobs.

These were things that I don't know that I would have had the same experience/opportunity with at a large school. Not saying they aren't available at large schools but they might be harder to find and may have more competition. That also said, people recognize large school names which can also help when applying for jobs. Large companies often recruit at these large schools and many large schools are involved with special projects or have special research opportunities.

Right now I work for a large company and I work with people who went to a small private college and people who went to a large public university. We all ended up in the same place and most of us thought college was the best four years of our lives. But each of us are different, some are more aggressive in seeking out opportunities and outgoing and others are more quiet in our working style and reserved. Both types have equal amount of success in my job.

Over all, both are great options and you can get where you want to go from either place but its about what is best for you. College debt is not fun but with the end goal being a job after college you will be able to pay off the loans.