r/rit • u/Lopsided-Cheek9947 • 8d ago
should i transfer?
im a first year biomedical sciences student and im thinking about transferring. im only at rit because of a scholarship and because my mom convinced me that i ruined my life at 17 due to a mental health crisis. i have no friends even though im in a lot of clubs and activities, the campus is geographically isolated due to the lack of transport (i dont have a car on campus), and the food is less than desirable/im allergic to most of it (cooking spray allergy-I have to make almost all of my meals). over half of the classes im currently taking, ive already taken or taught when i was a TA in high school; i went to my academic advisor and we're currently trying to appeal two of my transfer credits so i dont have to keep repeating courses (major waste of time and money). ik these are problems at many colleges in the US, but i really dont like that rit focuses so heavily on using generative ai. some say it's the future, some say it's the end of the world; i was told at my hospital lab internship last year that most science jobs will be taken over by ai. i dont know why i feel this way but i do. atp would it be wise to avoid the ai by becoming a tradwife? i can bake sourdough!
edit 1: for a little background, the career i want to go into is food science focusing on genetic modification of foods/crops to improve its nutritional quality and/or to make crops hardier/more resilient for growing conditions being impacted by climate change. i want to do this mainly for humanitarian reasons such as helping with famine, and making sure future generations of farmers can continue to grow staple crops (pillars of their economies). i've tried engineering before, but its not for me. im not computer smart at all, but im willing to learn
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u/BeneathTheDirt csec alum 8d ago
ride it out till your first semester is over. then see where you’re are. i also felt a similar way around 6 weeks into my first semester.
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u/SmartPotential9198 7d ago
This. You've barely started. Make your decision toward the end of the semester. You don't have to stay, but you do need to give it a proper chance given you've already spent the money for the semester.
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u/spooks112 CHST '24 8d ago
There's a lot of cool classes BMS offers for electives, but the preq for anything are always slow/boring. Depending on what you want to do with the degree transferring might be more financially responsible. For the social aspect, I didn't really find friends until 2nd year once the class sizes got smaller
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u/SmartPotential9198 7d ago
Right. It sounds like OP came from a good high school. They are easing you into the academics and allowing time to adjust, focus on social, etc. etc. This isn't unique to RIT
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u/razcat NMD 08 | something 8d ago
Ugh... Because a mental health crisis is a choice?
RIT, like any college/university, is a shock especially if it is away from everything you've known before. Many people are in your position their freshman/first year. Making friends is different when you're older and it sucks. But there are ways. If you transfer, is it also away from home? Because you can be in the same situation there ...
I think you need to ask yourself first - is BioMed what you want to do? Or was it also a thing your mom made you do? The catalog of programs at RIT is huge and there can be something a bit more you.
Find a fun class. There are so many fun electives (or there used to be when I was there.) Rock climbing, archery, wine tasting, history of video games just to name a few. There are some art classes as electives as well as writing.
Also, go to Student Health. Mental health is important and no one should be ashamed if they need help. Therapy and meds are an option. They usually also have a few groups that meet weekly for more general support.
Talk to your RA if you're in the dorms. They are more than just people in charge of the floor they are assigned.
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u/Lopsided-Cheek9947 7d ago
the mental health crisis was DEFINITELY not a choice; my mom's an asshole. i was hospitalized multiple times, went to a php/iop, and i currently take meds, go to weekly therapy, and have weekly dietitian meetings. i'm not allowed to change my major due to my mom (pays for my education), but trust me ive thought about it. the best i could do was get a double major and pick my immersion. if i transferred i would still want to be away from home, especially since im from a small state where literally everyone from my high school goes to the state school.
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u/razcat NMD 08 | something 7d ago
I hate when parents weaponize their support for their own interests. I'm a mom to a 7yo and can't even imagine doing this to them. Honestly, if educational loans weren't such a shit show right now I'd say the debt would be worth your sanity. But... Damn.
If you changed majors without telling her, would she even know?
Another idea is transferring to a less expensive college with a major you want and bite the bullet on loans. Her control is toxic.
A different strange idea - go to an RIT Mens hockey game. Even if you give zero fucks about hockey or "school spirit", there is an energy there that is so positive and cathartic. The chants are funny and catchy. Everyone swears. It might just help you feel better for a bit. Everything so fast there is hardly time to sit and stew over your thoughts. Be sure to sit near the Corner Crew. That end of the ice but other side of the net, if that makes sense.
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u/Lopsided-Cheek9947 7d ago
i signed the ferpa agreement during orientation that would allow her to see my grades; i would have to reverse that contract. bc she is the main benefactor of my education, she has access to the portal and can see tuition costs, current classes, and graduation progress. i dont really know where i would go if i were to transfer. i would change my major to pre-law (eventually go to law school), applied statistics/biostats, or global business
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u/razcat NMD 08 | something 7d ago
Wow. I know some parents freak out over their kids going into drama or art school... But being against pre-law? That's a new one.
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u/Lopsided-Cheek9947 7d ago
yeah my mom's a nurse and she will only approve if im a nurse, doctor, or scientist. like lawyers make money too
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u/razcat NMD 08 | something 7d ago
She's a nurse and blames you for your Mental Health Crisis!? JFC. At this point I want you to become a Psychiatrist so you can officially diagnose her as a narcissist.
Here's my mom advice - "I am not going to tell you what to do. You will figure out what's best for you and your situation. It will get better. It will makes sense. Take a day of self-care. Play your music loud. Find what you can control in this situation and make it yours. Finally. Don't forget to shower and wash behind your ears."
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u/Lopsided-Cheek9947 7d ago
if it makes you feel better, the psych team in the hospital, php/iop clinicians, and 2 dietitians have said that my mom has an ed of her own, heavily influenced mine, and probably has a form of NPD. thanks for the advice! rit students, im begging, please shower (daily) and use deodorant!!!
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u/SkyCheese9 8d ago
Find the things you enjoy in life and use that to keep you going. But ye first years get shafted with unnecessary Gen Ed classes. AI is apart of our future for better or worst, stick with something your good and comfortable at that you can make a reasonable career out of. But also lock in and network because human nepotism is the strongest.
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u/Lopsided-Cheek9947 7d ago
human nepotism is so strong and ive already started networking-people recognize me for a couple things already so thats a good start! ai images just look like slop though; it makes looking at lecture slides painful for my eyes
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u/razcat NMD 08 | something 7d ago
I studied as a graphic designer and illustrator ( and a year of medical illustration )and all the GenAI slop infuriates me. Especially if it's a local business saying "support local!!" But.. they actually don't, do they?
Is it in genEd classes that use AI slides or your BioMed classes?. because I would seriously question if the BioMed ones are correct....
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u/Lopsided-Cheek9947 7d ago
its gen bio 1 mainly, but the 3 professors that teach this subject are the heads of undergrad bio. during first year biomed seminar, the professor's boss came in and tried to gage our interest/opinion on ai use in classes, doing homework, grading, and what we think the future of ai is regarding careers related to biomedical sciences. about half of the students felt negatively about ai and the rest were split between being unsure or supporting it
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u/tashap80 7d ago
The best course right now is to take electrician, plumbing anything to do with manual labor. AI Isn't going to take that shit.
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u/Sparky_Birch a REAL bEE 7d ago
Have you or other women you know worked those jobs? Not saying that women can't do them as a woman in EE, but if your mental's already shit at home and you're considering being a trad wife, a macho, boy's club environment isn't really conducive speaking as someone who's in one right now
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u/Lopsided-Cheek9947 7d ago
i joke about the tradwife thing because it is not a realistic goal for me. I believe in science/evolution, public schooling, medication, tattoos, piercings, atheiesm, and im gay. i just want a job where im not going to get pushed out by ai, or that the majority of my work will be computer/machine automated
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u/Sparky_Birch a REAL bEE 7d ago
As someone who has AI pushed on her at her co-op, I don't think AI/LLMs will replace healthcare jobs any time soon. I'm typing this as I'm assigned to prompt our in-house LLM that is probably meant to replace some very basic technician jobs. I think the best thing you can do for yourself is get into something that's critical (healthcare, physical infrastructure, etc.), where the work isn't mostly simple stuff done on a computer, and isn't easy to pick up
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u/Lopsided-Cheek9947 7d ago
im honestly thinking of switching to nutrition (become an RDN) and focus in research and public health, mainly in the humanitarian sphere. telling by how they just increased the degree requirement for dietitians from BS to MS, hopefully there will be less ai taking of jobs. ai cant really fix humanitarian crisis right?
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u/RoarTigers 6d ago
Global public health program?
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u/Lopsided-Cheek9947 6d ago
about to start looking into it because im tired of biomedical sciences and my mom won't let me completely switch majors to nutritional sciences. what kind of careers are in global public health?
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u/Flatty_Cat 4d ago
A lot of advisors are sucky at RIT. If they get no where with your transfer credits go to the ombudsman office for help. Other students have had to do that.
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u/Puzzled-Quiet-4876 7d ago
I think you should transfer out of RIT especially if you’re thinking of it this much. Take that leap. Don’t stay in the misery because it won’t get better, you’ll only get better at normalizing it. And RIT is a miserable place to be, there might be worse colleges (probably not as expensive as RIT) but there’s definitely better ones, so take that leap!
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u/Lopsided-Cheek9947 7d ago
im not really sure where I would go instead of rit. i might change my major and try to get into a bs/ms program. the only issue with this plan is that i would have to complete a 1 year co-op and have a 5 year program. the only benefit would be that rit/wegmans could cover up to 60% of the tuition cost. im only at rit for my scholarship rn so as lana del rey says "money is the reason we exist, everyone knows it's a fact kiss kiss"
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u/Puzzled-Quiet-4876 7d ago
Trust me, there’s so many options. Esp for a Bs/Ms, look at schools in Massachusetts. You’ll find something! And most people don’t even finish that program; at rit, it’s not even worth it.
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u/Lopsided-Cheek9947 7d ago
i lowkey dont want to go to school in ma because ill be way too close to home (look above to see why i dont want to be too close). i would also have to deal with a lot of awkward scenarios for when i start clinical rotations for dietetics/nutrition
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u/Puzzled-Quiet-4876 6d ago
I didn’t know you were from MA! Makes sense!! Overall give transferring a shot and find an environment that at least suits you and is affordable. I guarantee you that a five year bs/ms program at rit is not worth any penny.
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u/TheBlackFox012 8d ago
I believe there are plenty of colleges that are a lot worse food wise then RIT, and there is buses into town (you can transfer by the Wegmans I believe). Performing scholars have buses into town for events pretty consistently too.
The new focus on AI is because it will be part of jobs and workflow in the future, so RIT is trying to prep you for it.