And you applied to three schools bigger than UMASS Boston ??
Yes.
I ask bcuz of your previous comment about school size increasing access and opening doors.
Transferring isnât great but if youâre miserable itâs understandable.
Transferring twice will just bring questions and doubt about oneâs ability / desire to commit and stay put.
Commuting will likely depend on if I plan to apply again, but as far as âfinding a tribeâ. I have made many great friends at UMB, and I know lots of kids at BU, but campus culture is quite different everywhere and although some schools may have exceptions, some places are just known for having a certain culture or vibe.
Oh, I was just giving an example of one way going to a certain school will make it âeasierâ for the lack of a better word. I know the double transfer is looked down upon, but I hope with a good enough reason it may be something I can explain to the admissions committ.
As I and others have suggestedâŠtransferring twice isnât probably the best move.
SoâŠassuming you plan to stay at BUâŠwill you live on or off campus.
on campus
How bout explaining to your job apps when you are submitting three transcripts ?
If BU isnât your long term desire, then even to save $7k, I wouldnât go
If you can afford to live on campus at BU, then go for it.
But please please donât plan to transfer a second time. If you are unhappy with your options this year, I would suggest staying putâŠand applying again for junior year as a transfer. But thatâs my opinion.
Ok, understood. I suppose based on my decision from USC I will decide what might be the âbestâ move.
I guess I would just tell them what the truth is? I left UMB for security and more financial assistance but I always wanted to attend a certain school.
I have been reading this thread for a day without commenting. I figure that I could put in my opinion. I would not even consider transferring twice. I think that they are way too many downsides.
I think that you have three reasonable options:
- transfer to BU, and plan to stay there for three years and graduate.
- stay where you are, and apply to several schools in an attempt to transfer on the next time around (transfer somewhere after 2 years).
- stay where you are for a full four years and graduate with a bachelorâs degree.
One problem with the second option is that you might not get accepted anywhere next time around, or you might not get any affordable options.
Which leads to the obvious question of how do you feel about the third option, relative to the first option?
I will admit that I just happened to be driving past BU in the past few days with my wife. I mentioned that I think that it is a very good school, but I am not convinced that it is worth the cost for a bachelorâs degree. Well, you do not need to worry about the cost (assuming that your financial aid will last as long as you are there). This leaves it as just being a very good university.
You might want to check what the requirements are for maintaining the financial aid to BU after the first year, and what is the maximum length of time that the financial aid may be available.
If I were confident that the financial aid will continue for the full time that you are at BU, then this would most likely be my choice also.
Did you get the same financial offer from Northeastern? If so then I think that it would also be a very good choice. However, again if you transfer there then I think that you should stay there until they hand you a bachelorâs degree. I like the fact that Northeastern emphasizes their coop program. I think that internships, coops, or research experience is very important. This for example helped both daughters quite a bit after they graduated and were looking for a job.
I also agree that that if it takes you 5 years total to get your bachelorâs degree, then there is a very real risk that the 5th year will be full pay. One advantage of attending an in-state public university is that if a 5th year does happen, typically the student will still be in-state.
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Smaller class sizes in what? I promise you that a seminar in âThe economics of the Roman Empireâ is going to be small at even the largest university in the country, and that âPsychology 101â will either be big or huge (relatively) at even a small university.
Iâve written about a family memberâs commencement at a Big 10 University where he walked across the stage to get his diploma and multiple faculty members got up to race to the front to hug him. Aprox. 10,000 students were getting a degree that day.
A college is as big or as small as you want it to be. If you want to build strong relationships with faculty go do that.
And âAlways wanting to attend a certain schoolâ is not a successful transfer strategy. Nobody cares what you wanted when you were 11 years old. They will admit you if they have room, if you have a compelling intellectual reason for needing to be at their institution and not the one you are currently at, and if your track record and transcript indicate that you are the kind of student who will add to campus life both academically and otherwise.
Transferring twice undercuts any successful argument youâd be able to make.
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I see. So I confirmed that the aid will last every year until graduating and as far as NEU goes, I did not receive an offer comparable to BUâs and I am not really a fan of attending a college that is so similar in culture to my HS, Boston Latin School. As far as staying at UMB, I do not think that I would consider this an option as I went into the school after high school with the only purpose being to leave and I plan for it to stay that way.
Thank you for commenting on the thread and I know that BU is a fantastic school, I just feel bad that I wasnât able to fully complete my plan that I went into college with and I am certain that I will be attending in the Fall(assuming I do no get into UTA or USC). The real question is if there is a good enough excuse I can make to the Admissions office as for my reasons to transfer. I do not think that applying can hurt since if I do not get in, I can always stay at BU which I am sure I will enjoy. But my biggest fear is not being able to try
When you asked about financial aid lasting until you graduate, did you specifically ask about it lasting if you end up needing (or wanting) to take a 9th or 10th semester?
that I did not. Waiting until tomorrow when the school opens so I can give them a call
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Also, though, even if you do convince a school to take you as a second transfer, you are going to have to list all schools on your job applications and you will also have to explain it to them if they ask. (And it may even be that you will be passed over for someone who hasnât transferred twice before you have the opportunity to explain. )
Also, please see thumperâs advice about changing your user name if your user name is your real name by sending an email to the above email address. Once it is changed, it will retroactively change on all of your posts.
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There is of course the option of completing your bachelorâs degree at BU (or even U.Mass) and then looking to attend a âdream schoolâ for your MBA. It is very common for a student to get a graduate degree at a different university compared to where they got their bachelorâs degree.
I got my masterâs (but a Masters of Science) at a very good university, and the other students in the same program had gotten their bachelorâs degrees at a very, very wide variety of other universities. This is the same thing that I hear from other people who attended or are attending very good graduate programs.
Personally I would also be inclined to prefer BU over staying at U.Mass Boston for a full four years.
I think the bachelors degree from Boston University would be my choice tooâŠif I were choosing. Very strong school (Iâm the parent of a BU alum).
I think itâs the idea of transferring a second time that troubles me. There are plenty of students who transfer after year one or two of college. Thatâs OKâŠbecause sometimes things just arenât what a student hoped for. But transferring a second timeâŠ? Iâm going to opine that this isnât all that commonâŠand probably should be avoided if possible.
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