<p>Ive been throwing around the idea of transferring lately. Im not definitely set on transferring or staying at my current school. Thats why I would like some advice from students who have transferred. Why did you choose to transfer? When did you know you were going to transfer? Are you happy you transferred? and anything else. It would be really great if transfer students could give me advice on their experience because Im finding the whole process a really foreign and stressful thing. Thanks!</p>
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<p>There are many reasons: attended a 2yr CC, not the right social fit, not the right academic fit, too far from home, too close to home, etc. My advice is to scan some of the recent thread titles, there are several discussing reasons for wanting to transfer.</p>
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<p>Many schools notify in April, but it varies by school, so you have to look at their websites. Applications are available now and are generally due in Feb/March, but again, you need to check the college website for details. </p>
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<p>My D is happy she transferred, but she also now realizes that she could have made her old school work and that it had some advantages that her current one doesn’t. Here’s a poster who didn’t find everything he was searching for:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/transfer-students/681325-ivy-always-greener.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/transfer-students/681325-ivy-always-greener.html</a></p>
<p>On the whole, it seems like most students are happy they transferred, but it is a stressful and time consuming process and not to be entered into lightly.</p>
<p>I just got accepted into the University of Texas at Austin as a transfer student for the spring semester. I have been attending a community college in Austin. My ideal life includes a higher income than any associate’s degree can afford me. So, I knew I had to transfer. I knew when I went into community college that it was my goal to transfer to UT.</p>
<p>I think it all depends on your goals. If you want a 4 yr degree, you have to transfer.</p>
<p>So where exactly are you planning on transferring to?
Well, if you are interested in transferring, you should come up with a list of valid reasons (not only because you don’t have friends at your current school or you find the place to be filled with people you dislike), but rather do you think you could better reach your academic goals at another school? Does your current school not have a strong department in what you’re interested in doing?
Those are some things to consider.</p>
<p>I transferred from my school last year because it was a poorly funded institution, and ergo lacked a lot of resources for students. It didn’t exactly have the strongest department for my major (to say the least). I just did not think remaining there would allow me to reach my academic potential at that school, so I transferred.</p>
<p>Either way, I wish you the best of luck. But I can tell you, just because you transfer, it doesn’t guarantee 100% happiness. Make sure you do plenty of research on schools you plan to transfer to, and don’t just blindly select from a list of US news tier 1 schools. I’ve met a lot of transfers at my current school who weren’t happy because they didn’t have any real understanding of how the school was like, and they’re pretty unhappy.</p>
<p>Hurley - sounds like you and I both are at ACC for a few more weeks? ;)</p>
<p>soccer - I transfered because like hurley, I’ve been at a community college and want more than an associate’s degree. I always knew that I would eventually transfer to a 4-year institution, but it has been a long time coming (I’m a non-trad student, graduated HS 10 years ago, have been working and having a family pretty much since I was 20 and didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life and career).</p>
<p>I didn’t know specifically when I was going to transfer because I was working full-time and taking care of my daughter, so my course load varied from semester to semester based on what I could fit in online and in the evenings, etc. I also moved from CA to TX and took a year off to gain in-state status or tuition - it was a strategic move to increase my chances of eventually transferring to UT as well as a much better quality of life, cost of living is so much cheaper here. I can’t say for sure that I’m happy about transferring only because I won’t start at UT until the spring, but I’m already thrilled and have worked hard to get where I am now, so I doubt I’ll be disappointed - just a few semesters away from finishing my BS and then it’s on to med school, that alone is worth transferring for, having the opportunity to do it at UT is just the icing on the cake for me.</p>
<p>It can be stressful, but if you can narrow down what you want to major in, you can narrow down where you want to go to school, and then you can focus on meeting their requirements and getting your applications in order. I knew that I was going to transfer to UT, so I used my CC and UT resources online that list major requirements and even transfer guides to help me choose my classes. It reduced the stress of “will this transfer, am I taking the right courses” etc. that often plagues people who seem less prepared when applying for transfer. Contacting the schools you are interested in can also help, as can utilizing your current school’s resources (if you’re at a CC, the counseling/advising office should have transfer information or can help you research it), many even have transfer fairs where various college reps come to woo you. If you have a trusted professor or advisor they can often help you wade through the information and come up with a plan of action. I’m sure there are a lot of people who can help, just don’t be afraid to ask.</p>
<p>So to summarize:
- What do you want to major in? What type of career do you want post-college?
- Can you accomplish that at your current school? If yes, and you’re happy, then stay and just knock it out. If you can’t or you’re not happy, proceed to next step.
- Identify schools with your major that accept transfers/are affordable/have a social environment you enjoy or find comfortable/are close to home/______<---- insert various criteria here
- Contact top choices for admissions requirements and transfer resources (probably helpful to have a safety or two)
- Tap your local resources for guidance
- Work your butt off, write some awesome essays, and sit back and wait (albeit nervously) for your acceptance letters to come in</p>
<p>I transferred because I didn’t think the school I started at was a good fit. I chose it for all the wrong reasons. Transferred to a much better fit and was so happy that I did. It made a world of difference for me. I knew I wanted to transfer after the first semester.</p>
<p>Before you decide to transfer, you have to be ABSOLUTELY sure that you do not wish to stay at your current school. I transferred this fall to Vanderbilt for my sophomore year, and while I have made friends, one needs to be extremely outgoing because the fact of the matter is that friend groups have already formed and most people are not looking to make new friends. This is strictly from the social side, but I think in order for one to be happy in his/her remaining 2-3 years of college, a good social experience helps. </p>
<p>Research the school intensively too. You do not want to transfer then find out that the school does not ‘fit’ you.</p>
<p>Well, OP, I was at a community college so I didn’t really have a choice if I wanted a BA. :D</p>
<p>I transferred to Duke University as a junior. I love it.</p>
<p>thanks for all the advice
i’m a freshman at a four year college right now. i’m unhappy because i’m so far away from home (a 10 hour car ride) and i feel like i just don’t click with the school. academically it’s a good fit and is ok in my major. i have been thinking about transferring a lot lately and i’m the kind of person who always likes to hear other people’s advice/experiences. i know no two experiences will be the same but it’s still good insight.</p>
<p>don’t transfer if you have friends. seriously. not worth it at all. even for an ivy/similar.</p>
<p>i only have two close friends (one being my roommate) but i still always wonder how close we really are. i know we’ve only known each other a few months and it takes time but it’s frustrating. i know i should be thankful for having two friends but i don’t feel blessed. i’m used to hanging out with my friends 24/7 and being REALLY close to them. i mostly want to transfer because i’m at a big state school and i feel lost. it’s so hard to meet people and really find my niche. i’m in the honors college here and i thought that would make it smaller but it really hasn’t. a smaller school with a close community appeals to me. i’m realizing i liked my small (1200 student) high school. i would definitely not be transferring just for a school’s prestige either.</p>
<p>I am definitely in your boat, 17soccer. I enjoy my classes, I’m excelling academically, and I have great relationships with my professors. However, it stinks when the only thing getting you out of bed is your classes. I go to Howard University. I wanted to immerse myself in the Black experience which I’m getting and I appreciate, but I find myself less than impressed with my peers. The people here party constantly, are incredibly materialistic, and I find myself without intellectual or personal equals. Also, the administration is horrible - for instance, 1500 students were purged from the school’s system because of bureaucratic lag. That sucks for the people who come from Chicago and California and other faraway places. Also, rumors are always swirlling that the poor performance of Howard’s administration puts the college at risk of losing accreditation. That definitely causes me a lot of anxiety.</p>
<p>I’m looking to transfer to Yale, Columbia, Cornell, Georgetown, and the University of Texas just to name a few. Where are you looking to transfer?</p>
<p>My D had sort of the opposite motivations you have. She wanted to get farther from home (not they she doesn’t love us, just that she’s always had that adventurer streak ;)) and she wanted to be at a larger univerisity for its wider academic, cultural, and social possibilities. She’s also at the honors college at the public flagship u. now and it’s been an excellent move for her. She only has a few good friends so far, but this is her first term there an she understands it takes time to build those relationships – especially for her because she’s not a person who’s naturally super social.</p>
<p>Anyway, it has been a very positive step for her.</p>
<p>i transferred from villanova to uva. so happy i made the decision. pm me with any questions</p>
<p>Important advice for soccer: as a transfer, you will really need to focus on course requirements and prerequisites to be able to complete your schooling in four years. Each school is different, and you also may have changed your major. It’s easy to disregard the importance of this when you start as a freshman and the slate is clean, but can be a nuisance for a transfer student.</p>
<p>Be sure you take courses this spring that can be transferable (like basic English—such as American Lit, Math–Calculus, SS–Intro to Anthropology or Psych, science classes–Biology 1 or Chemistry). Nothing unique or esoteric or combined (like Math & Science or two introductory courses in one, or English & Writing).</p>
<p>I also recommend you plan out all four years, as this will help to be sure you cover all your requirements.</p>
<p>Also know this: Virtually all schools require you to be there for 4 semesters and they will only allow 60 transferable credits. Once those credits are transferred, don’t forget to check which courses you took. (it won’t show up on your new school’s transcript, so your advisor may not know which courses you took.) Many students make the mistake of taking a course twice.</p>
<p>Remember the phrase: don’t burn your bridges. Good luck!</p>
<p>I wasn’t happy with my last school. I didn’t fit well with the people there. Thought I would like a small school and I didn’t. I also changed majors and they didn’t have one I wanted. I’m happy I transferred. I’m paying a little bit more now, and it was scary to start over, but everything has worked out for the best. :)</p>
<p>I transfered schools for the second semester of my freshman year. I decided to change my major to Biology and with a pre-medical track. The school that I was currently attending offered very poor science courses and after asking around I realized that if I wanted to go to medical school in the future, I would have to go to a stronger school that would prepare me for the future.</p>
<p>I chose a smaller school with a stronger academic background and couldn’t be happier. It was difficult to leave all the friends i had made and it was hard transitioning from one school to another where I knew nobody but hind sight is 20-20 and it was definatly the right decision to make.</p>
<p>That being said, it depends on an individuals needs and you specific situation but I found that transfering was the best decision I could have made.</p>
<p>My son also transferred for the second semester freshman year. The school at which he started turned out to be too small for him and his major was not strong enough. He took 12 credits, but only 6 of them transferred. His calc. class did not transfer nor did his comp. sci. class as they were not rigorous enough for the transfer school. So he had to make up some credits during the summers to stay on track.</p>
<p>He knew he wanted to transfer about 24 hours after he had been there (maybe less!). It was hard starting at the new school, but he was welcomed and quickly became a part of the community in his dorm. By the end of the spring semester, they forgot that he was “the new transfer kid”. I think it helped that he transferred as a freshman because people were still forming friendships. But it is fairly easy to find friends at his school as people seem to be very receptive to new people.</p>
<p>I think you will tend to get a lot of advise from community college students here on CC, which doesn’t tend to be reflective of the type advise I think you want. It would help if you could tell us what school you’re from and where you’re looking to transfer into.</p>
<p>Those transferring/leaving their 4 year tend to have different reasons for doing so and can actually “afford” to. By afford I mean having a high gpa(meaning they can get into a better school, or schools on par with their current school) or having money to pay full price tag assuming the school you want to transfer into doesn’t give you as much financial as they would have if you were a freshman. </p>
<p>It’s like starting from senior year all over again. You have to look at acceptance rates, transfer requisites, recommendations(for some schools), writing essays, and also having great stats in hs(for some schools). What schools are you looking at, are you willing to sacrifice the name of your current school for the lesser known school of one that is closer to you? Will you be sacrificing great opportunities at your current school for a new school? Do you have the qualifications to be competitive in transfer admissions?(since transferring into really good schools is usually more competitive than freshman admissions, etc).
You have to set your priorities in advance. Its easy to transfer down into a school that generally accepts a lot of transfes, but its not so easy to transfer into most top 50 schools or even some top 100 schools. college board.com has transfer acceptance rates listed for schools.</p>
<p>Its a matter of weighing things out, because frankly nothing guarantees the environment of nearby colleges being better or more or less satisfying than your current place. If you value the most being closest to home and prioritize that as your number 1 decision, than go ahead and transfer. if you want more resources more opportunities, than transfer if you can and can afford to.</p>
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<p>i’m currently at the honors college at the university of south carolina and i’m looking to transfer to maybe Lafayette College, Swarthmore, or Franklin and Marshall. I hope going from 20,000 people to 2,000 isn’t too much of a leap.</p>
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<p>yeah I’m afraid if i transferred closer to home i would regret not taking the chance to live in a new place and experience something different. I’m from the north and am in the south now. I was so excited to go to school in the south and to experience a new culture. honestly it’s not that different than the north (mostly because i hang out with a lot of northerns). even though i might regret leaving a new place and culture it’s so hard for me to be far away from home where i can only visit once a semester. i think it would be ideal for me to transfer to a school in a city near by so i still get a taste of diversity and a new experience.</p>