<p>Currently I am a freshman at a Catholic school where the students are very homogenous--rich, preppy, big on parties. I really don't like that and I want to transfer. I want to go somewhere where the kids are not obsessed with partying and are more interested in arts and humanities (not in a pretentious way, just more of a free-spirited way). I am an English/philosophy major and I feel stifled by all the business majors. I know of schools like Reed and UChicago, but I don't think I could get into those places. My college GPA is very good (like 3.8/3.9), but my high school GPA is only like 3.2.
Right now I'm thinking schools like Skidmore and possibly Sarah Lawrence (might be a reach). I'm also thinking Boston U, although they have a low transfer acceptance rate and don't guarantee housing for transfer students (which is stupid).</p>
<p>Where else would be good? American U is another option. Obviously, it's not an artsy school, but the fact that they're highly political at least means that the students are passionate about something other than getting drunk every night. I don't know.</p>
<p>Haystack–Wow, how did you guess that? I don’t know about Loyola Marymount. To be honest, I’d rather stay away from all Catholic colleges in general. But it makes me feel like crap that your guess of where I go is so obvious based on my short description. Ha ha. It makes me feel like I could not possibly have picked a worse college for myself.</p>
<p>And, one more question. Would it be a terrible idea to transfer home to Hofstra for my second semester of freshman year, and then transfer again? Or is it better to stay the whole year? I can’t tell you how unhappy I am here.</p>
<p>No, but what I mean is would it hurt my chances of getting into a better school my sophomore year if I came home to a less reputable school like Hofstra for my second semester of freshman year?</p>
<p>lol, sorry. I just wrote that so that it would be easier to identify colleges that I might be able to get into. Obviously I don’t have a set GPA yet, but that’s what I think I’ll probably end up getting.</p>
<p>To answer your other question, Hofstra is NOT disreputable. Hofstra is ranked #139 for National Us while Loyola is ranked #3 in North regional Us (according to USNews). In my mind that’s not a big difference. But why would you want to transfer twice. The school year just started. You should give it time to see if you start to like the school more once you’re involved. If you don’t like it at the end of the year you can transfer out (and you’ll have plenty of time to figure out where).</p>
<p>On Long Island, where I live, Hofstra is often regarded as a slight step up from community college. The transfer home is only in case I still feel miserable at my current college by the end of the semester. I mean, why stay at a school where I’m unhappy?</p>
<p>OP, give things a little time to settle down. Students at a lot of schools go crazy with freedom the first few weeks, then get sick of it or get real when first grades roll in.</p>
<p>Make an effort to get involved where you are…go to some club meetings (anything that sounds interesting, even if it’s something you know nothing about) because students going to club meetings are often students seeking to meet other students who are not in to the party scene.</p>
<p>By the way, I have a son at American. The students there certainly are passionate about their interests…it’s a hallmark of the school. But don’t fool yourself that a school with passionate students is a school without parties.</p>
<p>boysx3-- Sorry for the delayed response, but since you know about American, can you tell me if someone who is not very political would feel comfortable at American? I know the kids at the school are serious, but would you say they are serious in an intellectual way, or just a political way. My majors are English and philosophy, so would there be a lot of other people in the CAS like me?</p>
<p>A lot of kids at American are wonks of one sort or another. Politics is obviously a major interest of a large part of the student body. My son wasn’t overly intererested in politics when he began at AU, but he’s definitely more informed and opinionated now. it’s in the air and it’s contagious.</p>
<p>Don’t close yourself off from things that are not your area of interest now. Why limit yourself to your comfort zone? you will never again have such freedom to try out new interests and personas.</p>
<p>Students who have avid interests are students who have avid interests…whether in literature, art, politics or nuclear physics.</p>
<p>if you go to a school like AU, you will meet a lot of them.</p>
<p>However, students at AU also like to go out. They drink. They party. Don’t convince yourself that a school with serious students does not have a wild side. They all do. The wildest parties my sons ever attended were at Columbia and Yale.</p>
<p>A school I was thinking you might want to check out is Brandeis. It has the reputation of a bit less of a party scene than some its peer institutions (not to say there isn’t one, just a bit less of one).</p>