<p>Hey, I am a freshman at Union College in Upstate New York. Its a good, small lib arts school ranked 37th on the USNews rankings. I am unhappy here for several reasons including lack of diversity (ethnic, regional & intellectual) as well as the lack of any real intellectual community. It seems like a drink or drown frat school (and in fact this is where the first four national fraternities were founded). Anyway, I am thinking of trying to transfer for spring term of next year. I made a 3.8 last trimester and a 1430 on the SAT (800 verbal 630 Math). I am a good essay writer and I am attempting to become more involved on campus. I have a radio show, involved in hillel and a few clubs, play broomball etc. Anyway. places I am interested tend toward the ambitious, with Georgetown, Emory, Northwestern and WashU on the list. I may even throw out an app to brown and cornell, and I am also going to reapply to Oberlin (where i applied early decision first time around and where my aunt is a prominent alumni interviewer/board member). My parents also both went to med school at Emory. Anyway, if anyone could offer any advice, as to what i should do to make myself a better candidate in the time i have left and/or other places to consider, I would be very very grateful.
Thanks Alot,
Nat from Alabama</p>
<p>i have fallen off the page in a day? No one has any advice?</p>
<p>Two things will help in your transfer: your transcript and your essay(s). You should try to transfer for Fall 2006 and look at the transfer acceptance rates; if they're over 50%, your chances are much better. The schools you're looking at have rates well under 50%, I believe.</p>
<p>NU has a pretty good transfer rate, your 3.8 looks really good and hillel is huge there. The transfers I know @ NU both say they think they weight the essay quite heavily. I deffinitely think there's intellectual community there but you should know that Greek life is HUGE. I don't think there's really pressure to go Greek, its just a lot of people are. The NU students I know are a lot of fun and really excited about everything from cognitive science to keg stands. Best of luck.</p>
<p>Nice, yeah, I am interested in NU, although I have heard academic pressure there is intense to an unhealthy degree maybe. Oberlin and Emory are the other schools I think I have the best chance at, although Oberlin apparently only selects 50 transfer students a year. I wonder if it would make a difference whether i applied for fall or spring term.</p>
<p>Thanks</p>