I was lucky enough to be accepted into two great colleges as a transfer student, but I’m having some trouble choosing between them! I was wondering if anyone here would be able to give me some opinions on what they think I should do.
College A:
Pros:
-Very, very good fit for me with specific clubs/organizations on campus that I wouldn’t have access to at College B
-Great academic programs in what I’m studying
-Slightly better prestige
-Very good with FA (no debt, even after accounting for R+B)
-In an area that I’d want to work in after college
-Small class sizes with very good student:teacher ratio
-Great location for me
-Lots of family nearby that I haven’t been able to see often
-Lots of accessible museums/attractions/cultural opportunities near campus
-Lots of internship opportunities
-Campus is nice (visited recently to see it)
Cons:
-Extensive amount of required classes I’d need to take (much more than gen-eds and takes up a bunch of credits. The classes for the most part sound interesting though.)
-Have to get used to a colder climate (not such a huge detractor for me)
College B:
Pros:
-Good but not great fit for me
-Great academic programs in what I’m studying
-Open curriculum
-Small class sizes with very good student:teacher ratio
-Campus is extremely nice, better than that of College A (visited recently to see it)
-Better weather (colder than home, but not as bad as College A)
Cons:
-Not as great a fit as College A
-Gave less money, so I’d have to live with a friend about half hour from campus (no on-campus requirement for me, and I’d come out with no debt)
-Slightly worse prestige-wise
-Location isn’t as good as College A
I’d choose College A in a heartbeat if not for all the extra required classes. I’ve been doing two majors at my current college - one that is more marketable and one that is more for enjoyment of the topic (for the sake of this post, they will be major 1 and major 2 respectively). I enjoy major 1 and can for sure see myself working in it, but not to the same level as I enjoy major 2. The problem with major 2 is that it does not have good job prospects and I’d have to go to grad school for it to be of any practical use to me. If I go to College A, I’d probably have to give up major 2. I plan on going into a job that’s much more applicable to major 1, but I liked having the backup of major 2. Due to its open curriculum, I’d for sure be able to do major 2 at College B.
I’m kind of torn about which direction I should go! Any insights will be appreciated!
go to college A and pick major 1, for all of the reasons listed, but ESPECIALLY since you wont have to commute - that would greatly increase the opportunities of fitting in. Commuting to any college when most students are NOT commuters increases your chances of dropping out.
sometimes you have to make hard choices, and this is one of those times. Pick the BEST college with the BEST major, classes, and living arrangements for you.
@menloparkmom Thank you for replying! I’m not really concerned about the possibility of dropping out. I’ve been commuting to a mostly residential college for the past two years and have maintained good grades, so I don’t think I’ll all of a sudden drop out if I commute to College B. However, I completely understand your point about fitting in - I haven’t really fit in at the college I’ve been at - and that’s something I’ve been considering a lot too.
If I go to College A, I wouldn’t really have any room for electives and would have to stick to a pretty rigid plan for which courses I have to take each semester (already planned it out so I know it’s doable). I don’t really mind too much, because major 1 and the core requirements provide a nice balance to each other. Even with all of this, I’ve been leaning towards College A. I’ve just been nervous about giving up major 2.
perhaps you can minor in the 2nd area of interest?
if not, that does no mean you must stop being interested in that field. But you have to set your priorities and then follow through.
My DS wanted to major in one area and minor in a second- couldn’t happen because of class scheduling conflicts.
He still takes an active interest in the second area outside of class. Learning is a life long endeavor.
Is major 2 something you absolutely cannot pursue outside of college?
For example, there are plenty of ways to make art and music outside of college, even after you graduate. On the other hand, your fondness for analyzing Egyptian papyrus can only be pursued inside a university lab with both the papyri and the equipment to preserve it. (Even then, you could still go to museums, watch documentaries, etc.)
College A has so very much going for it, it really seems to make the most sense, but obviously major 2 calls to you in a deep way if you are willing to give up that opportunity to pursue it. However, for most interests, college is not the last chance you’ll ever have to pursue them, if you are willing to set aside the time in your adult life.
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Gave less money, so I’d have to live with a friend about half hour from campus (no on-campus requirement for me, and I’d come out with no debt)
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that is a bad idea. The chances that you’d be able to live there for 2 years and not have some issue and need to move elsewhere is too big. Would they be charging you rent? reduced rent? no rent?
You’d also may have car issues that could be costly.
Sadly, College A doesn’t do minors. Even if I don’t do major 2, I’d of course continue learning about it out of class! I’m sure I’d join clubs and all that make use of the skills that I’d get from major 2. I wouldn’t be done with it for the rest of my life - far from it!
It doesn’t matter if the specific mention of a minor field of study for interest 2 won’t appear on your diploma. The courses on your transcript and information about ECs related to interest 2 are what matters for employers and grad schools. That means that you won’t be locking yourself out of things related to interest 2 by attending College A.
@mom2collegekids The FA I got from College B was enough so that I’d have enough for tuition, a meal plan, and some but not much left over that wouldn’t be enough for a dorm but would be a decent amount for rent (I’m low income). Plus, I have some money from scholarships at the college I spent the last two years at that can contribute. Unpredictable car issues are true, though. (By the way, really cute dog in your profile picture! )
Sorry for the vagueness with which colleges and which majors. I just didn’t want to give the names and then have to deal with that aspect of it here. With the majors, major 1 is in STEM and major 2 is in the humanities.
So, if you can pursue your passion related to major 2 outside of class or in clubs at college A, I really think that’s the better choice. Better fit, close to family, don’t have to live half-hour away. Maybe go back to college A or its website and check out the clubs again? Major 2 won’t be on your transcript there, but you can always write about it on your resume if it’s relevant to the job your applying for.
@citymama9 Yes I would live in the dorms. I don’t drink (I actually won’t be of legal age until after I graduate), party, etc, so dorming is something I’ve been nervous about doing. And neither of these schools are really hugely into sports, so it wouldn’t be the typical college experience. But I know that I can rely on my relatives near College A, which I think would be invaluable.
I want to thank everyone for responding! I didn’t expect to get so many replies, but everyone here has been helpful. I’ll let you know which place I end up picking shortly (and probably give the real names of the places ).
@bopper I would like to do two majors, but it isn’t possible at College A. That’s the whole crux of the issue here. Both College A and College B are privates, and summer courses at either of them would be too costly for me because I’m on FA. I might be able to do a concentration in major 2 at College A depending on how the credits transfer (right now they just gave me general credit and they’ll be assigning the equivalencies in July or August) and if I’d be willing to do around 20 credits a semester. But I probably wouldn’t want to do that since it has a reputation of being very rigorous academically, so I’m working off the assumption of just major 1 and that’s it.
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