I am currently deciding between Chapman University and Fordham University. I am applying for business, so I understand Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business has a greater reputation than Chapman’s business school (from what I have researched, feel free to prove me wrong), but I want to transfer after my freshman year into an ivy league or equivalent (USC, UCLA, etc.). So, my question is: will it matter which college I decide to go to if my plans are to transfer?
Unfortunately, I did not due as well in high school as I needed to, to get into my top schools like Columbia, USC, Cornell, etc. (my high school GPA at the end of this year will be a 3.9 weighted, and I got a 1480 on the new SAT). So, I plan to do exceptionally well my freshman year of college in hopes of transferring.
I personally prefer Chapman due to its location in California, but if my chances of transferring are higher from Fordham, due to its greater reputation, I would most likely prefer to go there. If it doesn’t matter, then I would be more inclined to choose Chapman, because of the fantastic location that would overall be better for my happiness than I think NYC would. Whatever gives me the greater odds of getting accepted into a top 20 university, though, is my priority.
First of all, it is the worst attitude to attend a school with the intent to transfer. You should select a school that you like and attend with a positive attitude and will intend to graduate. If you can’t get in to UCLA now, how can you predict that you can transfer after a year or two?
Secondly, I believe Fordham has a slight edge over Chapman in business. Fordham is close to Manhattan, the business center of the USA, you have a better chance to intern in NYC than LA. LA is so spread out, its hard for a student to get around let alone to work.
“but I want to transfer after my freshman year into an ivy league or equivalent”
Put that dream to bed, because 1] all highly selective colleges look at your HS transcript, and 2] it is even harder to get in to them as a transfer student than as a Freshman. There are very few slots for transfer students at Ivy’s because someone has to leave, and few do.
Grow where you are planted.
I agree with @artloversplus and @menloparkmom that going to university planning to transfer is a bad plan. On the one hand this might cause you to never fit into the school that you attend, avoid making friends, avoid getting involved in activities, and so on. Also, if you don’t have the grades to get into a top school now, then having the grades to transfer in a year seems unlikely. If you want to transfer after one year then you need to apply after only one semester, and your high school grades will still matter. University is NOT going to be any easier than high school.
I think that you should go somewhere that you would be willing to spend 4 years, and where your budget can comfortably handle 4 years. Plan to do very well as an undergrad in case for example you might want to go to a higher ranked school for graduate school (such as an MBA).
Thanks for the replies, but I believe I have already considered most of what was said. I understand transferring is difficult, and I understand I should go somewhere I would be happy staying at for four years. But I also believe I did not apply myself well enough in high school, and these colleges do except transfers (although very few) who do very well in college and I believe I have that potential to be one of those few.
So, thank you for the input but I still did not get a straight answer to my question; is it harder to transfer if I opt for the less reputable school, Chapman, over going to Fordham?
Once again, I understand how difficult it is to transfer, and I would be happy going to either school, but the answer to this question could very well help me narrow down my choice to one school over the other. Thank you.
To change your odds of successful transfer to the schools you have listed, it will not matter which school you attend.