<p>College Board has those types of stats;
[College</a> Search - University of Pennsylvania - Penn - Admission](<a href=“College Search - BigFuture | College Board”>College Search - BigFuture | College Board)</p>
<p>I don’t think that anyone can say for sure that it is “very likely” that you will get into Brown, Penn, and Northwestern as a transfer. If you do well at ND, you certainly will have a chance. In the mean time, I can assure you that there are intellectual kids at ND - you just have to find them. There is a spot at ND for you, which you should pursue hard at least in order to make good use of time while you are there.</p>
<p>Can you genuinely say that you have tried hard enough? There will other new kids feeling the same way, its a matter of time till you find some people to hang out with. </p>
<p>How was your orientation? What is it that is making you feel like this?</p>
<p>Just hang in there and keep your eyes on that GPA, make friends in classes you take, good luck.</p>
<p>Another thought I have is not to jump to conclusions, in so very short a time, about who is intellectual and who isn’t. Everyone has a different style that they present to the world, and people are pretty complicated. You are surrounded by surprises, whether you know it or not. Don’t underestimate people, no matter what style they are presenting to the world. You may find that if you transfer to Brown, some of the people presenting themselves as intellectuals are really phonies. </p>
<p>A few of the kids at ND, who you haven’t yet met, may end up being the best friends you have ever had in your life. I am married to someone who was a major jock type, and is one of the most well read, sensitive, and intellectual people I have ever met. If you saw him in a crowd when he was back in college, you would probably have dismissed him as not your type. If you looked further, you would have been surprised. Between now and when you transfer, reach out and get to know what is beneath the surface in everyone you meet. Stay open minded.</p>
<p>I am making friends here. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not being antisocial. I’m just concerned that ND may not be the right fit for me like I originally thought I was. Most people fall in absolute love with the colleges they attend; right now, I am not in love with my school. I just feel that I’m entitled to love the school I’m at, you know? I will probably apply as a transfer to 3 or 4 schools: Northwestern, Brown, UPenn, and maybe Columbia. I know of course that it is entirely possible that I will get rejected from each of those schools. If that happens then I guess I’ll stick it out here. Thanks guys for all your help, I really appreciate it.</p>
<p>Good luck to you! Have fun and do your best every day, wherever you are. I hope you get into your first choice. :)</p>
<p>“onestly sounds like you’re looking for an excuse to go prestige-whoring. it’s cute and all, but grow up, adapt, put yourself out there and see whether you really want to transfer when applications are due. you might respond, “oh but i have to decide now because then ill go get the grades.” that’s the wrong mindset. you should be trying your hardest, regardless, to get the grades.”</p>
<p>couldnt have said it better myself. the guy has spent a week at the school and already claims it to be “not intellectual enough”. how about you finish a year or two, get a 4.0 GPA and then we will discuss the “non-intellectuality” of Notre Dame.</p>
<p>Before you make such a HUGE leap, please VISIT the colleges you’ve mentioned. IF you felt ND was for you, and have found it is not…then a VISIT should be considered mandatory to help you in this big decision.</p>
<p>That said…</p>
<p>Notre Dame has almost exactly the same admit rate and average SAT scores as NW. Though it might feel like a trade up to you it’s not. And it’s a GREAT school…but it’s not in the same ball park as the Ivy schools you’re mentioning. So you should consider doing a LOT More research on this before you make your decision. </p>
<p>It makes sense that you were admitted to ND and NW…as I said…they’re very similar in the intellectual level of student body that matriculates at each. I have no idea how NW will view you as a transfer student…you can only know by making application to transfer. However, as other posters have cautioned - do NOT jump the gun. You’re in a very sensitive transition period that is hard on EVERY student at EVERY college. Some more so than others.</p>
<p>As for wanting to trade up to an Ivy…know that their admit rates are FAR below these two schools HYP = about 9%. I doubt a 3.5 would make you a likely candidate. And rigor in high school is not an “extra”…it’s the minimum expected of every applicant. At Ivies, the results of must also be stellar, and there must also be “more” (yep, plenty of athletes at Harvard too). ECs, community service, and LEADERSHIP.</p>
<p>Know that a school like Brown, VERY liberal…is the antithesis of a Jesuit school like ND, so I’m not surprised you could be unhappy. ND has a Midwestern, conservative, moral, HARD WORKING attitude and expect you to not only EARN your grades but actually do GRADE you… (Brown has a pass/fail option). These are things that are very easy to discern before you accept placement at a college, just by having done your research. So please make it easy on yourself by doing that research before you transfer and find yourself unhappy somewhere else as well. Consider that some trivialize Penn as the “big/dumb” (or something like that) Ivy. Very athletic, by the way. </p>
<p>Good luck with your difficult decision, but…“one day at a time” right now…K? Or you’ll have a VERY hard time keeping those grades where you need them in order for a transfer “up” decision to even be possible.</p>
<p>@YAHA: don’t come on my thread and tell me that I’m prestige whoring when you don’t know anything about me. Describing myself as an intellectual doesn’t mean I think I’m smarter, better, or have a “holier-than-thou” attitude in regards to my peers. I just crave a different type of environment than the one here at ND. Stop making assumptions.</p>
<p>Yes, I do know those things that you said about Brown. I’m ultra-liberal, atheist, love the urban environment, not super into sports… yeah, you can see why Brown appeals to me. Well any way thank you for the advice about Northwestern.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Well in that case, I think you should stick around ND to get some schooling! 
There is still hope for you, young one. Listen and learn!</p>
<p>If you have already been accepted at Northwestern, and are able to keep your college GPA up high, there is a very good chance you will be accepted as a transfer. I know how you feel, I’m trying to transfer there too. Unfortunately I didn’t apply there because I thought it would be too close to home. Now I wish I had. </p>
<p>If you know you’re not happy at Notre Dame, then it’s in your best interest to transfer. I feel like people have responded very rudely to you in this thread, and that’s because this entire site is obsessed with college rankings. People assume everyone should be happy at a school like Notre Dame because “its such a wonderful, highly ranked school with a great reputation”. However, it doesn’t always work out that way. </p>
<p>I knew a girl from Wisconsin who went to USC her freshman year and ended up absolutely hating it. She ended up transferring to UW-Madison after only one semester because that’s where she thought she’d be happier, and it turned out she was right. She’s done so much better at UW-madison than she would have done at USC because the school is more her style. </p>
<p>Best of luck, and I hope you make the right decision!</p>
<p>It’s almost at the end of the semester, I just wanted to check up on how you were doing. Do you still hate Notre Dame?</p>