I posted this in the essays forum but didn’t yield any responses… lol. Hopefully I can get some help here.
To make a long story short, I’m currently a freshman at a college in a small city that’s basically a college town, and I really want to be in a larger city since that’s where I feel happier, more “inspired”, etc. I don’t have any major complaints with my college right now, I just need to be in a more energetic environment because I find that motivating. The colleges I want to apply to are very selective, so I’m worried that focusing on the environment alone will make them think, “Why doesn’t he just go to (less selective college)?” and that’s a fair point. I mean, I could explain that and then go to the cookie cutter, “Various courses and clubs your college provides such as ____ and ____ would be beneficial to building my character and my knowledge” but that’s obviously not very inspiring. Of course there would be benefits to transferring to a larger/more esteemed university but they’re not things that I’m being severely held back from at my college. I hear of people all the time transferring from one top 20 college to another and I don’t know what they could possibly talk about besides an incredibly specific program/perk of their desired college?
So basically, is it a big no-no to focus on my desire for living in a larger city? If yes, how could I incorporate that into an essay while focusing on the school I’m applying to? Another thing I’m worried about is sounding too cliché when describing why I want to be in a larger city…
From the sound of it, seems like you go to a top 20 institution. For most part many top 20 universities have around 10-15% transfer rates.
Talking about going to a big city could be a good starting point in how it will aid in your academic studies but ultimarely the reason (unless you’re an athlete) should primarily focus on academics
The academics must be first and the environment can follow on, in my opinion.
@thecoolboy1234 ehh top 40, I just used the top 20 example because I’ve seen that a lot on here when researching the transfer processes for the schools I’m interested in. You and @xraymancs both make valid points. I’m planning to study abroad next year/won’t be transferring until I’m a junior, so maybe my mindset will change by then… but really, I am curious as to how people transferring from one top college to another justify their want to transfer besides some very specific program…
Well, I’m currently a prospective transfer student at Emory. Emory doesn’t have any statistics major (well, aside from Applied mathematics and Statistics but that barely touches the statistics field). On the other hand Duke has a strong program in statistics or Northwestern has a major that blends economics + statistics (a field I am interested). Things like that is why I want to transfer to those schools.
I guess it really depends on the person, not all top 20 universities have everything although they do have quite a bit to offer.
@thecoolboy1234 Actually, hearing your perspective was very helpful. It’s probably common sense but I never considered specialized majors outside of the ordinary ones you’ll find at every college, probably because I haven’t really narrowed down my interests and career ideas until now. I’ve found the perfect major to fit my career goals that’s unique to my top choice school, so at least I have something more specific to write about now!