freshman wants to transfer from lac

Parents Forum
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<p>I can use some guidance. I am mom of a freshman at a top 15 LAC --would rather not say which one. The culture there is off for him and he feels strongly that he would have been happier at one of the other schools that accepted him (and with a big scholarship, including merit) that he turned down.</p>

<p>I tend to agree that this was just the wrong decision for him --too many drugs, off-the-charts intensity of social scene, etc. The other school is lower key and known for a mellower social scene and in general is less of a hothouse environment. I feel my son is correct in his assessment that the LAC is a poor fit for him and I do not see the benefit of sticking it out in this particular case. My son is not going to change and neither is the culture of the school.</p>

<p>The other school is less rather than more competitive and it could be considered a transfer down, but this is of no consequence to us --only the livabiliy of the college experience counts. </p>

<p>How can we aproach the second school for a possible transfer in January --is that even possible and would he be able to retain or regain the offered scholarship? Does he need to stick it out through the entire year?</p>

<p>thanks, cozineave</p>

2

<p>Some schools take transfers in mid year and others only in the Fall. You would have to investigate it with the particular school. It can't hurt to inquire. </p>

<p>My daughter was in a similar situation last year of being unhappy at an LAC due to the culture (not a top 15 one). She did end up transferring this fall (to a more competitive school, but that was not her primary motive in applying to transfer) and is very happy now. So I can relate to your son's situation and I wish him the best of luck.</p>

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<p>You should call the admissions office of the school which accepted him last year and just directly ask. Even if they don't typically accept mid-year transfers, some schools hold acceptances (formally or informally) for a while and would just welcome him right in. Might still offer the merit $$, might not. If they would accept him, then you can think about whether spring 07 is better or fall 07 is better. I think it should just be his personal preference, based on how desperate he is or isn't to leave the current campus and whether he feels the adjustment would be easier in the fall (if, say, there are more transfers then; special transfer orientation etc.). If he is a social self-starter, that may not matter to him at all.</p>

<p>If it is a less selective school, with reasonably low yield, they might be thrilled to have him at any time. It definitely will not hurt to ask. My S had to transfer from Tulane due to post-Katrina phase-out of his major. It was a special circumstance, obviously, and we as well as other similarly situated families contacted schools where the kids had previously been accepted. Some said "come on over," some said apply as usual for fall. In my S' case, he chose to apply as usual to some repeat and some new schools and ended up at a school he hadn't applied to prior.</p>

<p>Think about the long term, I'd suggest, more than the quickest move. Is he fairly certain that the culture will be right at the other school? Has he overnighted? Do you think maybe he should? I just offer these thoughts to make sure the second school will be what he hopes for, not to criticize the idea of a quick move. A quick move may be just right for him.</p>

<p>Best of luck and let us know how it works out.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>I know a young woman who decided in the first six weeks of freshman year that a different school would have been a better choice. She'd been accepted at that school during regular admissions and was able to transfer to start in January. It's possible.</p>

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<p>Your son should do the calling!!!!!! He should call and talk to admissions officer, not just anyone in the front office....</p>

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<p>There is absolutely no shame in transferring. If he's unhappy and feeling pressured (especially regarding drugs/drinking), get him out of there. However, just in case, I'd suggest he do some overnights at the other schools - even if he did them last year - to make sure they are really better fits. He might decide to wait out the year and transfer to a totally new option.</p>

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<p>An additional option, if transfer for the spring semester is not possible, is for your son to apply as a transfer for next fall but take a leave of absence from his current college for the spring semester, come home, and get a job of some sort. As long as your son is in good academic standing at his current college, he can probably get a personal leave of absence without difficulty. If he absolutely can't stand the place, this might be a reasonable plan.</p>

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<p>I was surprised to learn from my daughter that several of her fellow transfer students left their first school after the first semester, and lived at home and attended their local community college during the second semester. It never occurred to me that this was a possibility. If the school your son hopes to transfer to wants him to wait until next fall to attend, perhaps this could be an option for him.</p>

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<p>thanks for this helpful advice. </p>

<p>Do you think if he calls admissions and says he wants to transfer because of the drug culture and the remote location, that would be sufficient explanation for them?</p>

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<p>Most transfer applications require comments from faculty at her current college. She should sit and talk with some of them to make sure that they relay to the target college the reason for the transfer. Her current college is likely to encourage her to stay (retention rates are important to USWNews rankings). She should stand firm.</p>

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<p>Today's (Saturday) WSJ had an article (referenced in another thread here) that had some good information, including statistics and comments from admissions officers at around a dozen schools. I was actually surprised at the high transfer acceptance rate at many of these places. Some CCers were put off by the comments of kids who wanted to transfer to a "higher" Ivy--or just into an Ivy, period--but there was some useful, generic (as well as institution-specific) info for a person in your son''s situation, I think.</p>

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<p>will professor recommendations be needed? He may drop a class, leaving him a class short of a full load -will this be held against him? (He's doing well in the others and should have very good recommendations from those profs.) does the dean need to say more than that he is a student in good standing? He's not been that involved in extracurricular activities except the lit magazine --this college has not been conducive for him in that way. In other words, it may not be exactly the stellar record he had from high school.</p>

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<p>Not that your son shouldn't transfer, but I honestly don't see any "top 15" LACs with a culture that would be that off-the-wall -- certainly not from a drug use standpoint. There are going to be drinkers and pot smokers at every college. Some of these may tilt in one direction or another, but they are all pretty mainstream, middle-of-the-road schools and student bodies. I am not aware of any of them where the entire student body is a bunch of stoners or where the social scene is THAT unusual. These are ALL fairly mellow places, socially.</p>

<p>Williams
Amherst
Swarthmore
Wellesley
Middlebury
Carleton
Pomona
Bowdoin
Haverford
Davidson
Weseleyan
Vassar
Claremont McKenna
Harvey Mudd
Grinnell</p>

<p>I think I would talk more in terms of a transfer at the beginning of sophmore year and kick around some ideas for your son to better engage with like-minded students at his current school. I have a sneaking suspicion that freshmen adjustment issues are being transfered onto the school. As a parent, rather than enable a decision to transfer after just two months of college, I would want to dig a little deeper into what is really going on.</p>

<p>It would be kind of silly to transfer because somebody on his hall smokes pot only to find out that somebody on his hall at the new school smokes pot (almost guaranteed).</p>

<p>Has your son talked to the RA or the counseling center about his unhappiness? Is the other school closer to home? Closer to a girlfriend? Easier academically? My gut says that you may not be getting the whole story and the real reasons.</p>

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<p>Not to derail your thread, cozineave, but do you have any advice for the rest of us? D has only one LAC on her list, but it does have something of a druggy reputation. What is the dividing line between a school where a small percentage of kids likes to drink or do drugs, and a defining culture that overwhelms the experience of kids who don't partake?</p>

<p>Is there anything you and your son overlooked in choosing his school? Or some warning signs that you choose not to see? I'm kind of alarmed because I think the situation your son finds himself in is not uncommon. And you're talking about a highly ranked LAC. Now that you're experienced, are there any words of wisdom you want to share?</p>

<p>I'm thinking that the larger the school, the easier it is to avoid the boozers/partiers and find one's "people," but I may be deluding myself.</p>

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<p>Some colleges ask references to comment on reasons for transferring. If applying before semester's end, the student may also have to get each prof. to indicate likely grade at the end of the semester. I, however, do not know if this is a universal practice.
Re: drug/booze scene. Some of the colleges on the above list have the same issues that a second and third tier college has. One of the colleges on the list is ranked in one of the college guides as a 'reefer madness' college. Some top-tier colleges have severe grade inflation, so there is a lot of time to get into trouble.I saw a internal memo re: grades in one of the colleges on this list. In a given semester, 75% of the grades were 'A' or 'B'.</p>

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<p>I hate to point the finger at any school because of course interested dad could be right --and maybe it is just a quirk of the dorm he landed in. </p>

<p>My questions are just exploratory. I did think this school was somewhat mellow up front, and that appeared to be a positive. His particular dorm is somewhat extreme --it could be the luck of the draw... This one group of kids...and he happened to land there.</p>

<p>I might suggest a wellness corridor within such a school ...and that is what I suggest to my son.</p>

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<p>Most of the top LAC's have wellness dorms (drug/booze free; quiet hours). It may be hard for first-year students to get in, but the promise of a room in the near future may help. Also, given that what we pay for an LAC, a parent should write the Provost or Dean of Students. It is the college's obligation to keep a lid on the chaos. This is a crude way to put it, but a year at an LAC gets you a Lexus; why not expect Lexus service?</p>

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<p>
[quote]
My questions are just exploratory. I did think this school was somewhat mellow up front, and that appeared to be a positive. His particular dorm is somewhat extreme --it could be the luck of the draw... This one group of kids...and he happened to land there.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>To a large extent, it is the luck of the draw (although your luck can improve if you fill out the freshman housing questionaire honestly -- such as indicating a strong preference for substance free roommates, etc.)</p>

<p>I'm not trying to justify an uncomfortable freshman dorm situation. There are schools on the list I posted that are "too much of this or that" for my taste. But, even at the most extreme, I know straight-arrow students who adapted well, figured out to go to the library after dinner, or whatever.</p>

<p>Now, if you said that the kids in the dorm are shooting herioin or drinking 'til they vomit 5 nights a week, that's one thing. But, freshmen will be freshmen and learning how to deal (within reason) is part of growing up and adjusting to college.</p>

<p>I'm not saying that your son isn't in a totally untenable situation, but even if he were I highly doubt it is representative of the overall 4-year experience at his college or that he won't find a lot of like-minded friends. I have a sneaking suspicion that there is more going on here and that you are hearing an easy complaint. If I were getting this story from my college kid, I would be sympathetic, but I would be trying to see if there is more to the story and I would not be jumping up and down to support throwing in the towel after just two months.</p>

<p>Before I supported something as drastic as transfering after one semester, I would want to know that my kid had explored the resources available at the school to try and resolve the problem. Has he taken any steps to make his situation better or even discuss it with appropriate people on campus? Transfering at the end of one semester is pretty extreme. A very significant percentage of college freshmen don't even begin to get their sea legs until second semester.</p>

<p>BTW, I am dead set against parents calling ANYONE at the college in a situation like this. You can provide guidance, but let your son handle any discussions with the RA, the dean of student life, the counseling center, or whatever. College is about becoming an adult. Dealing with issues like this is part of being an adult. Short of extreme situations (like a health crisis or suicide risk), parents should stay out of it, IMO. Provide advice and support behind the scenes, but jumping in and calling the college isn't giving the student to room to grow.</p>

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<p>As far as advice to future applicants and their parents: pay attention to the campus cultures at the schools you are considering. It makes a difference. If a school is consistently mentioned as being a "work hard/play hard" school, or "a school where booze flows freely", there's probably some truth to it. If that's not what you want, don't apply there!</p>

<p>This campus culture stuff is far more important than finding out "if the Economics department is highly ranked".</p>

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<p>BTW, one more point: The Dean of Housing at most schools of these types have extra rooms in their hip-pockets for moving students who are unhappy or in an untenable situation. It is quite common for some musical-chairs to occur in housing assignments at the start of second semester to resolve "situations" that have arisen. Sometimes the situations are as simple as roommates just plain hating each other -- easily resolved by swapping rooms or even dorms. Give the college an opportunity to help. That can only happen by your son taking the initiative to start talking to people who can help about his concerns. </p>

<p>If it's just housing, then the RA would be the place to start followed by kicking it up a notch to the Dean of Housing or the Dean of Student Affairs. Recommending some simple steps like this might be a good way to probe. If your son objects to trying to improve his situation, then you might start to suspect there's more to it. </p>

<p>Maybe combine an offer to support a transfer next fall in exchange for some proactive steps to address the issues now.</p>