"Good reasons" for a transfer?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
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<p>(Warning! This is a NOVEL, my goodness.) Hi! I'm a current freshman in Georgetown College who is thinking of transferring to Columbia College in the fall of 2013. I applied ED to Columbia in HS - rejected. But Columbia is still my dream school and I'd hate myself forever if I didn't at least give it ONE last shot. Forget whether I can cut it academically for a transfer, I know how selective it is (: For now, I would really just appreciate a second opinion as to whether my rationale for transferring is "worth it" to the selection committee and which reasons I should highlight on my transfer app … since, you know, stringent word limits and all.</p>

<p>Disclaimer: "NYC" and "Ivy League" are NOT my reasons. Those are the reasons I put on my app the first time around. I've changed my mindset since then. Sure, I would rather be in NYC, (who wouldn't, ha), but I'm in a perfectly nice city currently, and I can always go back up to NYC for grad school / employment if this doesn't sort itself out. Also, while Georgetown isn't Ivy League, it's certainly not a terrible education nor is it a no-name school. Those aren't going to be my reasons.</p>

<p>Without further ado, my main reasons for wanting a transfer:
- Reasons for attending my current college: for me, Gtown was the wrong school for the wrong reason. I came here because everyone said I'd be crazy to not go, that it was a "perfect fit" for me, that I'd love DC, and that the school's prestige meant a lot. In fact, I was the least happy person about getting into Georgetown but since I didn't want to disappoint everyone, I came. I suppose I can make it through 4 years if need be, but I don't want to spend such an important time in my life feeling so mediocre about my choice.
- Academic atmosphere: Georgetown definitely has a pre-professional atmosphere toward learning. I appreciate that we're being prepared for the workforce, but it seems that, as a consequence, the students here seem more focused on getting that 6-figure salary at that big consulting firm on the Hill right after graduation. I haven't really met anyone who enjoys learning for learning's sake, and that's what I, above all, really wanted in a college community.
- Social atmosphere: I don't find the diversity here as great as it was made out to be. A lot of this campus is fairly mainstream, with everyone dressing and acting similarly, playing it safe, and not showing off their quirky, nerdy, personal side. They're very appearance-focused and conscious of what is "socially acceptable" and what is not. A lot of the people here embrace that, but it's not an atmosphere I personally feel comfortable or that I'd fit into. I'd love to be able to wear sweatpants to my 8 am class and talk about my love for movies and modern art and what-have-you without being looked at funny. I just feel like I'd fit in better at Columbia.
- Academic strength: Currently, I'm a projected Political Econ / English double major, and it seems that both the Economics and English departments at Columbia are stronger than that of Georgetown's. I fully intend to continue my Econ major, and having a stronger department would be great. Columbia University also has a major specifically for creative writing, which sounds amazing. It's not offered at Gtown as it's own major, but only as part of the English major.
- THE CORE: cliché reason, but I sincerely believe that the breadth and depth of knowledge that I think the Columbia Core would offer me would make me a better, well-rounded, more educated person. Georgetown here does have its gen-ed recs here, but it's not as well structured and lacks courses like art and music humanities and a physical education requirement that I think would REALLY round out my education and improve my person as well as well as giving all students a common foundation to bond over (or complain about together, let's be realistic, haha). I'm willing to take however long it takes to finish the Core, and do my major(s) on top of that. 6-class semesters and all-nighters in the library are fine by me, especially because I think that level of learning would be worth it.</p>

<p>Minor reasons:
- I LOVE music performance as a hobby. I'm currently in the Georgetown Orchestra, but Georgetown's extracurricular music program is weak overall. Meanwhile, Columbia University has one of the oldest, most prestigious college orchestras! (Just listen to their 2002 recording of Dvorak's Symphony No. 9. LOVE.)
- Columbia has many more student clubs than Georgetown does, and more "unique" ones like capoeira, archery, aikido, film society, etc. Georgetown has very traditional sports, some intramurals, active political clubs (of course) and some other clubs that suffer from the attention paid to the sports instead. Going off that, I'm not a huge fan of sports anyway, to be very honest. I wouldn't be bothered by the lack thereof.
- Not everything is geared toward politics at Columbia. It's unavoidable at Georgetown and it's what makes this place truly great, but again, it's not for me.
- Columbia doesn't put as strong of an emphasis on religious values as Georgetown does.<br>
- Columbia is a better research institution. While I don't know if I will ever make anything of it, having that option open is nice.</p>

<p>Are these good reasons to want to transfer? And if so, which ones should I highlight on my transfer essay? Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks! (:</p>

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<p>I think these are good reasons to want to transfer. I too am looking to transfer to Columbia and some of the reasons you stated are my reasons as well. I think you should speak about diversity and academic atmosphere/strength. I am not sure if you’re applying to other colleges but the transfer essay is supposed to be generic for every school you apply to. I think it would be better if you left your other reasons for the supplemental question: what appeals to you most about Columbia.</p>

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<p>Give it up! Your reasons aren’t credible and will not impress anyone at Columbia. Time for you to move on from the idea of transferring to Columbia.</p>

<p>If you mean what you say, which you obviously don’t, there are other options. If you want NYC, there’s NYU. It’s in the Village and not in dull Morningside Heights. If you want Econ and English departments that are as good as Columbia’s, there is Penn. The only problem is it’s more pre-professional than Georgetown and in a worse city and neighborhood. If you want more diversity and less pre-professionalism, try Wesleyan. </p>

<p>Entering as a transfer with the Columbia core is a burden not a plus. However, if you want a near equivalent to the Columbia Core, Reed College has two years worth of Humanities that is a lot like Columbia College’s Lit Hum., Contemporary Civ., U. Writing, plus some art history all rolled into one. Lastly, if you want something a little different from where you are, try Northwestern.</p>

<p>Best of luck at Georgetown!</p>

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<p>Nope. I don’t just mean that your transfer application will probably not be accepted; I mean that you probably should not transfer. Columbia is not <em>that</em> different from Georgetown. Is there a subset of Georgetown that is rich, white, and fratty? Sure. But there’s also a subset of Columbia that’s rich, white, and fratty. Obviously, Columbia has a very diverse student body—but so does Georgetown! It has one of the highest percentages of international students of all American colleges.</p>

<p>The same is true of the pre-professionalism: Columbia may have more of a liberal arts focus than Georgetown, but we also have a lot of people who just want to get into law school/med school/Wall Street/consulting. And while Georgetown may be fairly pre-professional, there are definitely pockets that are very humanities and social sciences-focused. </p>

<p>Ditto extracurriculars: It might be tough going to a school that only has stereotypical extracurriculars—like Mexican folkloric dance ([Dance</a> Groups - Department of Performing Arts - Georgetown College](<a href=“http://performingarts.georgetown.edu/dance/DanceGroups/]Dance”>http://performingarts.georgetown.edu/dance/DanceGroups/)) and the Iranian Culture Society (<a href=“Login)—but”>Login)—but</a> Columbia’s extracurriculars aren’t that great, either. Sure, if you have a passion for archery, it might make sense to make the join the archery club, but the existence of a capoeira troupe doesn’t really make a difference to people outside of the club. </p>

<p>Point being: you’re a freshman and you feel like you don’t fit in. That’s only natural. The answer is not to transfer, especially to a school that many believe is more antisocial and less community-focused than the school you currently attend. Obviously, there are differences between Columbia and Georgetown, but they’re not worth trying to transfer. My advice to you would be to be open to Georgetown, try to meet new people, join clubs (even stereotypical ones), figure out what you want to study, and enjoy college. </p>

<p>If you’re still fundamentally unhappy in a year, you can look for other schools that would be a better fit and transfer. But given the reasons you give for your dissatisfaction with Georgetown, I’m not sure Columbia would be your savior.</p>

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<p>Ahh, even if my reasons aren’t credible, I really do mean everything I said, please don’t assume that I don’t. Because if it’s ONE thing I learned in such a politically charged environment, it’s to watch what I say carefully or else invite mockery. (:</p>

<p>In any case, thanks for the responses so far! A lot of the people I’ve talked to have told me similar things, so I have some more personal reflecting to do. But, gut instinct above all, right? I might end up giving it a shot after all, chances be damned.</p>