Help Please - Which Schools for Fall 09 Transfer Apps?

Transfer Students
1

<p>Hello! I'm currently a freshman at Northeastern University, and I'm pretty sure I want to transfer for Fall 09. Could you look over my stats and give me some suggestions, please? Thanks!</p>

<p>Stats:
*White, female, 17 (skipped 8th grade and graduated early, but then I took a year off) from NC
*Currently at Northeastern as a Political Science major (I was going to enroll in the Poli Sci/Intl Affairs dual, which you can only do sophomore year, so I'm currently in Intl Affairs classes)
*I have a 4.0 GPA out of 4.0 (4 As and 2 passes in pass/fail courses)
*I'm in the honors program
*I'm a recipient of a Dean's scholarship
*I work as a research assistant for a Poli Sci professor
*I'm a staff writer for the campus paper
*I just recently started volunteering in local schools through an on-campus group in which I'm taking on a leadership role
*I'm a member of Political Science Student Association and College Democrats
*In my competitive public high school, I had a 3.8 GPA unweighted
*I was a National Merit Scholar, an AP Scholar, a member of the Spanish Honors Society, the Gay-Straight Alliance Co-President, and the Spanish Club President
*I had lots of random ECs (volunteering for summer camps, as a teen court attorney, getting a volunteering award, acting class, etc.)
*In my year off in between trips to Nicaragua and Portugal I worked as a teacher's assistant with English Language Learners (I speak Spanish) and for Obama for America as a Deputy Field Organizer for 2 and 3 months, respectively</p>

<p>What I want in a school:
*A pretty campus in an urban location (like Northeastern, except in a city that stays open late and caters to college students -- good transportation, nightlife options for under-21s other than frats, etc.).
*A socially, economically and geographically diverse student body. (I'm looking for a school with people that are open-minded, interesting and smart.)
--> I'm not looking for a nerdy school at all, but I'm also not into clique-y, preppy schools. I'd like a school with some artsy people, some hardcore studiers and some partiers . . . a nice, happy, eclectic mix.)
--> Along with that, there needs to be an "activeness," either in volunteerism, student organizations, work or something (it doesn't have to be on-campus).
*Hard(er) classes and a strong(er) IR/Political Science department (I want my degree to be more valuable and to benefit me in the future. Also, I wouldn't mind more of a challenge).
*Decent financial aid . . . my EFC is ridiculously low, around $5k, but it seems like most schools still can't cover it all. Here I'm paying around $20/year (with a lot of merit aid to make up for what need-based can't cover) and that's all I can do.</p>

<p>Any ideas? I'm trying to balance schools that have strong academic reputations with ones that have better student bodies/campus life. I know U Chicago is one of the best for Poli Sci but the nerdy-workaholic reputation weirds me out . . . I'm also looking at NYU, Georgetown, GWU and Northwestern, but they've all got some negatives.</p>

<p>My top choice is one-hundred percent Columbia, but I'm afraid to say it. I recognize that it's incredibly difficult to transfer there . . but I feel like its exciting, fast-paced Manhattan setting and the diverse, liberal student body is exactly what I'm looking for. I can only hope!</p>

<p>Does anyone have thoughts about the schools I mentioned or about others that might fit me? What would my chances be? What should I do next to start the process/improve my chances?</p>

<p>Thanks so much!</p>

<p>Katherine</p>

2

<p>seems as if you’ve started a pretty decent list…sounds like columbia would be a pretty good fit and you should be competitive, but as you said, its incredibly hard to get into, you kind of need to be a world beater to get in but definantly worth an application…in terms of activisim and academics, hard to beat oberlin…IR program isn’t great though as most serious students there go on to grad school to further pursue their interests…berkeley seems like a pretty awesome fit for you now that i think about it…u Mich seems to fit your criteria…brown might be interesting as well, but like with columbia, very hard to get into…</p>

<p>financial aid for xfers, especially in this economy and with many colleges endowments way down, will probably be less than forthcoming unless you apply to schools that are below the reputation of the types of schools that you could otherwise get into, i think</p>

3

<p>Thanks dufflebagjesus. I am worried about financial aid . . . it seems like you really do get punished for making a wrong decision the first time. Eek. Ooh, I’ll look into Oberlin and Berkeley, thanks!
For future posters - I’m also now looking into Barnard, if anyone has any opinions about it!</p>