I’m currently a first-year at UC Davis and quickly realized 500 people lectures and a campus of 30,000 undergrads is not for me. I’ve been researching LACs to try to transfer to, but I’ve been seeing that the transfer acceptance rate for LACs are generally 15% or below. My stats aren’t particularly remarkable (1370 SAT and 4.1 high school GPA), my college GPA is looking to be around a 3.6-3.7 right now, and I haven’t found the time/motivation to do college ECs. Is trying to transfer to a small LAC even worth the effort? Any suggestions for other schools that are easier for transferring? More info about me: my major is biology, but i also have interests in environmental science. I won’t be needing financial aid. I’m looking for smaller schools that are strong in the sciences, and have a tight student community.
I haven’t done any deep research, but here’s what’s caught my eye so far: Pitzer, Reed, Occidental Macalester, Colby, Colgate, and Wesleyan.
Your list looks good for academics. I would strongly recommend visiting before moving - some of these schools are polar opposites in terms of vibe and given that the environment is the impetus for moving, you’ll want to assess that carefully.
Yes, transfer applications are a lot of work and most of these LACS don’t take a ton of transfers, but they all take a few, so give it a shot. If it doesn’t work out, at least you will have tried.
Be sure to emphasize what the transfer school offers that you can’t get at your current school.
If you’re looking for a school with a tight-knit community, I would advise against Colgate. The apathetic, privileged culture is dominant here. We have a small student population, but the relationships are very superficial and have A LOT to do with socioeconomic status. However, we have great academics, especially in the sciences, and our faculty are wonderful and truly care about their students. I’m not saying if you came here, you’d be unhappy- there’s a good chance you’d find a niche of people. It’s a lot like high school- the musicians hang out together, the athletes hang out together, etc. But it honestly isn’t a community and no matter what picture the administration tries to paint, we really don’t have school spirit. People hardly come cheer on sports teams. Sorry, I know this was really specific, but I thought you should know! Good luck!