How to decide? Aaah

Transfer Students
1

<p>Hi, all!</p>

<p>I am a college freshman (in Europe) this year and even though my school didn't start yet, I am already unsure of my choice. </p>

<p>In my junior year, I fell into depression which continued through most part of senior year. Badly enough, this is the time when I was supposed to pick a college! Since I have eclectic interests, I applied to US colleges hoping I could be an 'undecided' major. Due to my depression, I have made many irrational choices (which at time seemed so logical), didn't take college application process serious enough, picked a small number of only super-reaches and of course, I ended up being rejected by them all.</p>

<p>After agonizing period which followed, I found an interesting college within Europe - I applied, and will attend it soon. This college seems great, it has most of the things I wanted in a college: intellectual and international atmosphere, follows an American model of higher education, good financial aid, close interaction with professors (recruited from top unis), dorms, and a great location. I'll most likely be studying philosophy and visual arts (?). However, it still does not have a degree program and for now students can attend it for one or two years after which they'll receive a certificate that confirms that they have earned one/two years worth of college credits.</p>

<p>The problem is that I have started to have second thoughts. I feel like a groom on a night before wedding :D My interests include philosophy, visual arts, physics and psychology. Attending this school meant giving up 2/4 of them, and I was fine with it... until few nights ago. Realizing the amount of reading I will have to do, suddenly I missed the sciences. Don't get me wrong, I like to read, but I also like numbers. I don't know if I am just having cold feet because of life in a new environment, though.
When I confirmed the place at my school, I decided to do this in order to have one more year of indecisiveness, explore my thoughts and decide on what I wanted to do next. So I was thinking of transferring or reapplying as a frosh (since some colleges would allow me to apply as such since I am not in a degree-granting program) or enroll in this school's degree program which is supposed to begin in 1-2 years.</p>

<p>Now, this is where you come in.
Thinking through about an option of being a frosh does not attract me too much because I am a bit older than a typical frosh already (I am not that older than the others, but since I was always the oldest in class, I don't want even a bigger gap). Then on the other side, it is easier to get accepted as a international freshman than international transfer (not to mention the availability of aid).
Good thing is that my school follows an American model of education so I <em>could</em> apply as a transfer to US colleges. I am thinking of doing a better college search this time, invest more time in essays and apply as a transfer to colleges like Reed, Whitman, etc. Reed offers a dual-degree option in collaboration with arts school and that appeals a lot to me.</p>

<p>Though I prefer US college system, I love living in Europe. As well as being surrounded by beautiful architecture and culture, I can also go home on each vacation. So I am also considering applying to Jacobs University in Bremen as a frosh to study either Psychology or Physics (if I decide that Philosophy was not my path). I love that school, facilities, international and academic atmosphere + getting a degree in 3 years! On the down side - it has no (visual) arts department.</p>

<p>I was wondering if you could help me. I will do my research on transferring, but for now, my worry is SATs. My high school GPA was high, but SAT scores are very low (for an international needing full aid at top schools). This must have been asked so many times in this subforum, but please, I am a newbie :) Should I retake the whole set (SAT I & II)? Do they even matter if I retake them once I enter college?
I want to try to transfer/reapply this year so I could have an easier time finishing graduation requirements in case I decide to double major at my possible transfer school.</p>

<p>I know it's way too early to say anything since I didn't even begin college, but I want to have more options open. I will try to make the best out of my time spent at current college, and talk to my professors about my future plans, too. I am posting this thread in College Search & Selection and Transfer Students subforums.</p>

<p>Thank you for reading my confusing and long thread. I am looking forward to your replies :)</p>

2

<p>Anyone? :)</p>

3

<p>You're going to have a really tough time as an international needing full aid. There is even less aid available for transfers than freshmen. I don't think your chances of studying in the US are good unless you can establish an excellent track record at a college in Europe.</p>

4

<p>Sorry about your troubles. My only advice (sorry, can't help much) is that if you truly prefer living in Europe, no amount of prestige earned in a U.S university will make you happy. Stay in Germany and transfer to a college there you like, you might be happier in the long run. Oh, and since you haven't even started college yet, you never know how much you will like where you are now. Just my opinion.</p>

5

<p>Thank you for your contribution, Greennblue and Stargazerlilies!</p>

<p>Greennblue,
Yeah, I was also thinking about my transfer chances, too :/ And having even less chances of getting admitted to a college as an international transfer than an international freshman is extremely discouraging. Since my rejections, I have started to inform more about great educational possibilities within Europe, so I don't see things as dark anymore. But still, US liberal arts education is really attractive... I have decided that I will try to do my best at this Euro coll., enjoy, explore and study in a hope that it will help me come closer to an answer on who I am and what I need or want. </p>

<p>Stargazerlilies,
Again, I am not chasing prestige. Really, I am not, I just want a really good education. And since US offers the educational path that might suit my educational preferences the most, I really like the idea of attending one of them. And I don't know enough about campus atmosphere and social life on college campuses (eg. I know it varies from college to college but just like: if it is really intellectual even outside the class or if the classes are the only intellectual places and if everything was kind of a "high school MTV culture" outside of the classes.) So it's another dilemma of: education that allows eclectic interests to come together combined with "MTV" social life VS more narrow education but with intellectual social + cultural life outside the classes. If at all possible, I would like to have education that will allow eclectic interests combined with great social and culture life + intellectual atmosphere. Yet I don't know where/how to find it (oh, yes, finaid is very important here)</p>

<p>I am at my school now, so I started to meet people, and I really like the idea of selective international college. I like being around bunch of smart and interesting people from all around the world :)</p>

<p>I don't know, I hope this year will help me see things more clearly. For this moment, I like what I have now, but I also like the idea of being at a place like Reed (Portland, OR seems like a really cool city, too! :D)</p>

6

<p>Reed is an excellent choice. Also if you're looking for a more large university-type experience, I know that USC and Stanford are high-quality, international-friendly schools. That is of course if you have the track record.</p>

7

<p>Thanks for suggestions, Grey_syntactics.</p>

<p>The schools you named are definitely the high caliber schools, but I am not sure if I am such a star student that could go against the odds of getting into any (of those) schools. Plus, finaid at universities are even more limited for international (transfers) than at LACs. Reed is definitely a high reach, too, but their quirky atmosphere drew my heart to them. I am also attracted to Yale, but again, it's even harder to get in there than Reed (only students with compelling reasons...? :/)
I'll really have to work my butt off this year to earn a competitive GPA to even slightly raise my chances...</p>

8

<p>transferring into stanford is nearly impossible</p>

9

<p>^^^ Agreed...
But that's practically true for any college in USA if you're an international needing lots of aid, right? Some are more competitive than the others but all in all chances are very very slim :( (except for maybe UNO?)</p>