<p>Here's my situation.
I'm currently a freshman at UC Berkeley. I am an out of state student and I absolutely hate it here. It's not a good situation. I was originally planning on sticking it out next semester and transferring for fall. My parents are suggesting (and I am starting to agree with them) that I should withdraw for next semester and study abroad somewhere then transfer for Fall 2009.
Here are my questions:
-Will studying abroad after only one semester hurt my chances of getting into a top tier school for the fall? (I am applying to places like Swarthmore and Tufts)
-What would be a good program for spring semester that would offer transferrable credits?</p>
<p>I am interested in sociology and foreign language (I speak French, and I'd be interested in learning Italian, Japanese, or Chinese)</p>
<p>There is considerable risk that your study abroad credits will not transfer. Also, some of the best programs won't take freshmen. The programs are too demanding. Swarthmore's list of approved programs would probably be a good place to start:</p>
<p>I'm not understanding the time line. Are you thinking of studying abroad this coming Spring semester or during the summer? If Spring, most deadlines have surely passed by now. </p>
<p>I like your original plan of sticking it out for the Spring semester and then transferring in the fall. You can do a study abroad at the new school your junior year like the majority of students. It's often rocky transferring credits for abroads in the best of circumstances and to do that with a new transfer school just seems much more problematic.</p>
<p>With the economy in the tank, there are probably last-minute cancellations and spots available in study abroad programs, but there may not even be time to get visas and stuff.</p>
<p>The only way study abroad credit is going to possibly tranfer is for Berkeley to award credit and your new college accept all of Berkeley's credits.</p>
<p>I don't know the situation, but all things being equal the cleanest way to do this is another semester at Berkeley and a standard-issue round of transfer applications.</p>
<p>I would just wait it out and transfer to the fall of 2009, rather than just dropping out by now, all of the deadlines to study abroad have surely passed.</p>