@glittervine as unhappy as I’ve been at Amherst I still want to make an informed and prudent decision regarding something as important as this. My goal is to transfer to a university where my opportunities after graduating will be just as good as Amherst. Simply transferring to my local state college isn’t something I can reasonably consider.
@scubadive if I ended up keeping the grades would my chances of transferring to a good university evaporate?
@aunt bea I like to think I’m pretty humble and down to earth. That said, I’m looking out for myself and my future here. I need to ensure I have positive opportunities after college. I’m struggling to make a decision here because as much as I need to leave Amherst, I can’t go just anywhere.
No one can say you will or will not be able to transfer to this university or that university. Find a place you “fit”. The happier you are the better you will do. Prestige is not the end game. Happiness is the end game. People are highly successful from all types of schools. Reading in between the lines you are caught up in prestige and it maybe blinding you to happiness and success. Does Amhurst really provide more opportunities than lets say your state flagship? Too many people get caught up in ratings in my humble opinion. There are no guarantees in this world.
@preppedparent said “Amherst is small and provincial”. You clearly know nothing about Amherst. It is definitely small, but is FAR from provincial. @preppedparent also said “You don’t have to settle for less than you deserve”. Again, you are clearly misguided if you think the OP attending Amherst is settling. #-o
When I say settling, I mean for a local state college versus an ivy. I don’t think just because OP doesn;t find Amherst to be a fit, s/he should settle for a mediocre school because it didn’t work out the first time. And yes, I find Amherst to be a small school in the sticks with lots of alcohol use.
Look at this list of gay friendly colleges from Princeton Review. Some are quite prestigious and in metropolitan areas. Brown or Rice might be fits for you.https://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings?rankings=lgbtq-friendly
@CottonTales I take it you either have ties to Amherst or you’re a fan. What do you think of my situation? If you were in my position would you transfer? What institutions do you think are on par with Amherst?
@scubadive It’s not just about prestige from the stand point of ego and appearances for me. I think having an institution behind me that is known for something or has a recognizable name will help me get my foot in the door for future opportunities. That’s important to me. Gay + minoriry makes things a little different for me in life and I want to be able to take care of myself.
There are no guarantees any college will get your foot in the door. Hiring managers come from all walks of life. Some are from schools you never heard of. Don’t discount a state flagship as they have extensive alumni networks. Its all perspective. Plenty of people have never heard of Amherst. All I am saying is if you not happy there look at all options. Maybe its not prestige you are after but you think only certain select schools will get you launched and that is not entirely accurate. There are people out there with no secondary degree who are very successful and there are people with fancy degrees who are not. There is alot more to it than the name of a school.
For a lower income URM, OP is correct, the prestige of the institution makes a huge difference, in particular their resources and influence/network.
The mention of wealthy classmates doesn’t limit op to being lower income (middle and upper middle would likely find a culture shock encountering wealth “for whom winter and summer are verbs”). So if op is middle class/upper middle class, the issue is not as pressing.
However wealth, and in many ways more prominent, will be present at all Ivies.
Another issue is cost: transfers get lousy aid. Even the most generous meet need colleges, transfers aren’t guaranteed the same generosity as freshmen. If you depend on a scholarship to attend Amherst and transferring depends on your getting a similar scholarship, your odds would be significantly lower.
In the meanwhile, try to make Amherst more hospitable, more like what you’d want it to be. Find clubs of interest or create one, try to get in touch with the First Gen program, invite the people you’re in class with to have lunch with you to continue the discussion…
@MYOS1634 wrote:
I’m not sure of how many prestige colleges would penalize their transfers that way. An admitted sophomore is an admitted sophomore. What is much more likely is that the college would not be need blind for transfers, which means the OP would have to be a real stand out in order to compete against the rest of the applicant pool. Not to be overlooked, of course, is the fact that Amherst is among the most generous aid providers in the country. If the OP’s family makes above 60k a year, it’s highly likely he or she will graduate with some debt anywhere else.
You may want to consider reapplying to the two Ivies that you turned down for Amherst. They obviously saw your strengths when you were a high school student. I also think many universities would be sympathetic to an otherwise excellent student whose grades fell off due to freshman adjustment issues. You will need to give good reasons for why you think these schools will now be the right fit for you, how you would contribute, and what you hope to gain from attending X university.
Many state universities have Honors Colleges, and those students get smaller, more high-powered courses, interactions with academically strong classmates, and better access to faculty, advisors, and alumni. Some students at our state university Honors College have turned down Ivy league schools and places like Amherst. For middle to upper middle class families, it is an attractive option without the whole family going into debt.
Last, you have you maximised your experience at Amherst? As suggested by others here, joining different clubs, activities, programs, etc will link you with other people. There also are some 5 College organizations that you could participate in that may also broaden your horizons. To me, Amherst never seemed too small. I always was meeting new people, even from my own class, as well as getting to know students from other colleges.
@WhatGatsby I have a few questions…(1) What are your academic and professional interests at this point? (2) Do you prefer any specific geography/location? (3) What do you think your overall gpa would be at Amherst?
This may be an overstatement with a grain of truth behind it. For example, Columbia promises to meet need (as it defines “need”) for frosh and regular transfers, but does not guarantee to meet need for 3+2 program transfers.
However, many of the best financial aid colleges are highly selective, and some take very few transfers. So a college GPA significantly less than 4.0 will be a problem in applying to those colleges. In addition, they tend to have about half of their undergraduates from non-financial-aid families, similar to Amherst.
Of course, you can attempt to transfer wherever you like. The advice to start with the two Ivy League schools to which you were originally admitted seems reasonable. However, if you don’t like the elitism at an elite school, just transferring to another elite school seems self-defeating. How many chances do people get at these places anyway?
Were I evaluating your transfer application, I would see a downward grade trajectory and difficulty adjusting socially, neither of which would bode well for your success at the next school and both factors seem much more important than whether you are gay or URM which seem mostly irrelevant.
None of that is to say that you should not try. But just like applying for freshman year, you should have some academic and economic safeties in mind e.g. state school honors programs.
@preppedparent I’m with you. The fact that this student was accepted at some Ivies means that those schools most definitely will treat them differently should they seek to transfer. Their original file will be reactivated as part of the transfer admission process. Each university is different, but students in this fairly unique situation are usually considered outside the normal process. Being gay or an URM may be relevant if that had anything to do with their experience at Amherst. Again, the student should outline all this in their re-application.
I’d just add that the student doesn’t have to demonstrate anything to us. It’s the admissions committee that counts. In cases like this, I always advise that you contact the university directly. You have nothing to lose. Many students are unhappy at the original universities and go on to do very well elsewhere.
@WhatGatsby No one here can tell you what you need. We aren’t the admissions committee. We didn’t see your original file and we don’t know your circumstances. If you want to attend one of the universities that originally admitted you, contact them and say so. I also strongly advise that you supplement your application with a letter to the Admissions Director, stating why you want to attend, why you originally decided to go elsewhere, and anything that has affected your performance at Amherst. If you have credentials that can strengthen your case–higher SAT scores for example–by all means submit them.
Again, rather than asking outsiders for advice, contact the universities concerned. Good luck!
not sure UVA would be right for you…I’d look at more urban environments.