I’m a sophomore at Hamilton College. I do not fit in here. I was a January admit, so I spent my first semester in London at Arcadia University. The classes available in London were extremely easy, and I did not learn anything. This is a part of the reason why my GPA was a 3.7 for the fall, and a 3.0 for the spring; The classes were easier and I didn’t have the same prerequisite knowledge as the other kids when I got to Hamilton. In my defense, I took Organic Chemistry and Calculus II, both of which are notoriously hard at Hamilton, and my B- grades in the classes were above the class averages.
That said, I also had poor study habits and did not approach my classes with the maturity that I should have.
Let’s say, by some miracle, I manage to get a 3.9 GPA this semester, and have midterm progress reports next semester that reflect similar performance. Do I have a shot at transferring to a school in a more populated area, where I might feel more at home? Something like Tufts, or Wesleyan, or (really reaching) Brown or Penn?
ECs on campus:
I am a staff writer for the satirical newspaper, write a daily surreal comedy newssheet, sing in both audition choirs, copy edit for the regular newspaper, conducted chemistry research over a summer, take voice and guitar lessons, and will be adding more over the course of this semester
Off-campus ECs:
Eagle Scout, perform stand-up comedy at open mic nights whenever I can
This was hastily written in a nervous whirlwind. I don’t know if this is even the right place to post this.
My goal for transferring is to be somewhere with more of a connection to the real world; the kids here never leave campus.
I would want to stay at a peer institution. I am a believer in the reality of prestige, even if it is stupid.
I was a chemistry major but not anymore. Maybe creative writing? Have not yet decided.
Career goals are also unclear. I want to do something highly creative.
ACT: 33
I don’t need financial aid.
I dunno, you may just be able to pull it off if you do really well in your classes this year and write a compelling transfer application.
Hamilton does have a good writing program, so it may be hard to say you need to leave for a better one. However, Wesleyan, Brown and Penn have leading creative writing programs. Tufts has some excellent creative writing profs, too. You should contact the woman who manages the Kelly Writers House at Penn and perhaps the dept heads of the creative writing/English programs at the other schools. These are also reaches but have excellent English/creative writing programs: WUSTL, Emory, ucla.
Also, submit some writing to the Adroit Journal. It’s a leading college creative writing journal, and perhaps volunteer as an editor. Ppl involved with it seem to do really well with college placement.
Based on the majority of what you’ve posted, you seem to be seeking a school with the attributes of, say, Emerson. You can seek out other options, such as those you’ve listed, but there’s some chance they might not offer the atmosphere you are seeking either. From an admissions perspective, Wesleyan is relatively welcoming toward transfer applicants, and may be your best bet of those you’ve named. If you do achieve a 3.9 at Hamilton this semester, that would seem to be sufficiently impressive for transfer acceptance at most colleges.
You might also consider other schools included in these articles: