Hello, I am a freshman at Drexel University currently studying Political Science. Even though I have only been at school for five and a half weeks, leasing agreements are opening and two days, and I started thinking about transferring. Initially, Drexel was not at all my top pick. Unfortunately, my college acceptances did not go well, and Drexel was left as my best choice. My plan was to transfer after freshman year, as Drexel is not at all known for their political science department, and I am worried about the job opportunities I would have after graduation. Though I do plan on minoring in Economics, which is one of Drexel’s top programs, I still feel that in order to get substantial job opportunities with a political science degree, I would need to go to a school with higher prestige. Is transferring worth it, or should I focus on building relationships and my academic career here, and hope for the best in terms of job opportunities?
If you apply to transfer during freshman year the new college will look at your high school GPA and SAT/ACT scores. If that was what got you denied last year they will get you denied this year. If you apply to transfer after sophomore year most colleges will only look at your college GPA (Although the Ivies will look at high school stats regardless of year.) Your college GPA should be high of course.
What type of job are you expecting with a political science makor?
When transferring, it is important to highlight the reasons that the target school is a better fit for your academic interests than is your current school.
If high school GPA and/or standardized test scores were weak, then emphasize your academic performance in college–assuming that it is noticably better.
Transferring can be a good thing. Sometimes it is easier to transfer once you have completed basic courses so you will not have to repeat core classes elsewhere. Check very very carefully about policies since you might end up doing an extra year if you can only transfer a specific number of courses.