<p>I just finished my first year at Bradley University. A few problems have come up.</p>
<p>First, I won't be able to finish in four years, and the tuition is quite steep.</p>
<p>Second, I just plain do not like it here. I wasn't extremely thorough in my high school college search, I just picked the school that seemed to have the most reputable engineering program. Well they do have a good engineering program: and **** everything else. Social life is a joke (Like only 3000 people, not much larger than my high school, and if you're not in Greek then tough) surrounding city is crap, and really I'm just not liking it. It's a small urban campus, I want to go somewhere bigger and out of the city.</p>
<p>So I am now rather certain I want to transfer, but I'm just not sure where to start. All I know is that I want:</p>
<p>-A reasonably large campus with a good social scene and a lot to do</p>
<p>-Good tuition rates or otherwise good financial aid</p>
<p>-Good engineering and science program, plus research opportunities</p>
<p>-Out of the city</p>
<p>So that's basically what I know I want, but I just don't know of many places to start looking. I live in Illinois, by the way. I'm looking for recommendations to begin my search.</p>
<p>What do you define as good tuition rates? What can you afford to pay?</p>
<p>Bradley is currently hitting me for around 38 grand a year. Simply too much. I am hoping for something closer to around 20k.</p>
<p>What’s your current college GPA? How many credits have you accumulated?</p>
<p>definitely UIUC, especially for engineering</p>
<p>UIUC is more than 20k for in-state students, so it may not work.</p>
<p>machariel, you need to run some of the college-matching search engines (there is one right here at CC [College</a> Admissions, Search, and Financial Aid Help from College Confidential - College Admissions, Search, and Financial Aid Help from College Confidential](<a href=“http://www.collegeconfidential.com/college_search/]College”>http://www.collegeconfidential.com/college_search/) ) to look for places that offer your major, and that are affordable. You need a place where the tuition and fees are no more than 10k, so that you have 10k left for housing, meals, books, etc. If you can get your housing, meals, etc. under 10k you will have a few more options. I expect that Western Illinois, Eastern Illinois, andSouthern Illinois should be fully affordable, and that Illinois State, Northern Illinois, and UI-Chicago might be workable. Out of state will be harder to find within your price range.</p>
<p>Do investigate the option of spending a year at your closest community college and completing a guaranteed transfer or articulation program there. That might be the best way to assure that you can get into engineering at one of your state Us. While you are on vacation this summer, stop by that community college, and have a chat with the people in the admissions office about your situation. They will have ideas for you.</p>