Lost and Confused Transfer Seeks LAC For Commited Relationship

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Forgive me for the length. </p>

<p>All through highschool I had my heart set on NOT going to college. I have always been an average student with not much talent in any one area and not much confidence either. I figured no college would want me, so why bother? My senior year I really got into the culinary arts and decided to go to culinary school. Unfortunately, the summer after I graduated I had a total change of heart and withdrew from the school I had registered with. It was a community college, so I didn't have to apply and bite my nails while waiting for admission. There is a CC closer to my home so I signed up there and recently completed my first year with a GPA of 3.29. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't kick myself for not being more confident and aggressive. All my friends went of to bigger and better places but I am stuck at home. But that's not my point. I have plans to transfer and seeing as it is summer, I need to get some schools in mind. There are so many out there and I have been scouring sites like College Board and Princeton Review to try and find something that could be right for me. </p>

<p>I live in Michigan and would like to stay in state but recently I started looking at Illinois, Ohio and Indiana schools. I must reiterate, I am an extremely average student. I have a horrible track record with math (tears, pain, anguish, denial, depression and, worse, bad grades) that has left my GPA crippled. I went to a small charter school for the arts where I didn't take any AP courses and the same math class (pre-algebra) three years in a row. I got strong grades and took dance, art, drama, band and choir all four years. Surely that has to make up for something. I got a 22 on my ACT because I bascially filled in random bubbles in the math section (and still managed a 15). Would any good college want me? I don't really do the extracurricular thing but people have told me I can write, and indeed, I love to.</p>

<p>The problem is, I am a transfer student and websites like College Board and Princeton Review are set up to help highschoolers with Ivy League aspirations. I want to go into English or history or literature (indecision is fun!) and so I am looking for a smaller liberal arts college. I have looked at U of Michigan, MSU, Eastern Michigan, Knox College, Lake Forest but the majority of them are so big, I'd feel lost. I am used to smaller schools with weirdo, artsy people and personalized educational experiences. The one thing I love about my CC is that my teachers and I have actual relationships, they know my name and their classes are small. I would also love to study abroad though as a transfer, I don't see that as an option. In Michigan, there are either the huge state schools or smaller religious schools, which I would like to avoid like the plague. </p>

<p>I am also broke. I have no money, credit, familial financial support or hope of ever paying on my own. I know smaller colleges are pricey. Any advice on this as well? If you know of any good, smaller colleges in the Midwestern area that absolutely love 19 year-old tranfsers with mediocre grades, a weak academic background, a slacker extracurricular record, no money and a small talent for writing, a love of learning and puppies, could you let me know? I can use all the help I can get.</p>

2

<p>Take a look at Beloit College in Wisconsin, Earlham in Indiana, Goucher in Maryland, and Hendrix College in Arkansas. They all have very strong English and history programs and have just the type of quirky student body you are looking for --- plus they welcome transfers to their small campuses. I think you'd like all four schools very much. Where ever you apply to transfer, colleges will look more heavily at that 3.29 COLLEGE GPA and your COLLEGE recommendations than they will at your high school GPA. A 3.29 college GPA with good faculty recommendations should be fine for any of the above schools. Hendrix, Beloit and Goucher are particularly kind with financial aid for transfer students.</p>

<p>You may also want to read through the "transfer" section here on CC. It has lots of useful information and tips. </p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

3

<p>Hi! You should look into the Ohio liberal arts schools--they are typically just as good as any others but often times less selective because of their locations. You could try Kenyon, Oberlin, Denison, Ohio Wesleyan.... also, some really good schools with atypically high acceptance rates would be..marlboro or reed. Also, work really hard on your essay! Perhaps, take the ACT or SAT again and also, schedule an interview. LACs like that.</p>

4

<p>Look at Bowling Green, OU, and Dayton in Ohio</p>

5

<p>eh... whoops. I skimmed over 'LAC'</p>

6

<p>Night Owl-You should also perhaps consider Bennington College, in southern Vermont. Your stats are low for them, but if you can prove that you have grown as a student and that you are now motivated, you could have a chance (a love of learning will go a long way with admissions). It is small, friendly, artsy, and you would be able to explore all of your interests (and not take any math, as there are no class requirements!) I am not positive about how much financial aid they will give you, but in your situation I am sure that it would be the maximum (though you would also have to take out loans as many other students do). Good luck with your search.</p>

7

<p>you should talk to the xfer counselors at your CC; perhaps one or more of them are familiar with LACs and have experience dealing with them. Ask around.</p>

<p>Also, some CC's do have study-abroad programs (I know ones out here in CA do) , so look into that so you don't have to wait until you xfer to go overseas.</p>

8

<p>I would finish up a two-year degree at your CC to prove that you can be successful at college. This will leave you better placed to transfer, when your reason is that you are looking for a four year degree instead of just looking for a change. And, if you need to earn money by taking a gap year, it will look much better on an employment application. Most transfer applications are submitted in the spring, so you would be looking at slim pickings this late in the year.</p>