what does LAC mean ?
My kid is not really a school name snob, but was kinda shocked and then i guess his inner self and ego was a bit bruised. I guess it is just like if you went to a school, and in a real life situation someone rejects it. This is not a hypothetical question for the person involved. But I agree with you all, in one sense, that what another parent said about my son’s school is nothing in the big scheme of things. The other parent can go pound sand ! and jump off a cliff LOL>
These are not sound reasons for transferring. You both may have buyer’s remorse. I transferred from Emory to a similarly ranked school, realized my mistake quickly, and returned the next semester (and graduated). Don’t underestimate the difficulty socially and emotionally in transferring to another school.
He needs to work on that. And you should consider not enabling that attitude. What was he shocked about? Why does his ego depend on what school he goes to, and in particular, what someone HE HAS NEVER EVEN MET thinks about his school?
He needs to get over this now. There will ALWAYS be people who think you don’t go to the “right” school, don’t work in a prestigious industry, don’t make enough money, don’t live in the right town . . .the list is endless. You cant live your life trying to live up to others’ standards.
Different kids want different things from the college experience. I agree that the name brand thing is not a good reason (I’ll cite US News simply because it’s the go-to for name-brand folks – NU - tie #12, Vandy tie #15, Emory tie # 21 – realistically, they’re pretty close to equal generally, but reputations can vary by area of study, which I can’t speak to). If he knows where he wants to live after graduation, I would consider regional reputations (I think they’re close to equal outside their regions, NU might be a little higher in the Northeast, but that’s just a guess).
Prestige aside, it’s not silly for a kid to want D1 sports. And, sadly enough, Vandy and NU are better known nationally because people hear their names on ESPN despite the fact that Emory is not far behind in ranking. Vandy may be currently worse in football (situation was reversed a few years ago before they lost their coach to Penn State), but it’s probably better school spirit-wise overall. Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams and the baseball team (National Champs in 2014) have huge followings. If he goes there, have him join the sports spirit clubs, it’s a good way to meet people. NU probably has something similar.
D1 is important (not a deal breaker, but a plus factor) to my junior son and NU and Vandy are on his list (we visited Emory, but he found it to be both too liberal artsy and too pre-med for him and then decided on engineering anyway). NU is my son’s current first choice, but that’s primarily because he loved the beach and wants to kayak on Lake Michigan (he also wants to double major and loves the quarter system).
All good choices. Good luck to him.
I haven’t heard a single good reason why this kid should transfer. If I was the parent, I’d tell him to stay at Emory–if nor no other reason than to learn to finish what he started.
@highender LAC = Liberal Arts College.
As a soon to be junior (therefore 20 years old or older), I’m surprised your son has not gotten over the prestige thing or was ‘shocked’ by some snob girl. He’s got a very short time left of school - he should really be focusing on where he wants to live after college. North or South? Making new friends as a transfer is not easy. What is his friend/social situation at Emroy?
I don’t see why everyone is freaking out. I’m sure it’s not just the girl lol. Why is transferring for prestige/more opportunities that wild of an idea? If he’s at all interested in IB/Consulting transferring might be a great idea.
I went to Emory as a freshman. I did absolutely fine socially; but quite simply, I was hungry for something better. I worked my butt off and then transferred to Upenn for their PPE program.
It really wasn’t anything for anything other than
- The prestige. Whether it’s justified or not, a lot of people immediately respect you more if you go to one of the coveted “Ivies”. I honestly think that’s stupid and not justified at all but I was surprised at how people automatically assumed I was brilliant. This didn’t happen with just laypeople either - when I was going through the process of networking for IB telling them I went to Penn caused people to act a little differently towards me. A lot of “oohs” and “aahs”. They opened up immediately.
When I went to Emory they either hardly ever heard of it or simply just regarded it as a pretty “good school”. Could’ve went to SMU or Fordham and got the same response.
Trust me, I know it’s seriously shallow. But unfortunately, whether people in here are willing to accept it or not, it’s true. Also the alumni network at Penn is light years ahead.
- The academics. I was able to study the liberal arts and what I’m TRULY interested in studying while still getting access to great recruiting. This wasn’t the same case for Emory - it was really tough getting any IB/Consulting opportunities without Goizueta. NYC is basically impossible without the B-school. The Wharton/CAS gap was surprisingly miniscule.
Transferring was the best decision of my life, I do have to say. I do have to work a lot harder here than I did at Emory, but it simply feels far more rewarding thanks to the improved recruiting and undeserved respect I got.
Not to crap on Emory, it’s a great school. But it’s presence on Wall Street superdays is practically non-existent. Vandy and Northwestern are definitely better represented.
Also socially, it was fine. I rushed a fraternity and it all worked out from there. Fit is overrated - everyone finds their niche.
Knew this super super super nerdy kid who was scared of going to Vanderbilt because of its fratty nature and emphasis on sports - after a short adjustment period, he was able to find his niche and is now having the time of his life. Know a lot of these kinds of cases.
TLDR; if you are pursuing a career in which college prestige is very important, I would undoubtedly transfer. Fit is overrated.
Transferring school might not be a good ideal to avoid a social issue. Emory is a great school. I have friend went there and graduated without mentioning anything like that. of course, both schools he want to transfer are good. I just want to say it might not be a best solution to deal with social issue. He will also need to adjust to a new environment.
I live in Chicago but was recently visiting Vanderbilt with my son so I know a bit about both schools. Focusing on the ratings in this case is particularly short-sighted since their numbers are so similar. How similar? NU is 12th in USNWR and Vanderbilt is 15th. They are both elite private institutions in the Midwest, although Nashville is sort of a cross between the south and the Midwest. Their profiles are actually quite similar, in terms of student body, number of students, etc. They both have some rah-rah spirit, although my sense is that there might be a wee bit more at Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt is considered similar to Emory, but perhaps more of a jock vibe. You can’t go wrong at either place, IMO. I suppose if your son doesn’t like the cold that could be a deal-breaker.
And tell your son to start branching out in terms of his potential dates. I find the story of a girl not being interested in him because he is an Emory student to be laughable. If that was the real reason that she didn’t go out with him, then he is much better off never meeting her.
^ However, in terms of alumni achievements, Vandy is actually closer to Emory than NU when it comes to percentage of students who go on and get a PhD or win prestigious student awards. Emory actually outranks Vandy when it comes to placement in to elite professional schools. NU outranks both those schools in all 3 of those categories as well as in Forbes’ “American Leaders” metric:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1682986-ivy-equivalents-p3.html
Being happy is important. Very important to success. I wish him well in the new school he picks.
What if he isn’t offered a job at the most prestigious company in his field? Will he turn it down?
“Northwestern has some cool majors with heavy stats/math stuff. Forgot the acronym though. Math in social sciences. Which also Emory is doing- QSS or something like that.”
The program you are referring to is MMSS - Mathematicsl Methods in the Social Sciences. But I am pretty certain a junior transfer can’t join it.
Lots of misinformation on this thread. Vandy is not a LAC. Whoever thinks NU is “overshadowed” by U of Chicago is on drugs - heck, most people in Chicago are barely aware of U of Chicago.
Between NU and Vandy, it’s really six of one half dozen of the other, so it comes down to personal preference - but his reasons for transferring are not sound at all.
If he’s at all interested in IB/management consulting, NU is definitely the way to go. Vandy and Emory have lower Wall Street placement and recruiting than some of their peers, NU included.
Most people in Chicago seem to be equally oblivious of Northwestern as well.
@hebegebe, I don’t agree. I don’t know about the city proper, but in the suburbs/collar counties, University of Chicago seems to fly under the radar, despite the quality. Northwestern is very well known.
@RattaNoodles many people don’t know the difference between Penn and Penn State.
Oh please, hebegebe. That’s ridiculous. If nothing else they know it for sports. It owns the most prestigious, prime real estate downtown. It’s got a huge healthcare complex that is one of the major employers in the city and suburbs.
I don’t know if this has been asked already, but is he from the south? I’m wondering if one of the aspects of Emory that hasn’t fit is cultural. If that might be a part of it, then select Northwestern. If he’s from the south and it’s not a cultural difference, then is he prepared for winter in Chicago? If brutal cold is an issue, then select Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt has semesters, while Northwestern has quarters. That might impact your decision.