<p>The OP is low-low income, so UMich, while great, it probably not worth the app fee at OOS rates. OTOH, UVA offers full need-based aid to OOS.</p>
<p>OP, you should realize that a great many students have a hard adjustment the first year. It takes awhile to ‘find your people’. If you transfer, you will be living that adjustment year all over again. Also when you get into your upper division classes, class size will be more intimate and you will be working with others in your cohort more closely, finding others with the same interests as you.</p>
<p>I think a lot of your concerns are superficial and will fade with time. </p>
<p>Berkeley classes are hard and that’s why it had the reputation it does. Haas also has a strong reputation. USC is not at that level, although it is a good school and all. I don’t know how hard firms recruit business undergrads, though. My daughter was at Brown and the ibanks and consulting firms would come to recruit Economics majors and people with fantastic math skills. Many of the top schools don’t offer business at undergrad level.</p>
<p>I think BlueBayou has a point and you have a shot at Dartmouth. If you are going to apply anywhere as transfer, I’d do that. You may get great aid. Just be realistic and know that they only accept a few transfers. They took 38 out of 640 applicants according to college board.com . You will need to rethink your major as they don’t offer business undergrad.</p>
<p>After that, the strategy to look at UCB VS USC as a Jr transfer is something to think about. Keep the gpa high.</p>
<p>Oh and I know a Haas grad who went to Wall Street and did very, very well at a young age. But this was before the meltdown and the resulting loss of job opportunities in that sector.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. UCB really isn’t that bad. I’m just trying to maximize both the undergraduate experience, and post-graduation opportunities (I’m really aiming for finance in NYC 
)</p>
<p>I have one question… do you recommend that I apply to both schools right away? Or one school this year, and the other next year?</p>
<p>For example, I understand that Dartmouth’s “sophomore summer” is rather essential, while USC Marshall might serve as a nice backup for Haas. So perhaps I should attempt Dartmouth this year, and USC the next?</p>
<p>To contradict the previous example: Marshall is a 4 year program, so every year probably counts, while Dartmouth wants professor recommendations, which would be better next year. This would suggest the opposite plan (USC this year, then Dartmouth next year)</p>
<p>So what do you think? In what order should I deal with these two transfer applications?</p>
<p>Oh and I’ve done some research on other possible schools… I really don’t like UVirginia or Cornell, and Ross/Stern wouldn’t be financially feasible.</p>
<p>I’m still open to any other suggestions</p>
<p>
oh, and what you think is important? okay… according to others (who actually have opinions that matter) would disagree with much of what you say.</p>
<p>But have you been to USC? I don’t see it any different from Berkeley, and Marshall has lots of Asians too and is inferior to Haas in terms o IB placement in WS. Marshall is basically a regional school. Haas grads have more mobility.</p>
<p>You’ve overrated the prestige of Haas ten fold. USC has world renowned networking. If you transfer there and don’t get a job in NYC its because you screwed up.</p>
<p>If the intellectual problem is your issue I doubt USC solves it. You’d need to look at a school where the students are a little pretentious because your generation has been trained to hide their smarts.</p>
<p>Also of note is this well known bit of wisdom, LA is where the hot girls in SF move after high school.</p>
<p>^ I’m not sure if I overrated Haas, but as what I have understood from the OP, s/he didn’t like - or was turned-off - that Berkeley has many Asians and that a Haas degree might not look impressive in WS. I don’t see USC or Marshall would do any better than Haas as Haas is significantly more respected than Marshall anywhere you go, even in SoCal, Marshall’s own backyard. AFAIK, the only West Coast school that’s highly favored in WS is Stanford. So, unless s/he is transferring to Stanford, s/he should apply to East Coast schools. And I don’t understand that s/he didn’t like Cornell and UVa but like USC. So, maybe, s/he just really like USC and was just asking how respected a degree from there is in WS. In that case, I would say, yes, a Marshall degree is respected in WS, but obviously not as respected as a Haas degree. So, if s/he’s thinking that it would require more effort for a Haas grad to get into WS, well, the more it should require him/her for being Marshall grad. In that case, if s/he would ever leave Berkeley for a supposedly better feeder school to WS, then s/he should disregard USC completely. There are quite a few schools that we can honestly say are better feeder schools than Haas to WS and all of them, with the exception of Stanford, are in the East Coast. It just does not make sense to transfer from Berkeley to USC if getting into WS is his/her main motivation.</p>
<p>Don’t let first semester home sickness be the basis for your decision. My son, then in his first semester at USC, was very unhappy. He was 2300 miles away from home. No car. No girlfriend. He got over it by the end of first semester, and still lives in LA. So, give yourself a chance to settle in. And, don’t make a decision on perceived prestige.</p>
<p>Is it just me or is no one else troubled by the anti-Asian tone of this thread!?</p>
<p>I find some of these comments offensive-as if Asians are to be avoided at all costs…</p>
<p>It’s interesting to me that the OP wants more “intellectual atmosphere” but wants to major in business, get into entertainment industry, and move back to LA, which all seem rather ant-intellectual to me. I personally found NorCal more intellectual with more educated crowds. Also, USC’s strengths are in films, accounting, architecture, engineering…etc, not social sciences, sciences, or humanities; it got rid of German couple years ago. I doubt it would solve the “intellectual” problem.</p>
<p>^ Aside from that, the OP doesn’t want to be around lots of Asians, but there are a lot of Asians at USC and many of them are in Marshall, USC’s business school. I think he/she should visit USC first before deciding on even applying there.</p>
<p>I will look more closely into Cornell and UVA, but for unknown reasons I would just rather stay at Cal, or go to USC.
If there are any other schools you think would fit me, please suggest them. Again, Dartmouth was truly to school I wanted to go to, and they waitlisted me.
Also, please let me know which year(s) you think I should apply for transfer. Perhaps waiting another year would be better? I can become very comfortable at Cal, or any other school, and I am only trying to be at the best possible location for myself.</p>
<p>Now, I previously chose Berkeley, because I assumed it was more “intellectual” than USC. The two schools are actually similar enough in this regard. Therefore, the positives of USC become more relevant, such as the benefits of a private university, greater diversity, and a more favorable location.</p>
<p>Also, some of you are taking my words out of context. There is nothing wrong with an Asian population, but Haas is 70% Asian, and I would rather have a more diverse class.</p>
<p>Also, forgive me for being unclear. I would switch to Marshall, knowing that neither Haas nor Marshall are really represented on WS. Again, just like the “intellectuality” factor, because USC and Berkeley are relatively equal on the “WS” factor, other factors become more relevant. Also similar to the “intellectual” factor: I previously believe Haas was well recruited to WS, not realizing that most grads end up in SF.</p>
<p>To sum this up: I previously chose Berkeley over USC because (among other things) 1. WS representation, 2. intellectual atmosphere. These factors were more important than the Pros of USC. However, Berkeley and USC are more similar/close on these points than I previously believe, so the Pros of USC now become more powerful to me. USC is a private school, with more diversity and a better social life. It is also in a location I prefer (and would gladly live in).</p>
<p>I hope I explained this well. Perhaps over the next few months, I will realize that Cal is actually quite superior to USC with regards to points 1. and 2. And/or perhaps my logic is flawed; I am open to criticism but please be fair and civil. Thank you.</p>
<p>Yes, you will need a Prof rec to apply to Dartmouth. Are you sure that 'SC accepts transfers without a college rec?</p>
<p>I still struggle with your belief that USC will be more “intellectual”, but at the same time you say it has a “better social life”. Generally, those don’t go hand-in-hand. </p>
<p>While Haas maybe more reputable in SoCal – but I doubt employers really differentiate – the Trojan Family is definitely worth the alumni contacts if you wish to settle in SoCal. IMO, it is much more valuable than Haas.</p>
<p>bluebayou, thank you for your reply. I am pretty sure that USC accepts transfers without college recs, which is definitely appealing.</p>
<p>Also, please read my post again as I tried to explain…</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I don’t think USC will be more intellectual. I actually realize the atmosphere will probably be slightly less “intellectual”. However, they are more similar in this regard than I previously foresaw, so other factors (weather / diversity / location / private school / social life) become more important.</p>
<p>Or perhaps I have simply not found “my people” yet. I would rather stay at an intellectual berkeley, but if the undergraduate population is simply concerned with gpa then I’ll take the other benefits of USC instead. In a few months, I’ll probably forget about USC completely, and wonder why I even considered transferring :)</p>
<p>If a school isn’t 70% Asian, then it is 70% ‘white’ that’s just how it is. Does that make one more diverse than the other? I was troubled by the casual use of “too asian” at first. But I can see that it might make a bit of a subcultural adjustment if you are not in that group or even if you are. I do think that OP will eventually attune to persons as individuals within that group.</p>
<p>OP, it took my daughter a year to ‘find her people’ and sophmore year was a huge improvement in comfort level and finding closeknit friends, adjusting to the workload etc. Just remember, you didn’t make a bad decision in the first place and you got a better admit than a lot of people you will suceed fine where you are. You also will be fine if you transfer too. Don’t worry too much, 'k?</p>
<p>I’m sorry I don’t know all the in’s and out’s of transferring so if I gave bad advice about transfer, just ignore. I was going on gut.</p>
<p>USC Marshall undergrad:</p>
<p>African American: 9 %
Asian American: 37 %
Hispanic or Latino American: 11 %
Native American: 1 %
White (Non-Hispanic): 42 %</p>
<p>Northeast: 6 %
Mid-Atlantic: 2 %
South: 3 %
Southwest: 8 %
Midwest : 8 %
West: 74 % </p>
<p>UCB Haas undergrad:</p>
<p>African American: 2 %
Asian American: 78 %
Hispanic or Latino American: 3 %
Native American: <1 %
White (Non-Hispanic): 16 %</p>
<p>Northeast: 1 %
Mid-Atlantic: <1 %
South: 1 %
Southwest: <1 %
West: 97 %</p>
<p>You know, I don’t think this “debate” has gone anywhere so let’s just forget about the whole thing. I’ll talk to some friends/family and see how the year goes. Thanks everyone for the replies and for the help. :)</p>
<p>Funding for transfer students is not the same are for freshman. I do not believe that transfer student admission is need blind. If your mother has an income of $20,000 a year (no mention of father’s income) you could have to pay a lot more at USC than at Cal, especially if USC loads up the aid with loans. </p>
<p>I think you need to give a Berkley a chance and may be you need to rethink your view points. The grass is not always greener on the other side.</p>
<p>mazewanderer, thank you. financial aid is a BIG factor. I am attending Cal for free, it doesn’t get better than that! Also, I am technically considered out-of-state for this year (i will not be for next year… it was due to a parent leaving to another state briefly before I went to berkeley), so my aid next year might even be better. At the moment I am almost completely sure that I will remain at Cal. I am actually starting to like it here!</p>
<p>Oh and:</p>
<p>
I know lol, my post right above yours says
Please read first!! :)</p>