Need advice: should I transfer?

Transfer Students
1

<p>I am currently a sophomore at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. I am pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, and currently have a 4.0 GPA and am involved in several student organizations. I generally like CUA, but over the past few months I have become increasingly concerned that the Economics program will not meet my needs. The professors are mostly of high quality, but the department is very small, which means that very few of the upper-level Economics courses listed in the catalog are actually offered. I fear that this will force me to take courses that are irrelevant to want I want to do with my degree (I am interested in public policy) and very different from (and inferior to) courses being taken by students in similar programs at other universities. When I expressed these concerns to my advisor, he confirmed my fears by suggesting that I fill my departmental electives with business courses (management, accounting, etc.) Business and economics are two very different fields, and getting a B.A. in Economics by taking business courses would be unheard of at other universities.</p>

<p>For various reasons, I find the prospect of transferring somewhat unappealing. There are many things to like about CUA, and of course I would hate to leave behind the many friends that I have made over the past year. Furthermore, I was hoping to spend the fall of my junior year abroad (CUA has an excellent partnership with Oxford University), and I’m assuming that transferring would preclude that option. Finally, I’m well aware that there is little, if any, merit aid available for transfer students at most schools. Despite all of this, however, I cannot help but think that, all things considered, I’ll only be able to get the courses that I want at a school with a larger Econ program.</p>

<p>So, I’m putting this out there: for someone in my situation, do the pros of transferring outweigh the cons? If so, do you have any tips for starting the process? Any suggested schools? And are there any alternatives that I haven’t considered (besides the obvious one of lobbying the department to offer more courses)?</p>

2

<p>If your not happy where u r then transfer, that’s all u need to know. I’m already a junior and I’m planing to transfer, what do u think? I’ve always hated my school and I’m finally taking chances</p>

3

<p>My older daughter transferred a few years ago, also (in part) for curricular reasons. Here are a few thoughts:</p>

<ol>
<li>The process will take quite a bit of effort, and not just filling out applications. In some respects you’ll be repeating the college search you did as a high school Jr./Sr. On the other hand, you can be more efficient because:
a. You’ve done it before.
b. You now have a much more specific idea of what you’re looking for.</li>
</ol>

<p>I would start by identifying schools that have an Econ program that matches your needs. As you now know, a listing of courses that may be offered is not the same as actually having them available to you. I would definitely check the size of the department, and then do research. This website is probably a good place to start. Another place to seek advice may be your high school college counselor. Depending on your high school’s resources and how helpful he or she was the first time around, they may be willing to help now. (In any case, they will need to be involved to some extent, as some if not all schools will want copies of your H.S. transcript and recommendations. And test scores.)</p>

<p>Then you have to go through the same process you did the first time around in terms of what your chances of admission are, financial issues, geography, etc. The good news is that for many schools it’s easier to get admitted as a transfer student - if you’ve done well your first semester at a selective college, there is a much higher confidence level that you’ll be able to do the work at your new school. I don’t know as much about financial aid - you’ll probably need to check that out for each school. If time, $, and geography permit you might want to do some visiting. The good news here is that you do will have a bit of time (at least at most places) - the transfer application deadline is usually well after the regular deadline. But you can always do your visiting after you receive your acceptances. (I would not transfer to a school sight unseen!)</p>

<p>Don’t feel at all awkward about telling your school that you’re considering transferring - it’s not that unusual these days, and you have a solid reason to do so. One thing you should do sooner than later is find out who your contact in your school’s administration will be for the process - you will need someone to send recommendations and transcripts, and also write a letter stating that you’re in good standing where you are now. (This last may be required only after acceptance - I can’t remember for sure.)</p>

<ol>
<li>As to going abroad, transferring does make it more difficult, but not impossible. The key here (as you probably already know) is that most schools have a residency requirement for
graduation - a minimum number of credits taken at the degree-granting school - and most transfers are pretty close to that limit coming in. However, there are some schools (such as my daughter’s) that directly operate programs abroad and count study at those institutions as “residential” credits. If study abroad is important to you, I would include this issue in your research if time permits. (If not, it can go on the list of things to look at when you’re ranking acceptances.) You may have to drill pretty far down into school websites to get this information, but it can be done.</li>
</ol>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

4

<p>Good posts above.</p>

<p>Couple of other thoughts.</p>

<p>Can you do a year abroad in a really strong Econ program? Does CUA have any kind of reciprocity with other DC area schools (GWU, Gtown, JHU, UMd-CP…) where you could take courses… and can you take courses in your major through such a program?</p>

<p>IMO (I transferred back in the Middle Ages and my S transferred recently)… whether the pros outweigh the cons is very individual. </p>

<p>For further info on the process and how to go about it, make sure you consult the two sticky threads at the top of this forum. Full of information.</p>