<p>Also, how was your freshman year at UVM? I mean I know you wanted to transfer, but did you still form a good group of friends you’ll keep in touch with, still have fun, and still enjoy your freshman year? I would hate to have a bad freshman year, because you only get that chance once (unless you repeat freshman year)</p>
<p>@anonymous - I’m going to PM you.</p>
<p>I can’t comment proactively on any of the schools with much detail. But the transfer thingie works for some but not for others. Its normally better to stay put for four years unless there is a compelling reason not to. Not saying moving to Cornell is a bad move, but it will be different than UVM for certain.</p>
<p>If you go to UVM (or Goucher or Binghamton) and do extremely well, then enjoy it and continue to do well and graduate at the top of your class.</p>
<p>Success is always the best revenge.</p>
<p>boondocks also gives good advice.</p>
<p>UVM is one of the schools my son has a choice of…I honestly don’t understand his hesitation or yours, it’s a VERY good school and Burlington is a great college town.</p>
<p>Not only that, I have yet to meet anyone who went there who didn’t love it.</p>
<p>But, I can’t convince my son and probably not you…I’m hoping that’s his choice. The other is Bryant.</p>
<p>@ghostbuster-I agree with you that students should not transfer unless that have a compelling reason to do so. Besides UVM not being a good ‘fit’ for me, they do not have a well-developed program for my major and it was important to me that I find a school that would give me priceless undergraduate years. UVM has been great, but I am beyond excited about Cornell and the opportunities it will bring me.</p>
<p>If I was not successful at transferring, I would not have minded staying at UVM. It’s a good school, and the people who meet here are unrivaled in kindness. And so many of the students love it here.</p>
<p>I agree, success is always the best revenge. And to people who are in the same situation as Anonymous, for example, know that it is not the school that makes you. You can get a good education anywhere - it’s what you do with the resources at hand that makes it great.</p>
<p>LOL, I spoke too soon, I guess Cheeky didn’t love UVM?</p>
<p>Anyway, if you’re interested in pre-med, UVM has a very good med school…</p>
<p>Anonymous, do you mind posting where you’re waitlisted?</p>
<p>Ghost - thank you for the encouraging words</p>
<p>Boondocks - Words of wisdom for sure. I think I have very intimate knowledge of that commuter college grad/executive you speak of, or someone just like him. ;)</p>
<p>@momtravels - I definitely didn’t ‘love’ UVM, but I am one of the few, trust me. UVM is a great institution, and I would never turn anyone away from coming here. The curriculum is broad, so even an undecided has plenty of room to experiment and test the waters of whatever they want.</p>
<p>Burlington is amazing. It is the ultimate college town, and one of the safest places to be, especially for college. Besides the tundra-esque weather, it can provide the backdrop for a quintessential college experience. Between UVM and Bryant, I would highly recommend UVM. Great reputation, strong support system for students, safe town.</p>
<p>And UVM med school isn’t just good…it’s great. Top 6 in the country for family medicine right now as ranked by USNWR. I am premed, and already have UVM med school on my list of places I will apply to.</p>
<p>Plus, because it’s Vermont, the ‘Green’ aspect of the school is unbelievable, a lot of the food comes from local farmers, and, of course, all the Ben and Jerry’s you could ever want lol.</p>
<p>ummm, momtravels… ok well I say middle class white students don’t have it half as bad as asian students.</p>
<p>Thanks for the insight Cheeky, personally I love UVM but my son just can’t get excited about it. I’m afraid it might be that he just fell in love with schools that didn’t accept him.</p>
<p>BTW, he’s accepted into the Business School but for awhile was considering premed (I know, very different), but if he changes his mind again it would benefit him to be at UVM over Bryant.</p>
<p>Congrats on Cornell!</p>
<p>@momtravels - I understand how he feels. It’s hard to face reality after months of daydreaming and ‘What ifs’ running through your mind, and then they don’t come to life.</p>
<p>UVM is so considerate with regard to major-changing. I actually switched colleges within UVM (from CAS to CALS) during Orientation! They definitely want their students to succeed, and are willing to get them to where they want to go as long as the students make an effort to seek help and guidance. Also, a lot of people fall in love with this school once they become acclimated to it.</p>
<p>As you can see, although I am leaving, I am very defensive about UVM, and would suggest it to anyone who is looking for a non-cutthroat environment that will give them time to figure out what they want out of college, and where the want to go thereafter. And UVM has its own great little reputation in the academic world.</p>
<p>Professors are very nice, and finding them during office hours for help is never a challenge. Like I said, you will be hard pressed to find someone who isn’t one of the nicest people you’ve ever met.</p>
<p>Has he visited? Because the city and vibe of Burlington is hard to beat. And what are his reservations about UVM over Bryant? In my eyes, there’s no debate, unless Bryant is giving him (more) money.</p>
<p>Bryant IS giving him a merit scholarship (10K), much more than UVM (1K!), but we’re willing and able to pay his full tuition anywhere he is/was accepted, so that’s not an issue.</p>
<p>I think he likes the fact that Bryant is small - he wanted a small school, and though he would never admit it, his best friend is going to Bryant. I would hope that’s not a factor but I can’t help thinking that it’s swaying him.</p>
<p>He’s visited both and said he “liked” both of them. My husband and I agree with you that it’s no contest, UVM is a better school, even though I admit that Bryant felt very comfortable…and that may also be part of it. I wonder if he just likes to aggravate us. ;)</p>
<p>Binghamton is a very good school.</p>
<p>Even if you choose to transfer next year, you won’t go wrong there.</p>
<p>As long as you go to the school that you love/like best, you can’t go wrong.</p>
<p>And as lame as it may sound, make a pro/con list. Like a physical, handwritten list. Brainstorm ideas, and see where the scale tilts. It can help a lot.</p>
<p>Well, you asked for my advice and here it is:
Since you’re uncomfortable with a gap year, try out the one that offends you the least. Base it on town, students, academics, money, whatever matters the most in your decision. I know it’ll suck to do anything resembling an application process again, but if you end up disliking the school that much, then you’ll have to go through it. If you do like the school, then stay. It’s easier not to move.</p>
<p>If it does bother you to be there, then applying to a different state school with a decent reputation is always an option. You might want to consider that it doesn’t matter if you.</p>
<p>And then there’s grad school. According to the people I’ve talked to, grad school can be far more important than undergrad. This includes my dad’s experience, having graduated from cornell with a masters in ChemE. Then again there’s also the name value for undergrad: my sister went to Dartmouth and has found that graduating from there (with a BA) has helped her immensely in her work in Vermont.</p>
<p>It really depends on where you want to head. If you have real talent, it won’t matter where you go. If you’re afraid that you don’t have real talent or don’t know, go to a school that makes sense, and try to transfer out. There are many other people bumbling through life no more and no less effectively than you will be.</p>
<p>Just FYI, my son came home to pick up his baseball gear and I said to him "Well, it’s Wednesday (we agreed that he would tell us where to deposit on Wednesday) and he said “Just send it into UVM”. </p>
<p>While I’m happy with his choice, I can’t help but feel sad at the total lack of enthusiasm and resignation with which that message was delivered. Oh well…maybe he’ll come around, I hope.</p>
<p>Word to the wise- LIKE your safeties!</p>
<p>Getting back to the orginal poster, Goucher is a very good school on the rise. For many, it is a perfect “safety” in that it is a fine place to which one could be pleased to go. (It is also a first choice for others.) It has a very dynamic president, emphasizes global education, and a nice location on the edge of a city. Suggest another look.</p>
<p>Mom…kids who are disappointed at this stage of the game do come around. It takes longer for some than others, depending on their attitude and how bad the sting was. Get the gear for UVM and embrace it. Have him get on facebook and meet UVM students and new admittees. And by movein day, it will all be fine. Been there, done that.</p>
<p>My D1 went up to New York, full of excitement, but also sort of bitter about the admissions process and how utterly unfair it is. But she met a new group of friends, including her boyfriend, and all is well that ends well. Doing exceptionally well.</p>
<p>Tell him to focus on studies and not on parties and he will be fine.</p>