Questions About Transfering to Liberal Arts Colleges...and Other

Transfer Students
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<p>WARNING: loads of reading n lots of questions...if its too much to read im sorry lol, n if its too much to answer, im sorry again lol...If you need any additional information about me, just ask - i check often xD Thanks for reading!!</p>

<p>Hi everyone, im new to the Transfers section of CC so plz bear with me - im probably going to ask alot of questions that've already been answered ><</p>

<p>Im currently a HS senior and the only school I got accepted to that's worth looking at (IMO) right now is the University of Rochester.</p>

<p>Ive had a great interest in Liberal Arts Colleges for awhile now - particularly because they focus on Undergraduate education and because it'll be good for opening up my eyes to things ive never heard of/experienced before (from both the kind of education there as well as the people who go there). For some reason though, I only applied to one liberal arts college and thats Oberlin College (i got waitlisted btw).</p>

<p>Soo...I know that UofR is known for having the :feel of a liberal arts college" while being a research university but im not sure if itll be teh same...so Im starting to think about attempting Transfer Admissions to several Top Liberal Colleges: Vassar, Swarthmore, Oberlin again (its got a greattt science program)</p>

<p>Now the problem is....am i just losing my head here? UofRochester gave me a nearly free ride ($26,000 in grants/scholarship + grants from fed, and some money from my own won scholarships) - but I feel like I deserve better.
My current stats are here:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=146557%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=146557&lt;/a>
My grades are fairly low but Im hoping that my 98 senior year avg and a great freshman year avg will help me alot - So I believe im a worthy candidate for transfer.</p>

<p>Currently Im volunteering at a Bookstore 100% run by volunteers w/ 100% profits going to homeless ppl with HIV/AIDS and I plan on getting involved over the summer in a project fighting against discrimination of gays and lesbians.</p>

<p>Reasons why I like Rochester: Small student body, Neuroscience Undergrad Program, Freedom of Curriculum, Location (NY state), Friendly/Diverse People, Financial Aid.</p>

<p>and Now for the questions:
What are your opinions on the University of Rochester?
Am I giving LA colleges too much credit? (im under the belief that liberal arts colleges teach you to think/act differently than large/major reserach universities - different style, different ppl, etc)
What if a college says that they're NOT need-blind for transfer applicants? *Vassar admits they are not-needblind for transfer sooo they might reject me on teh basis that I require too much aid =(</p>

<p>And the BIG question:
Is it worth it to pay extra money n transfer to say, Vassar College after getting a free ride at UofR?</p>

<p>~~~~~~~~~~~
I know this is getting really long sorry>< lol</p>

<p>Im just really frustrated because I know ill love the liberal arts atmosphere - im just not sure why i didnt apply and I dont wanna miss out on the chance of attending a college taht focuses on undergrads.</p>

<p>I visited Swarthmore College (I travelled from NYC -> Penn and the only bus going there the day of the Spring Open House was at 2 in the morning and i went...) ... but didnt apply (out of fear of rejection - stupid me) It was great and I loved it - I fell in love and i didnt apply. 4 ppl from my school, including a close friend of mine, got in.</p>

<p>Im planning on visiting Vassar because that's the most realistic choice for me - its instate (i get more money) and i heard its beautiful. Soo most liekly my top Transfer Choice will be Vassar:Transfer Admissions Rate 20%.</p>

<p>plz plz answer as many questions as you can because I don't know who else would be as unbiased as possible (and anywhere near as helpful cuz it seems u guys know what ur talking about here). THANK YOU!</p>

<p>-a really distressed HS student</p>

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<p>Okay, first of all, yes - it is distressing to choose to transfer, but I did it.</p>

<p>I got denied from Vanderbilt and NYU and was waitlisted at Macalester, so I ended up at the University of Washington. It was a good school, but it was way too big, and I felt like I was there because I had no other choice and I really disliked it. At the end of summer after my freshman year, I decided not to go back. Instead, I decided to apply as a transfer to Cornell, Vassar, William and Mary, Smith, and Barnard, and left the country for two months to volunteer in El Salvador while I awaited the decisions. I got into all but Cornell, and chose Vassar.</p>

<p>I love Vassar and am so glad that I went through the hastle of transfering. Infact, I am going to be one next years TVE Fellows (the person that lives in your dorm and helps transfers, visiting students and exchange students get adjusted to life here at Vassar). </p>

<p>So, now that you have my story, I can tell you a bit about what you should know about transfering.</p>

<p>First, you are correct about Vassar not being need blind. I applied without asking for aid to up my chances of getting in, and the financial burden is a little difficult to handle, but I feel it is entirely worth it because I am so incredibly happy here. Having said that, you can still apply for aid, and I believe one or two of the eight transfers that came mid-year this year are receiving aid. So, it is a lower percentage of people who get aid, but they still do give some out to transfers - it is just harder to get in if you need financial aid. </p>

<p>Secondly, don't quote me on this, but I took a look at your stats, and it seems like if you do well in your freshman year of college, you should be a pretty decent candidate. I had a 1440 SAT, 3.6 gpa, two 5's and one 4 on AP exams, and a modest ammount of extracurricular involvement. The one thing that I think helped me was that I continued to be involved in college, and I got a 3.8 gpa my freshman year in courses that were pretty challenging. So, definately continue to challenge yourself if you think you want to apply as a transfer.</p>

<p>Thirdly, I know it's hard when you feel like you have no choice, but try to give U of Rochester a chance to grow on you, because you might end up deciding that it's not really that bad (I definately hated the U of W, and knew I wanted to leave by the end of my first quarter, so I didn't take my own advice, but still... you are there for at least a semester if not a year even if you do transfer, so make the best of it!). Also, I know a few transfers who were able to get in after just one semester, but they came from Cornell and Tufts, so I'm pretty sure it is harder to get in if you try to switch after just one semester. I finished out a year, took a semester off and went to El Salvador, and then transferred to vassar mid-year my sophomore year. If you can, try to transfer in the fall - I just think it is a little easier to blend in when you aren't one of 8 or 9 kids that just show up after Christmas break. </p>

<p>Finally, I think you definatley should visit Vassar, and if you can, any other schools, just so you can see for yourself whether or not Vassar or another school seems like the right place for you. I visited and fell in love with the beautiful campus, the size of the student body, and pretty much everything else. Also, it shows initiative to the college admissions officers that you took the time to come and visit and take a tour. At the end of your tour, you fill out a comment card, and I was definately enthusiastic about my impressions of Vassar so that they knew how interested I was in attending, and I think it might have helped... you never really know though, because the entire admisisons process is an enigma...but it can't hurt!</p>

<p>All of this advice is directed towards Vassar because I am just more familiar with Vassar as a whole, but I suspect that it will pretty much hold true for most liberal arts colleges in terms of admission as a transfer, with aid, etc., so don't let my bias throw you off if I sound like a Vassar cheerleader.</p>

<p>All right, my reply is probably as long as your original post if not longer, but I hope it helps, and best of luck with your year at U of R, and who knows, maybe one of these days you will be one of my transfer fellowees here at Vassar!!</p>

<p>If you have any more questions, I'll probably check back in with your post, so ask away!</p>

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<p>lol wow, this helps alot xD I didnt expect much of a response let alone meet someone who's been through it all already =)</p>

<p>yow - applying without financial aid is kinda crazy though isnt it? I think I should speak with someone from admissions/financial aid about that.
My Test Scores are : 690,690,680 - 2060/2400 SAT
SAT II Biology 710
SAT II Math1 720</p>

<p>AP Biology - 5
Taking AP Chem and AP English this year.</p>

<p>Yes I do plan on visiting Vassar and Im glad you had such a great experience there! Just wondering what major are you doing at Vassar right now? and how do you feel about the sciences @ Vassar?</p>

<p>Sounds like not too many get in via transfer admissions to vassar =P Ill definitely ask them for a few numbers but the website says 20%. I guess right now the best thing for me is to do my best at UofR to make myself a unique applicant for transfer.</p>

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<p>I'd also like to add that I am in no way going to sulk through my year at URochester. I plan on making the best of things and Im sure Ill have (at least) a decent time there - infact one of my closest friends got admitted to UR and he's going too. It's just the idea that I may've been able to get it is for that the reason that I am considering transfer.</p>

<p>I know Oberlin College has a great science program but I heard the science/research opportunities at Vassar or Swarthmore may be lacking - is this true?</p>

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<p>I'm glad to hear that your outlook is good for your freshman year at U of R. </p>

<p>Definately talk to admissions offices - they know the stuff better than I. When I visited Vassar, they told me about 10-15% of people needing aid as transfers are admitted, while 15-20% that don't need aid are admitted, which is a little lame that it is harder to get in if you aren't wealthy enough to afford your own education. My parents are making me pay half of my tuition myself, but I also knew that if I applied for aid, I probably wouldn't have gotten any anyways because my parents are wealthy enough to afford my education, they just want to teach me responsiblity I guess...</p>

<p>I'm not sure where other collleges stand on admitting people that need aid. I know that I applied to Smith and Barnard and they also said that they were not need blind, but they never told me what the admit rates were. I'm not sure about Swarthmor or Oberlin, but it can't hurt to ask them a few questions. </p>

<p>I too have heard good things about Oberlin science. I would say that if you are interested in the sciences, Oberlin probably has the better reputation if you are trying to get into grad/med schools later on. It depends on how intense you are about the sciences - in high school I thought I wanted to be a doctor, took the whole AP Bio, AP Calc, etc. deal, and now I have decided to double major in Art History and Geology, and am very impressed with the professors from Vassar's geology department. I am not sure about the other departments though so I couldn't tell you what they are like. </p>

<p>Vassar has high admit rates to medical school (as well as to law school, etc.) but if you are looking into neuroscience, I know someone that transfered from RIT and is majoring in neuroscience here. </p>

<p>The best thing you can do is ask questions, and keep your options open, even if you decide not to transfer.</p>

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<p>that is very true - I feel like im really limiting myself by looking only at the sciences because in reality, I have no idea what geology is or art history is for that matter. Who knows maybe an english major'll be better for me (i like english) xD - Im keeping a very open mind right now because I know that there's still so much more to see/learn/hear about before I can be truely sure of where my passion lies - Neuroscience was just one thing that caught my interest while I was in AP Bio...</p>

<p>Which brings me to the point that maybe Itll be easier for me to explore my career options at a school like Vassar. Im wondering if you could get me in touch with that guy who transferred in form RIT and is majoring in neuroscience at Vassar, if he/she doesnt mind Id like to ask him/her a few questions - his case may be the closest thing to my case at the moment =P</p>

<p>You came from the whole HS biology deal and wound up a double major in art history and geology?? Wow xD. What made you change your mind so drastically - at vassar or at UofW? Probably the professors and a couple interesting intro courses right? Im wondering if ill go through something like that while at UofR or elsewhere.</p>

<p>Ive already been convinced that going to a liberal arts college wont hinder my chances of getting into any graduate program thats for sure =P In fact, Oberlin produces an amazing number of PhDs even in comparison to top research universities like Berkeley and UCLA, as do schools like Swarthmore, Vassar, Amherst, n so on - I cant help but I wonder why but something tells me its got alot to do with the students being in a different mindset about their futures and a handful of great professors supporting that mindset =P</p>

<p>its really too bad i couldnt express any of this in my "Why Oberlin" essay =/</p>