should i transfer? please help!

Transfer Students
41

<p>If you are H bent on leaving, then by all means do so. Stay in school this year, and work VERY hard...the higher your grades the better your chances on getting the school of your choice.</p>

<p>do the research.....visit the schools and this time, make sure its what you want. Talk to people, students, professors, dept heads, administrators anyone who has gone there and so forth.</p>

<p>Narrow your list down to 3 or 4 schools and apply to them with equal vigor, but rank them in your head on where you want to go.</p>

<p>What you need to do first is make a list of what it is that you WANT out of a college experience and see if that is a realistic list, if those things are there but you arent seeing them etc.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

42

<p>Hi Milkdud!</p>

<p>If you decide you really want to transfer, consider taking a look at Drew in Madison, NJ. It would probably be a match/safety for you. It's small (about 1700 undergrads) and seems very personal. There is a lot more diversity there than you're probably encountering in VT. It's on a commuter line to NYC (about an hour), and it has tons of interesting off-campus opportunities for travel and study. It's pretty good with merit aid (see other threads about this). Also, the campus is gorgeous.</p>

<p>Good luck with this process!</p>

43

<p>Well, to be honest maybe NYU or maybe one of those small liberal arts colleges would be excellent in NY. </p>

<p>It depends on a lot of factors, 1st being money - ya just because a college gives you a lot of aid is one thing, but what about money for outside activities, and what types of dorms do you like.</p>

<p>The poster made an interesting point about doing research, research and be fun and boring, maybe some psychological or breakthrough research might be fun if ur not so much into math and science. NYU steinhardt has plenty of activies, and its one of the best education schools in the country, you might be overwhelmed in the city however, and if ur on a tight budget it might hurt a bit.</p>

<p>There are a lot colleges you can choose from including all girls liberal arts college all over the nation. Are you into very good food and broad based things such as dancing and the arts, maybe nyc is good for you and don't forget that not every place in nyc is too fast pased</p>

44

<p>milkdud,</p>

<p>it is not TOO early to start thinking about transfering, but you should realize that it is RELATIVELY early on in the school year to be 100% sure that transfering will make you happy.</p>

<p>i am a transfer student myself, and sometimes find myself regretting my decision. there are pros and cons to every school, and as a freshman in your 2nd month of school it is WAY too early to be able to know for sure how you feel about your school. homesickness is normal, and im sure there are tons of other kids at your school, and schools around the country, that feel exactly the same way you do right now.</p>

<p>i was in your exact position last year--my school was too far away from home, and it was neither socially nor academically stimulating. so let me try to give you a couple "pearls of wisdom":</p>

<p>first, if you are serious about transfering, you need to be serious about your classes. the better your grades are, the better chance you will have of getting into a great school. i was not a stellar high school student, but my discontent at my first college fueled my desire to get good grades. if your classes are easy, even better--just do really well in them, and you will have many options.</p>

<p>second, get involved in as many extracurricular activities as you can. this has 2 purposes: first, you will meet people who have common interests (and maybe decide the social scene is not so bad after all), and second, it will clearly help to strengthen your transfer application.</p>

<p>finally--and i'm repeating myself here--don't write off UVM just yet. i have about 5 friends from high school that applied to transfer out of their colleges, and i am the only one that actually did it. college WILL get better--it may not get perfect, maybe not even good, but you will settle in and start to feel at home eventually. the biggest question that you are going to have to ask yourself is: "do i really want to start all over again at another school?" because it REALLY is starting all over again--learning how to register for classes, how to meet people, how to get around campus, etc etc.</p>

<p>so, long story short: transfering will not solve all your problems. some things may get better, other things may not. it is too early in your freshman year to make a definitive decision, but start doing research on schools that fit your interests. KEEP AN OPEN MIND! hope this helps a little.</p>

45

<p>Very helpful perspective and info, rockiracoo. Thank you for posting.</p>

46

<p>I think you've been given excellent advice here. I'd complete a few transfer applications, visit after acceptance, and see how you really feel months from now. </p>

<p>It's actually a very good thing you are beginning to understand what you really want in a college. Rokiracoo's post above was very sound, as are others who say you may change your mind. However, transfer applications can and should be completed to insure that you have options when you need them.</p>

<p>Listen to your gut instincts, but DO make efforts to improve your current situation in the interim. That way, no matter what you decide, you win.
Good luck and keep us posted on how things evolve.</p>

47

<p>i just want to thank everyone who posted, i really got some good advice. so heres the current situation. </p>

<p>im going to stay the full year, so i have to wait it out no matter what. at this point, im really set on leaving. i say that because im not really homesick anymore, i have so good friends, i've joined some clubs and things like that, and i'm still not satisfied here. i just think the problems with the school are ones that cant be fixed, such as size, distance, academics, and the student body being really unmotivated. so i'll apply to other schools and visit around and stuff, and hopefully this year wont be too painful.</p>

<p>so far im applying to conn college, skidmore, brandeis, and wesleyan. if anyone else has ideas let me know. </p>

<p>and thanks again to everyone</p>

48

<p>Thanks for checking in with us, milkdud. Glad things are going better for you, and that you can take your time. Let us know how things go along, and remember it's all good no matter what happens. If it gets even better and you decide to stay, fine. If you continue to think transferring is the right thing, fine.</p>

49

<p>Well, I personally think you should apply to more schools than just those listed. How about NYU, or smith college, or state colleges, what made you single out conn college?</p>

<p>Where is your homeplace? Btw, how is the food about there?
No cusines like you get in NYC, where the variety amazes you.</p>

<p>Anyways, I would like to know your hometown so I can help you or atleast advice as to possible suggestions, Suny colleges are in play? </p>

<p>Im no expert but have done a fairly good amount of reading/researching/trends,etc.</p>

<p>My 2 cents.</p>

50

<p>milkdud, are you a girl?</p>

51

<p>if you're looking for a suny college, and a small liberal arts feel, you would really enjoy geneseo. it's a great school and pretty too! (not like the gray vibe you get from the other suny campuses-binghamton is an example).</p>

52

<p>well i live about 40 minutes from the city, in westchester, i wont say exactly where. everything is in the play including sunys, i just really want a small, liberal arts school that isnt a joke academically. and yeah im a girl, was it that obvious? i just really liked conn college when i first saw it last year, but was rejected. but im willing to go as far as maybe threeish hours, as long as its fairly accessable to where i live.</p>

53

<p>Hi Milkdud!</p>

<p>I agree with NYcollegelooker. If you didn't get into Conn College last year, the rest of the schools on your list may each be a significant reach. You definitely should broaden your list.</p>

54

<p>well i didnt get in last year but i was close, it was sort of a match school, not like a huge reach. and im doing really well in school right now and its easier to get into a school as a transfer. but im happy to hear other suggestions, what safties do you think?</p>

55

<p>Skidmore is probably a strong match. Can you apply as a transfer student to Conn. College? Where else did you apply to last year?</p>

56

<p>last year i applied to brandeis and conn college and was rejected from both. i got into suny new paltz, clark univeristy, and never heard from binghamton (i dont know why). and that was it, i was really stupid while applying. i got lazy and just came here when i was accepted. thats why im unhappy i guess, but i learned my lesson, this time i'll do the research. but i think as a transfer have a shot at conn college. and skidmore i like too. </p>

<p>i also thought i'd look into bard, but i know nothing about it right now so i cant say.</p>

57

<p>oh and yeah conn college takes both spring and fall transfers, but i'll be in the fall. spring is just a little too soon to get everything together</p>

58

<p>Bard is a very liberal school, much unlike Conn. College. The students at Bard probably do not cross apply to Conn. College as often as those whom apply to Skidmore. St. Lawrence Univ., about 8 hours from your home would be another option if you are more mainstream politically speaking. (St. Lawrence, however, has been overwhelmed with dramatically increasing applications the past two years). Do you consider yourself to be liberal, conservative or moderate? Bard, Vassar and Sarah Lawrence tend to be ultra-liberal, whereas Conn. College is moderate, SLU moderate to conservative and Skidmore is liberal to moderate. Clark has an outstanding reputation-- especially for psychology.</p>

59

<p>i am liberal, but not hippie really. i guess in terms of personality im moderate, although politically im a liberal. does that make sense at all? bard might be too extreme, but i really liked skidmore</p>

60

<p>Bard isn't as weird as it's cracked up to be, and I mean that in a good way. Recently the president wrote to the students concerning a drug-related suspension:
[quote]
Bard is in the unfortunate position of being heir to an inaccurate but widespread mythology that, unlike other colleges, it is somehow more tolerant or forgiving of drug use. This is not true and represents a distortion of the history of the College. The College's adherence to a progressive philosophy of education that centers on the well-being of individual students, its embrace of the arts as an integral part of the liberal arts, and indeed its informal and tolerant atmosphere have repeatedly led to the misconception that it looks the other way when it comes to substance abuse or illicit activity.</p>

<p>The fact is that precisely because of the College's commitment to learning and the development of students' abilities and ambitions, the kind of irresponsible and destructive activity associated with drug use is anathema and unacceptable. Any romance that might have been associated in some past countercultural fashion with drug use is long gone, if it ever flourished. The College must rely on the trust it places in its students and on the presumption of adulthood that trust suggests. It has no wish or capacity to divert scarce resources to more stringent systems of control and oversight.

[/quote]
I have kids at both Bard and Sarah Lawrence and both schools are liberal but tolerant of all philosophies and persuasions as well. Neither is "a joke" academically. To the contrary, both put a lot of stock in intellectual pursuit and self-motivated learners. Check 'em out.</p>