<p>I'm an incoming freshman at West Chester University in Pennsylvania. It's not a fantastic school, but I'm only sixteen and my parents were not comfortable with me living away from home (I live 15 mins away from West Chester). </p>
<p>I'd taken multiple classes at WCU prior to enrolling, and thus I already have a fair amount of credits stashed up (by next June I will have 60 credits). Thus, my advisor and I agree that I could easily graduate in two years–with two degrees. I'm currently majoring in Russian Studies and would like to add another major on. My preferences are for either International Relations something similar. If you can't already tell, I want to work in something such as the foreign service another government agency.</p>
<p>Anyway, here's my dilemma: I know that International Relations is a competitive field and I'm worried that WCU is not well known enough for me to get a job. I figure that have a two Bachelor's by the time I'm 18 will play to my advantage since doing something like that is unheard of, but I'm still worried.</p>
<p>Would it make sense to transfer to a more prestigious school after my freshman year? My parents would be more open to letting me live away from home by the time I'm 17, and I feel that a better school would also bring more opportunity when it comes to finding a job.</p>
<p>I would ideally be applying to top-notch International Relations schools like GWU, Georgetown, and American. Are the odds in my favor? Would these schools accept a 17 year old transfer student with 60 credits from an unknown university?</p>
<p>My Stats:
Current GPA: 3.85
Predicted GPA: more than 3.85 (So far I've only taken classes in subjects that are not my strong suit in order to get them out of my way. Once I start taking classes in subjects that I'm better at my GPA will rise.)</p>
<p>Credits as of Spring 2015: ~60</p>
<p>HS stats:
HS GPA: 3.9
SAT: 2020 (I know its low; I only took it once and I didn't study. :/ )</p>
<p>Thank you for your feedback, I greatly appreciate any advice whatsoever!</p>
<p>Is there any particular reason why you feel compelled to start college this year? You could take a gap year to do something else, and then enroll when you are closer to typical college-entry age, and when your parents have more confidence about you being away from home. Talk that idea over with them.</p>
<p>How are you paying for college? Usually financial aid is better for freshmen than it is for transfers. If you need a lot of aid then it makes even more sense to do a gap year, pull up your SAT scores a bit, and shop around for a college/university that will be affordable for all four years.</p>
<p>@happymomof1 Yes. I have multiple reasons for starting college so early.</p>
<ol>
<li>I finished High School two years early. I never really felt challenged and thus I enrolled in college searching for something more rigorous.</li>
<li>The earlier I finish college, the earlier I can begin work in a professional environment. The earlier I start working, the earlier I can retire.</li>
<li>Fortunately, my parents/grandparents worked hard and were very thrifty. They have saved enough to pay for my education without thinking about it. This is really something that I am grateful for, and I don’t want to waste the money they spend to send me to college. I want to make the right decisions.</li>
</ol>
<p>Also I have spoken with my parents and they are fine with me leaving at 17. They encourage independence, but draw the line at 16. To for myself, I don’t know any 16-yr-olds who are that responsible!</p>
<p>GWU: high match
American: match
Georgetown: low reach</p>
<p>they might actually increase your chances considering your age and success at the last college. you have a good chance to get into at least ONE of those. good luck ;)</p>
<p>I don’t see any down side to trying to transfer if your family has the funds. Transferring was the best thing I ever did. You might be surprised by how fulfilling an experience you can have in two years at a residential campus.</p>
<p>@Hanna It’s not a problem of downsides or upsides. I would definitely like to transfer. The question is whether or not I will be accepted at schools like Georgetown, GWU, American, JHU, Tufts, etc…</p>
<p>I have another idea to propose to you. If you are on track to get an undegraduate degree at 18, you are doing well where you are, are near home ( a consideration being that you are young), are able to afford your college, have supportive professors- why change? Transfering would mean mean moving away at 17, (one year from graduation) being in a more expensive college, starting over with faculty who don’t know you. ( as opposed to having a good relationship with faculty now), maybe taking longer to get your undergraduate degree. </p>
<p>IMHO, you have a lot to give up in order to pursue an undergraduate degree that might have more prestige. How about this: Stay where you are another two years and get your undegraduate degree. Save your money. Then apply to a more prestigious college for graduate school. Instead of graduating at 19 or 20 with a bachelor’s you could graduate at that age with a master’s, or even something else. After you finish your undergrad degree where you are, you could apply to law school or any other profession that interests you.</p>
<p>It is very possible that with a solid academic record where you are, and letters from faculty who know you well, that you could be admitted to a reputable graduate program. It is also possible that after you graduate with your first degree, you would be qualified to work with someone in IR as an intern, or spend a post graduate year abroad, or something else that could enhance your career before you go to grad school if you choose. I don’t see your first degree as an end, but as a stepping stone.</p>
<p>@Pennylane2011 Hmm, those are some good points to consider. How much does your undergraduate school matter when applying to grad school? Once again, I don’t want to be dismissed simply because I attend an unknown university.</p>
<p>I don’t see any reason why you wouldn’t be accepted to one of the prestigious schools that you mentioned above. I would go for it! Your accomplishments thus far and your age stick out and are successes in their own right. Go for it!</p>
<p>That’s a good question that I don’t know the answer to. Perhaps posting in the grad school forum would help. There are pros and cons to transferring, and one of them is that it disrupts the relationships you have with teachers and other students. Of course, many people transfer and are happy about it, so it isn’t unreasonable to consider it, but so is being on track to finish so young and pursue a graduate degree at another college. </p>
<p>Grad school applications are different than undergraduate. As a transfer, I think people will look mainly at your academic record. That’s important for grad school too, but at that point, letters of recommendation, experience in the field- such as research, internships, jobs- also counts too. GRE ( or LSAT) scores are also considered. It seems to be more than the name of where you graduated. So for IR, I would imagine work experience and study abroad would enhance your application. You’re pretty young right now, so I wonder if getting your degree would open more doors to that.</p>
<p>If you have a trusted professor who teaches IR students, perhaps he or she could inform you of the best path to take. </p>
<p>Thanks for giving me your opinion on my thread! Although I really can’t tell you about you as your a transfer and im just used to high school. Sorry about that but my opinion will probably be wrong. :D</p>
<p>Another thing to consider is that you have many credits towards your degree already. How many will transfer to another college? Colleges also expect their graduates to have a certain number of credits at their institution ( for instance someone just can’t transfer to college in the last semester and get a diploma there.) When you transfer, you would most likely have two years to go, so consider if the extra time and expense is worth it.</p>
<p>@Pennylane2011 the maximum number of transferable credits seems to be in the range of 60-75 depending on the school, so I don’t think that would be a big issue. Right now my plan is to contact the admissions office of grad schools and try to gauge how much of an effect your undergrad school has on acceptance. Depending on that information, I’ll either stick with WCU or consider a transfer.</p>
<p>I think transferring to a better school is a great option. It will also save you money because you will be at home the first year. You could also double major if you really want to major in both. Thanks for chancing me btw. :)</p>
<p>I agree with Pennylane2011! If you finish at your current college, you won’t have to worry about transferring credits to one of the universities you mentioned. Staying sounds like it would please your parents as well. The schools you mentioned all have great graduate programs. You’ll be a little bit older then too, so a perfect age for internships as well.</p>
<p>I suggest that you do your best at your current school and shoot for prestigious graduate schools. My impression is that the prestige of your undergrad matters very little to graduate admissions and in most fields that require advanced degrees, no one cares where you went to college. On the other hand, you may want to delay entering grad school until you’re more mature. You might preform better on graduate admissions and course work if you’re older. If you decide to wait, you should finish out your first bachelors at your current school and get your second one at either the best school that will give you a big scholarship or the best one you can get into, depending on your financial situation. The one course I see no sense in is getting two bachelors and not going to grad school. Bachelors and then grad school is more bang for your buck employment wise.</p>
<p>Thank you for helping me out and I’ve read your post to help you this time :D</p>
<p>I see you’re a very bright student as you already go to college at the age of 16. I don’t know what I did at the age, haha. Seriously. Watching TV? I don’t know. To be enrolled in college at that age is quite impressive, in my opinion. Even if you think WCU is not good enough, there’s no doubt you’re brilliant. I honestly disgree with the person who said you should wait another 2 years and go to another school as a graduate student. No. You’re 16, and life awaits. Why not give it a try now?</p>
<p>I think you’re very likely to be admitted to the schools you mentioned. Georgetown is a very good school and I wanna go there too, haha. It offers every applicant a change to be interviewed (it says on the website that it does. Every applicant gets to have an interview). So I’m sure they’ll find you exceptional when you have an interview. Just maybe try to raise your standardized test scores a little bit if you’re nervous about applying to those colleges. Also, be sure your essay is good! :)</p>
<p>Your profile seems excellent, as for the SAT I don’t really know if you can retake it as a highschool graduate but if you can then why not? Also you should definitely go for those schools maybe a couple more depending on how far your parents will allow you to go. I understand that International relations is a competitive field but I think that is because guys like you exist. I think it’s great you took your own path and will definitely help you standout. Good luck! :)</p>