Hi everyone. I have been thinking about transferring for a long time and I just cannot make up my mind.
I am an international student who is attending a public university. I feel like my school is not the best fit for me, although it does have a great program for my major-- Actuarial Science. I want to transfer into The Wharton school of UPenn but I… what if I don’t get in? Won’t it be super awkward if I let people like advisors/deans… know I am transferring but rejected and have to stay here to finish my degree? Will they judge me or maybe discriminate against me? I do think my advisor is kind of those people fully loaded with school spirit though.
Here are some pros of both not transferring and transferring i could think of:
Pros of not transferring:
- I am currently in the honors program
- I could graduate in 3 years
- I have a job on campus
- I am well-involved in leadership activities
- My friends
Pros of transferring:
- More scholarship opportunities
- A more competitive environment
- More job opportunities after graduation as it is extremely hard for international students to find internship/full-time job
- Variety
- New friends
I mean I really want to help my family save some money as I fell guilty about they paying $50K per year for me. Meanwhile I wonder that if I have to pay so much anyways, why shouldn’t I go to the top schools and make it more worthy? The reason I did not apply to UPenn last year is that I was not paying that much attention to SAT during my high school time and I know my score was too low compared to the average score of admitted students at UPenn. But I could retake it right? I could take it more seriously.
Other than SAT, I have a 4.0/4.0 GPA and till now I have 60/120 credits at my current school. For my actuarial science career, I am sitting for two exams right now and I might be taking the third one. I have taken the preparation courses for the two I am sitting for, so the chance of passing them is really high.
Anyways, it just bothers me a lot when I could not make a decision on something. Also, it feels really awful attending a school that you just cannot love with your full heart!
About taking out loans: It is complicated. I might have a hard time getting a student visa if I take out loans in my home country and I am not eligible for loans in the U.S… So I kind of consider myself borrowing money from my parents with interest!
Alright, if you are here then thanks for reading! I just want some third-person opinions and make myself more confident about whatever I decide to do! Thanks thanks!