Should I try to transfer to Brown?

<p>I’m a first semester freshman being forced to leave the relatively prestigious liberal arts college I’m currently attending because of irreconcilable financial issues. They wanted me to take out a loan that I couldn’t afford. I tried to ask if they could increase my grant, but they refused. I realized that the debt that I would graduate with would not be worth the education I’m receiving. So, next semester I will be commuting to a less prestigious college, but it will be more affordable, and most importantly, my studies will not be interrupted.</p>

<p>Will the Brown Admissions judge me for not staying at one institution for the entire semester? I didn’t have any control over the circumstances. I am a conscientious student… I have two A’s a B+ and B right now, and my college is known for its tendency to “deflate” grades. Next semester, I can predict with confidence that I will receive straight A’s because the local college is not at all difficult (I had taken classes there as a senior in high school).</p>

<p>If it’s any help, I am an Education Studies major. I wish to become a teacher to children with severe and profound disabilities, and I was drawn to Brown’s Human Development concentration because it combined a liberal arts curriculum (something one usually receives at a small college), with lots of practicum experience in a classroom (something one usually receives at a large university).</p>

<p>Oh, and I would like to know if I should take the SAT/ACT. I never took it because all of the colleges that I applied to before were test optional. Yes, I took the safe route in high school, and now karma has caught up with me.</p>

<p>Thanks for any insight you guys have… I understand no body here works for admissions… but I’d like somebody’s unbiased, candid opinion about whether I have any kind of shot at all.</p>

<p>With respect to your SAT/ACT concern, you would have to take either one or the other.</p>

<p>You should also know that for transfer students, Brown does not seem to be need blind. They do have a fair amount of transfer students who are given aid, but it does seem to make transfer more difficult. Have you thought about teaching scholarships? There are even some areas of the country where they help finance some of your degree with payoff etc for loans. Look at all of your options.</p>