<p>Hi everyone.</p>
<p>I'm going to be a Sophomore in college this fall at a top 30-LAC and I've decided that I want to transfer out of my current college. While I have some ideas as far as where I'd like to go, I'd really like to avoid overlooking schools that could be a great fit but weren't on my radar, so if you could give me some suggestions based on the information below, that'd be great. </p>
<p>I'm looking for a school with an active student body, preferably one that has groups fighting for progressive issues, and has a strong department for international relations or political science. A strong linguistics, philosophy or communications program would also be on my radar so let me know if you know of any... I'd really like for it to be ivy-caliber (you can suggest ivies... I managed to get into Yale, but there were some issues with financial aid that I could not reconcile... a long story, but maybe that gives you an idea of my High School stats?) though I can compromise on this so long as academics are strong in their own merit and students are engaged. While I enjoy my fair share of parties, I'd love it if the school had many things to do during the weekend, and if it had a good transportation system... if the school is close to a city or in a city where I could do community service or check out museums, that'd be amazing! (My current school has a HUGE drinking problem because there's nothing else to do on the weekends and students aren't very engaged. I'd like a variety of social activities.)</p>
<p>Financial aid is a big deal for me. Currently I have a full ride thanks to a great merit scholarship, but I'm not very happy in my school (which is hard to explain seeing as my resume and my gpa doesn't reflect unhappiness...) so I'm seriously thinking about giving it up in search of a place that will actively challenge me academically and provide interesting people with a passion for something in life....</p>
<p>Any suggestions? I'd really appreciate any tips as far as the transfer process goes... I'm completely lost. </p>
<p>Thanks a bunch everyone!</p>