<p>I posted this in the Transfer section also. I'm just curious. Has anyone here successfully transferred from Swarthmore to Yale or Brown after his or her freshman year? Just curious as to your reasons, stats, experience. Thanks.</p>
<p>I don't understand why you would transfer, Swarthmore is such a good school. It's probably been done before...</p>
<p>Students transfer out of Swat every year. On average about 4% of the freshmen (about 14.5 students) are not registered in the fall of the following year. This includes transfers, students taking a year off (of their own choice or encouraged by the College, and so forth.</p>
<p>I think it's a little late for 2009ers. Wasn't the transfer deadline back in April?</p>
<p>If you are a 2010er heading off the Swathmore already thinking transfer, I'd give serious consideration to deferring enrollment and taking a year off. From what I have seen here on CC, heading off to college (any college) with the expectation of being dissatisfied can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.</p>
<p>calswattie: i am thrilled to attend swarthmore, but i also understand the allure of a yale or brown in terms of name recognition. wanting to attend either yale or brown is not an indication of dissatisfaction with swarthmore, just that you want something more or something else. i will not comment on whether yale or brown is superior or inferior to swarthmore, but the sheer power of their name recognition is so enticing if one is able to get in, it would have to be considered. although you haven't stated that you intend to apply as a transfer from swarthmore, if your chances are enhanced because of the swarthmore reputation then i hope everything works out exactly as you hope.</p>
<p>I happen to agree with ID here. There are plenty of students that turn down Yale or Brown to go to Swarthmore, but there are probably an equal number of students who are disappointed or even bitter because they didn't get into one of those and "settled" (in their eyes) for Swarthmore. Swarthmore is a phenomenal school, but it is not a walk in the park academically, nor is it a typical "fun" place that an unenthused freshman can easily fall in love with! It's intense--in many ways, and if you go in with the expectation that you will transfer--it probably will be a self-fulfilling prophecy. As it is, many kids who expected to love Swarthmore find it in some ways quite different than they thought it would be. A gap year might be a good idea--on the other hand, you'll never know then whether you really would love Swat. Have you been trying to get to know your class and current students on the 2010 board? They may have a better perspective on the whole thing.</p>
<p>suisplau:</p>
<p>I'd probably take it a step further. </p>
<p>To me, pouting about not getting off the waitlist at Brown and having to "settle" for Swarthmore (or vice versa or substitute any other pair of comparable schools) is just plain spoiled behavior.</p>
<p>When I think of the hundreds of thousands of kids around the world who would do anything to have a spot in one of these schools' freshman classes, I just want to say, "get your head on straight and thank god for the once-in-lifetime opportunity. So what if you got into Brown and not Swarthmore? Or Swarthmore and not Amherst? Or Amherst and not Stanford? Or Stanford but not Duke? Sheesh.</p>
<p>If my daughter had been moping around talking transfer two months before heading off to college, we'd have been sitting down for a talk about not throwing $40,000 a year down the drain. And, that talk probably would have included the suggestion to take a year off and get a job until such time as there would be a little enthusiasm commensurate with a $40,000 a year opportunity.</p>
<p>Going off to college is the most wonderful thing, but it isn't easy. To go with the attitude that you are not going to love it or that you are "settling" for your college or that your college isn't prestigious enough, or whatever is not a good place psychologically. Better to do something else for a year until there's a little more enthusiasm. Or, if there's not enthusiasm, then might as well go to Cal State Fullerton or somewhere and be unethusiastic for a whole lot less than $40,000 a year.</p>
<p>I hate to be blunt, but that's just the way I see it.</p>
<p>calswattie: for what its worth, i think brown is overrated. anywhere you want to go, you can get there just as easily from swarthmore as from brown. the only thing brown has over swarthmore is name recognition and that isn't even the case in many circumstances. yes brown is larger, but the likelihood is that you wouldn't be able to meet everyone at swarthmore anyway and you may take a liking to the personal attention at swarthmore. i'm sure that if you do well at swarthmore though, your transfer app would be looked upon more favorably than one from another institution.</p>