<p>Hi everyone,</p>
<p>I am a sophomore becoming a junior studying at the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign. I major in Industrial Engineering. I am currently on a year-round study abroad program to Tokyo, Japan, and I am LOVING it here. </p>
<p>UIUC engineering is great (in terms of the education that is), but I really hated the living environment there. I was really depressed all throughout my freshman year, and I have been wanting to transfer. I applied to Columbia Engineering freshman year, but didn't get in, and so decided to study abroad (to get away from Champaign). I applied to Columbia again this year, but also didn't get in. And now the only option I have left is to go back to Champaign in the fall and take overloads for a semester or two in order to graduate early and get away from that place asap.</p>
<p>But lately, I have been thinking about taking a gap year, and staying in Tokyo. Since I do have a part-time job in Tokyo, and it is safe to say that I might be able to save up some money if I took a gap year to work part-time in Tokyo (living expenses included in the calculation). And maybe I can apply to Columbia again? (And perhaps other schools as well) </p>
<p>Is it probable to apply for transfer during gap year?
Do people do that?
What do you guys think about this?</p>
<p>UIUC is clearly one of the places you want to be for engineering. I actually do not think that you should take a gap year but rather try applying for the spring semester of your junior year. How many credits do you have so far? What does your gpa look like? Also what do you like about Columbia? I am sure you can find just as good schools but less selective for admissions that you would prefer to UIUC. Most importantly how much can you afford?</p>
<p>I am still in the spring semester, have yet to find out how my credits transfer, but if everything goes as planned, I will have 66-68 credits by the end of this semester (end of my sophomore year). I currently have a 3.82 GPA, (3.94 tech GPA). I like Columbia because it is in the city, and from what I have experienced in my freshman year, I do believe environment contributes A LOT to whether or not one succeeds in college. Another thing I really like about Columbia is that it is one of the few colleges in the nation that actually has a Financial Engineering program. UIUC does not have a Financial Engineering program, they don’t even have the Financial Engineering course anymore. And since I am 98% sure about getting involved in finance after I graduate, I do believe a degree in Financial Engineering, rather than Industrial Engineering, can get me more equipped.
Well, I am an international student so tuition at UIUC is already a lot. Going to a private school is of course gonna cost more, but it doesn’t really change much about the fact that I am going to have to pay a lot for college.</p>
<p>Can I still apply for spring transfer in my junior year?
What schools do you suggest?</p>
<p>I believe most colleges require that you spent two full years at their institution in order to get a degree so you fall semester of junior year credits may not count( you should check up on that). I actually know someone who is doing a similar major but at Princeton where they do not accept transfer students. Clearly you have the grades, from searching up top schools for your field you might want to look into schools like NYU, Carneige Mellon, Georgia Tech, and even Boston University. All of these schools would give you the more urban environment that you are looking for at Columbia which you should still apply to since it is your dream. As for the gap your maybe you should take a gap fall semester and spend that time applying for the spring of 2013(although schools usually accept fewer transfers for the spring but that is better than waiting a whole year unless you have something impressive planned for the gap).</p>
<p>Yes, I do believe that’s the case.
And some schools don’t even take spring transfers. :S
But thank you so much for your advice! I’ll definitely look into that.</p>