So right now I’m at Northeastern Univ in Boston, I love the city and academics but found to be really disappointed with the lack of school spirit and nightlife for under 21s. I’m thinking of transferring but can’t seem to find a college that has everything I want:
urban to suburban, great nightlife for all (on campus or off), huge school spirit and a good business program.
I’m thinking UT Austin, UCLA, U Michigan, and UNC, but all are missing a few things I want.
Any comments on the colleges above and what your thoughts on them are or other college suggestions are appreciated!
You’re right that Northeastern lacks in "school spirit’, which I suppose means “sports events to watch with thousands of others” (there are other forms of school spirit, unrelated to sports, so if I misunderstand what you mean, please detail).
Boston College would seem an obvious choice - lots of “nightlife”, school spirit, excellent football, excellent business school, and you get to stay in Boston.
Many urban universities will not have a campus that supports “nightlife”, and as you know bars are illegal for under21s. If you mean “parties”, those depend on your friends throughout the city or in the dorms.
Considering the OOS cap, transferring to UNC is impossible (unless you’re in-state for NC), and transferring into UT’s, UCLA’s, or Michigan’s business school is very difficult (to near impossible).
Are you in-state for any of these? What’s your state’s flagship?
Finally, a huge issue for transfers is that they don’t really get any or much financial aid; you’d be losing all your scholarships and would have to pay almost full costs at OOS price. Can your parents afford that? And if you’d budgeted the co-ops into your college budget, will you have enough without their earning months?
Won’t you be going on co-op this summer, for a change of pace? What about cheering for professional teams in Boston (it’s not like they lack rabid fans :p)?
Is BC really going to have more nightlife than Northeastern when both are in Boston? I have trouble believing Boston has no nightlife for anyone under 21 to start with.
UC only accepts Jr level transfers, are you saying you will be a JR? Also Calif community college transfers have priority.
Is money no object, then? I hate to say but this seems a poor reason to transfer. The ‘team spirit’ was predictable. You can’t find occasional things to do at night? Most students your age just hang out with friends at most colleges. If you are looking for thriving nightlife what about NYU or other colleges in New York?
UMich and UT-Austin don’t have what you want? Wut? What exactly do they not have?
Also, @MYOS1634, I believe UNC’s OOS cap is only for freshmen. Which is why my understanding is that it is much easier to transfer in to UNC than to get in directly out of HS if you are OOS (also, more OOS students drop out/transfer out of UNC than in-state students).
@MYOS1634 Thank you for that really good response. I guess youre right about other ways to have school spirit, but really no one says “Yeah NU is THE BEST COLLEGE EVER” or brings their kids to hockey games when they graduate, I guess that’s what I mean by school spirit. It also doesn’t help that anyone out of the new england area doesn’t have a clue what Northeastern is. BC is a really good option I never thought about, thank you for mentioning that. I’m from AZ so no I don’t qualify for instate. But I didn’t know that about transferring and scholarships. As for acceptance rate’s I’ve found that most of the universities I listed accept more % of transfers than the % of freshman applicants. I know UNC’s OOS cap is for freshman only, a mere 4% of OOS kids get in freshman year but I believe around 25% transfer.
@"Erin’s Dad" it really is hard to find nightlife besides bars and clubs in Boston, no frat or sorority houses are allowed and apartments are tiny
@BrownParent I’m a rising sophomore, but I would be open to waiting another year and then transferring to a UC. For me school spirit is a big deal so yes it is a good reason to transfer. There really is no place to “hang out” in boston besides a bar or club and those are all 21+. There’s no frat or sorority houses in Boston so no big parties either. The only way to go to a party is if you know someone that has an apartment and is throwing one.
@PurpleTitan My only holding back on UT Austin is I already rushed a sorority and I’ve heard it’s not very nice there, and I can’t join another. U Mich is cold but these were all just under the “ideal college” description. Just weighing my options, I know no school will have everything I want.
What are your parents saying about paying? You’d be full freight paying at your transfer schools.
How much are they paying now for NEU?
That sorority in UT-Austin isn’t nice?
And you should try to put yourself in the shoes of your future self 20 years from now. Stuff like school spirit may matter (but likely not that much). How cold it was during undergrad won’t matter. At all. Even caring about weather signals to me a lack of seriousness about achieving your goals (unless your goal is landing a rich hubby, in which case, nevermind).
That’s assuming that you get in to Ross and can pay. B-schools like Ross, McCombs, and Kenan-Flagler are generally tougher to get in to than the undergrad in general (and while you’re at it, might as well apply to Haas as well). You almost certainly need a high college GPA. You could also look at Georgetown McDonough.
@mom2collegekids Right now 40k a year so most of the state schools I’m looking at would be significantly lower, even with no financial aid or scholarship.
@PurpleTitan Although the weather and school spirit may not matter that much in 20 years I like to focus on the now more. I think with the proper drive to succeed, gaining experience with internships, and that all of the schools listed have good undergrad programs I can succeed, not everything is about attending a “top twenty” or whatever school. College is an experience and I’m finding the experience I’m having is not right for me. I want to enjoy my time here, make friends and connections while attaining a good education.
While I appreciate the comments and questions from parents, I really was looking for a firsthand experience from current or recent undergrads. Telling me I don’t have my priorities straight or just want a trophy husband isn’t what I was looking for here. Just wanted some information about these schools thank you.
I think you need to relook at the school’s web sites. UT costs are shown per semester so it will cost $45K/year and that’s the lowest I found. UCLA is >$55K, UMich is >$55K. UNC is purely need based aid so that will depend on how well off your family is but full COA is $51K.
There were reasons why you chose NU over whatever other options you had last year. What were they? Go back to that list. Had school spirit truly mattered then, you would have chosen a different place. Likewise with caring about nightlife.
Is there any chance that the real issue is all of the snow this winter? Maybe you just need a place that isn’t in the snow belt.
Pitt? University of Miami, FSU or UF, maybe, if you’re seeking warmer climes. You haven’t indicated that money is a major concern. If it is, your choices will narrow considerably, because few colleges offer merit aid to transfers. I don’t know what Tulane’s transfer acceptance rate is, but that might also be an option. If you don’t need a really warm climate, you might also include Temple in the mix. They actually have Greek life; D-1 football (lousy record, but play in Eagles Stadium), respectable D-1 basketball (might make tournament this year) right on campus, and free for students. Philly is a great, affordable city, with lots of live music, street fairs, etc. I can’t vouch for transfer housing availability, but I think there is some (my son is there as a transfer, but he was already living in Philly). Temple itself has some great departments and programs. Temple has a very high transfer acceptance rate, furthermore.