<p>It’s really not so much about the prestige as the fact that you’re succeeding and doing fine in UNC and that there’s little reason to change that unless you’ll feel absolutely miserable at UNC. I’m not an advocate of transferring period unless there are rather severe circumstances.</p>
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<p>This is just wrong dude… If you think Sewanee has a better rep than UNC in Georgia, you’re wrong. Sewanee has a better rep in Georgia compared to the rest of the country, but it isn’t better than UNC. You have a 3.7 right now at UNC. Keep working hard and do well on the LSATs and UGA Law will probably be a choice for you.</p>
<p>But the reason you listed is a terrible reason to transfer.</p>
<p>UNC and Sewanee are VERY different environments. I’m sure the OP knows this. One is a large university with D1 sports. The other is a LAC on top of a (small) mountain. Sewanee does have a big drinking culture, though, so keep that in mind (not that UNC does not). Sewanee has a fine reputation and I am a big fan. It isn’t for everyone and can feel quite small by the end of 4 years. It is a gorgeous campus and you will get lots of individual attention from your professors. You will have no trouble getting into law school out of Sewanee as long as your GPA is good and you do well on the LSAT. It really won’t matter between UNC and Sewanee as far as law school admission goes. Sewanee grads are very highly regarded in Nashville, Birmingham and Atlanta. I have many lawyer friends who went to Sewanee undergrad and Vanderbilt law school.</p>
<p>on 5/1, the OP wrote this:</p>
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<p>I don’t know what happened to change your mind in the intervening few months (especially since there was no school for most of it), but I would just suggest that you really think about your decision and what is prompting it.</p>
<p>Since you really haven’t made it clear why you want to transfer any opinions offered here are pretty useless. </p>
<p>That said, I disagree with trying to pit UNC’s “prestige” against little ol’ Sewanee. Two different institutions that students choose for a host of different reasons. You can get to the same destination through either place. Anyone who tells you differently is simply misinformed. More often than not, the determining factor in one’s success is the student, not the label. Graduate schools are very familiar with Sewanee and know they provide a high quality education. If you do well there they’d have no problem admitting you. </p>
<p>But the question is why exactly do you want to transfer?</p>
<p>I hate going to a big school. I always wanted to go to a small school, but then I didn’t get into any of my top choices, and UNC was the best school I got into, so I just decided I should go there. I hate how I can walk around campus for an entire day and not see a single person I have ever seen before / recognize at all. It makes things very unfriendly. </p>
<p>The academics at UNC are disappointing. I went to a really good private high school, and coming to UNC, my classes / workload honestly got easier. I don’t think I learned anything at all my freshman year that stuck with me. In such a big class, I can not make myself try hard. And the sad thing is, despite going out nearly every night and slacking off intensely, I still have a 3.7. Some of the other kids at UNC are also disappointing. They aren’t smart at all. </p>
<p>I also HATE how everyone is from NC. Friend groups from high school stayed the same right through freshman year. I have very few friends, ESPECIALLY compared to high school, and I don’t like how college has gotten less fun than high school for me while all of my friends love college so much more.</p>
<p>I don’t like the party scene. I know most of CC is anti-partying, but let’s be honest, the social scene at a college is a big deal. These are supposed to be four years of fun, too. Bars are far overrated. There are just millions of people really drunk. You don’t make friends at bars like you do smaller parties. And the greek scene here is really exclusive, so I can’t really do anything with that. I know Sewanee is super greek too, but it’s rush is far more open minded and I have a lot of friends at Sewanee (that I’ve made from visiting, not just from high school), so I would definitely be in a frat there.</p>
<p>And NC is a very different culture from TN. I miss TN so much. All of my friends from hig hschool (which I still call my friends, bc I haven’t made that many at UNC) go to UT, Alabama, and Auburn and I hate that I can’t visit them as much as they can visit each other. </p>
<p>I spent all my freshman year hating UNC and dying to transfer, and then at the end of the year I decided that if I joined a fraternity it would help me make friends and hopefully like UNC more and then I didn’t get a bid, so I’m right back where I was last year when I wanted to transfer. So now I finally am.</p>
<p>Sounds like you’ve really missed out on everything that makes UNC a great institution. It isn’t perfect for everybody, though.</p>
<p>Sewanee is a super majestic place. Around every corner there’s a dragon just waiting to be ridden and medieval warriors to fight off. The night sky sparkles and is lit up with the fire of angry fire-breathers that hide near Morgan’s Steep. The perilous journey up the mountain can be easily traversed on your noble steed but be wary of the ogres hiding in the crevices of limestone and Sewanee conglomerate. </p>
<p>But seriously Michael, I think you would love Sewanee, but there are going to be things about every school that you don’t like. We live in a bubble up here and you really have to make an effort to know what’s going on off of the mountain. There aren’t any bars (save Shennanigans) and the night life is purely Greek. On the bright side, if you have a GPA of 3.7 at UNC (good job, by the way) then you’ll probably have a better GPA here (assuming you continue to work as hard). Think of it this way: getting into law school with a 3.7 from UNC or with a 3.8 (or higher) from Sewanee. On the other hand, you have to take inflation into consideration, and inflation isn’t something Sewanee does. </p>
<p>I’d love for you to transfer here and hang out with me and K.D.K-W., but sometimes transferring isn’t the answer to your problems ----FIGHTING DRAGONS IS.</p>
<p>-S.</p>
<p>On top of that, you get a gown here and you totally look like a</p>
<p>OP, you make a good case for transferring, and there are opportunities at a smaller school that might help you a lot in the long run. You’ve given UNC a whole-hearted try-- imo its fine for you to transfer.</p>
<p>sewanee COA $44k; UNC oos $36k.
Who’s going to pay the difference? transfer students rarely get any aid. How many years will you need to pay the extra? What’s your major and can you meet sewanee’s requirements without adding extra time to degree. Costs can really add up quickly.</p>
<p>I think ubetteraccept_me’s situation as been overblown - not in the reality of the situation, but in the resulting point/counterpoints. Clearly he hasn’t fit in very well at UNC and has made few few friends. That makes for a tough situation that need not be over-intellectualized.</p>
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<p>No, I’d agree that here in GA, Sewanee would have at least as good a rep. UNC is a state university with an awesome basketball program - everyone in Georgia knows that. It’s also perhaps one of the five top public universities in the country, but I’d guess that only a small percent of Georgians know that. Sewanee is a selective private school with a century and a half of tradition. Anyone who knows of Sewanee would value it as much as UNC, just as anyone who knows Colorado College would value it as much or more than Colorado-Boulder. And while the admissions office at UGA Law would understand that UNC stands on a lofty perch in public higher ed, they’d be just as impressed with a strong record from Sewanee.</p>
<p>Most people nationwide would undoubtedly say that a degree from UNC is much more prestigious than a degree from Sewanee. The OP says he wants to stay in Georgia after he graduates, but what if he changes his mind?</p>
<p>UGA Law isn’t a cakewalk to get into, either. The OP would be taking a serious risk if he didn’t apply to law schools outside of Georgia as well, and in areas where Sewanee’s local reputation is trumped by UNC’s national reputation.</p>
<p>That said, if he isn’t happy at UNC, he should transfer. No reason to stay in a situation that you are uncomfortable with.</p>
<p>Anyone working in law school admissions has heard of Sewanee and knows its reputation. Who cares about “most people nationwide”?</p>
<p>Standard CC critiques of US News’ college rankings aside, their 2010 rankings have Sewanee tied in the top tier of LACs with Holy Cross, Trinity (CT), and Whitman. That’s pretty strong company - Sewanee’s reputation is not an issue. Name recognition may be more of an issue, but that would be true of any LAC.</p>
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<p>Exactly. More people nationwide have heard of UNC than Davidson, but I’d take a Davidson degree any day.</p>
<p>My heart goes out to the OP. Contemplating a transfer is never something you want to see. College is such a great time for so many people and when you see someone not enjoying the ride, then that hurts. </p>
<p>I think I’d transfer. I think very highly of Sewanee and don’t think you’d be materially disadvantaged as a law school applicant coming from there. You seem to understand how radically different it is from U North Carolina. I get your points about the big school and the big environment and I’m sorry that your efforts to date to find a smaller community to join have not worked out.</p>
<p>Only one question in my head-why Sewanee? You’ve done well so far and you got into U North Carolina as an OOS applicant and that’s notoriously difficult to do. My guess is you’ll have plenty of legitimate options. If you going to seriously consider transferrring, you want to get this one right. Transferring and then still being less than happy is not where you want to be in a year’s time.</p>
<p>And while I don’t think p’girl was recommending it above, have you ever looked at Davidson?</p>
<p>I sure don’t know why so many people seem convinced unc>sewanee. I would have thought the opposite.</p>
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Nope.</p>
<p>UNC
SAT CR 590-690
SAT M 620-700
79% in top 10%</p>
<p>Sewanee
SAT CR 560-680
SAT M 580-680
49% in top 10%</p>
<p>Additionally, UNC faculty >> Sewanee faculty. </p>
<p>The only advantage Sewanee would have is smaller introductory courses, and even that’s not a big deal, particularly for a transfer student. Over 70% of courses at UNC have under 30 students.</p>
<p>If this is a small school vs. big school issue and the prestige of the small school is a consideration, and if you want the South, have you considered Davidson? Not sure about their transfer stats, but you are certainly doing well enough at UNC to demonstrate that you’re a solid student. (This is not an argument against transferring to Sewanee. If you want reassurance, take a look at Sewanee’s stats for law school admissions, how many apply, where they get in, etc.)</p>