<p>This fall I will be matriculating as a BFA Musical Theatre freshman at the University of Miami. However, I am extremely nervous that I will realize I am not as intent on my major as I had thought, and am wondering (if that happens to be the case) what my chances are for transferring into a BA in Theatre at a different school. I went to an extremely rigorous magnet school in NJ and took all Honors and IB classes there, achieving a GPA of about a 3.7 and an SAT score of 2330. I was accepted to schools such as USC, UMich, and Boston College, but chose UMiami because of its exceptional BFA Musical Theatre conservatory-style program. So essentially, what I'm wondering is if I would still be able to gain admission to the same tier of schools (mainly USC-level) if I went to the U for a year, did well, but decided the program was not right for me and that I wanted to transfer. I'm most worried about the level of academics at the U, and the fact that I'll be taking only theatre classes, affecting my chances of being able to transfer. Any input is greatly appreciated. Thank you!</p>
<p>When it comes to transferring, you have two options. Transferring in as sophomore, or transferring in a a junior to another university. </p>
<p>When it comes to transferring as a freshman, your high school academics and activities will still matter a lot, as you wouldn’t yet have the opportunity to take many college classes before you need to apply to transfer. If you have already decided that theater is not your cake and tea, then this is the type of transfer you will be doing. You should start looking into the universities that you are interested in, and start meeting undergrad prerequisites (math, science, language courses, etc) and do well.</p>
<p>If, however, you’re simply worried that theater may not be what you want, and want to take classes to test your interests, then transferring to another university as a junior may be an option. You can spend the year taking your theater classes, and if at the end you realize that it’s not your thing, then during your sophomore year, you begin meeting prerequisites. On transfer applications, the essays usually will ask you about your “story” and give you the chance to explain why you took the courses you did, how your mentality towards your original major and university has changed, etc. </p>
<p>Transferring as a freshman is most effective for people who already have a pretty compelling reason to leave. </p>
<p>@Bridgewood, thank you so much for responding! I’m already here and I’m not liking it very much at all, so I’m definitely considering transferring very strongly at the moment. What I’m mainly worried about is that my curriculum for this year is completely set out for us and is 10 classes of just conservatory-style classes (dance, movement, acting, voice & speech, singing for the stage, etc) and one English class. I’m worried that I won’t be able to transfer to any of the schools I’m interested in (Boston College, Tufts, Northeastern, NYU, Northwestern, Barnard) because even if I get straight A’s this year, they won’t take my course load seriously. I have about a 3.7 GPA from high school and got straight A’s my senior year (except for one C which was the result of a very rigid teacher who refused to let me make up tests and assignments I missed while out for three and a half weeks with a severe confusion). I have a 2330 SAT. I’m just really worried at this point because I feel like I’ve pigeon-holed myself and won’t have any options to transfer. I really feel that a BA at a different school would be best for me at this point, but I’m not sure if it’s even a possibility given the circumstances. </p>