<p>Hey, I am a freshman at Union College in Upstate New York. Its a good, small lib arts school ranked 37th on the USNews rankings. I am unhappy here for several reasons including lack of diversity (ethnic, regional & intellectual) as well as the lack of any real intellectual community. It seems like a drink or drown frat school (and in fact this is where the first four national fraternities were founded). Anyway, I am thinking of trying to transfer for spring term of next year. I made a 3.8 last trimester and a 1430 on the SAT (800 verbal 630 Math). I am a good essay writer and I am attempting to become more involved on campus. I have a radio show, involved in hillel and a few clubs, play broomball etc. Anyway. places I am interested tend toward the ambitious, with Georgetown, Emory and Northwestern on the list. I may even throw out an app to brown and cornell, and I am also going to reapply to Oberlin (where i applied early decision first time around and where my aunt is a prominent alumni interviewer/board member). My parents also both went to med school at Emory. Anyway, if anyone could offer any advice, as to what i should do or other places to consider, I would be very very grateful.
Thanks Alot in advance,
Nat from Alabama</p>
<p>Well, Oberlin takes about fifty transfer students a year. Have you visited these places carefully to make sure they would be a better match?</p>
<p>I'm sure this isn't the advice you're looking for, but: if it were me, I'd wait a while more before committing myself to leaving. Many colleges truly are booze/party/frat towns and nothing more, but it is also true that booze, parties, and frats can mask smaller intellectual communities to people who are new in town. The party and Greek scene on my campus is so prominent and loud that it was the only thing I saw during my first semester on campus. As time went on I slowly made more intellectual friends and learned where the young historians/artists/philosophers hang out, and now it's obvious to me how many cultural opportunities are available here. Sometimes the difference between an awful, lonely, bleak college experience and a lively, engaging, uplifting one is just three or four friends, or membership in a single active club.</p>
<p>That said - if you are sure that you don't want to stay where you are, some students try to increase their transfer chances by attending their choice university's classes during the summer as a way to demonstrate interest and prove that they can succeed in that environment. One hurdle that transfers must face is providing a persuasive reason for the switch. If you are going to tell colleges that you are ditching Union College because of the social atmosphere, convince them that you have reviewed the situation at their campus very very carefully and would be happy living there.</p>
<p>MaryCeleste.
I agree with you to some degree: however I have found that although i have several close friends here, the brutality of the winter, and the run down, economically depressed town we are located in the middle of combine with the prevalence of "i don't know how/why they are here" jocks and fraternity kids (65% or so) to make a pretty unbearable cocktail, for me atleast.
Oberlin is not my top choice, but I thought, in spite of their low rate of transfer acceptance, I might have a decent berth there b/c I showed my interest by applying early decision their last year and also because my aunt is going to write a letter on my behalf. I dont know if this is enough to get me in, but it seems like I could say "I cared enough to follow the advice on your rejection letter, and try once again to get in."
Anyway, thanks alot for your very helpful and thorough advice, anything else you would care to add would likewise be very much appreciated.
Thanks,
Nat</p>
<p>Nat:
What is it you don't like about Union? Have you visited Oberlin? The town isn't exactly wonderful. Have you considered transferring to a larger school?</p>
<p>yeah, i visited there. It is small, you are right, but its small and quaint and charming. There is nothing charming or quaint about this dead, industrial hellhole. I am just not sure of any bigger, private schools that i would have as gooad a shot at as Oberlin, but i don't know, if you know any, I would love to hear them.
Thanks</p>
<p>I'm assuming GPA in high school was not great if Oberlin rejected you with your scores and a strong family tie. Try again, even if they only take 50 transfers, it's not like thousands are applying. For the other top schools where you havn't demonstrated that level of interest, it will be hard after just half of freshman year. I think you'd have a much better chance after sophmore year.</p>
<p>yeah, thats true. Thats part of the reason i am applying for spring admission, so they will see my whole freshman year and whatever i do over the summer. I have tried to demonstrate interest at other schools, like emory where my parents are med school alums, but you are right.</p>
<p>With those stats, schools like Georgetown, Emory, and Northwestern are not too ambitious, and Cornell and Brown are perfectly appropriate choices, too. If you aren't willing to retake the SAT I, or you don't think you could raise the math score, then you should either take a math SAT II or take a demanding math or physics class at Union. (Preferably calculus, but an A in statistics would be helpful too).</p>
<p>I've advised a lot of transfer applicants, and I've seen many applicants with profiles like yours get into places like Penn and Cornell, especially as junior transfers. I think you have a very good shot of getting into a bigger, better school where you'll be a lot happier if you keep up your GPA.</p>
<p>How was your GPA i high school - as a first year transfer it does matter...</p>
<p>Thankyou for your advice hannah, I have no idea how one would go about transferring as a junior, and i feel like i would be too established here by then to be able to really make a clean transition, i appreciate your advice, math is not my strong suit, and there are a few deficiences in my resume as far as that goes (never took precalc in high school.) my high school grades were not stellar, i had a rough time, and changed schools twice for various reasons. My grades were poor, until junior year, when i got decent to good grades, and then senior year i got good grades. Its part, i suppose, of my "story," that is, how i improved myself over time and ultimately proved myself on the SATs, through college grades etc. Atleast thats what my college councelor said.</p>