Recently, I’ve heard that when it comes to transferring opportunities, top colleges prefer students who have been educated in a liberal arts curriculum in another institution for 2 years or less. Presuming that a student at each institution, liberal arts college, and big size research university where students choose their majors in freshmen year, which type of college is preferable to top schools when it comes to transferring.
I realize that this premise could be entirely inaccurate considering how there are so many other values to be considered, such as recommendation letters or standardized testing scores. However, as an incoming freshman who is still deciding between these two options/schools, I wanted to make sure transfer opportunities could be one of the factors that could help me decide where to enroll.
What matter is your GPA and ECs in college. I went to a LAC then CC and was about to get offers from multiple 50 schools and a t25. If your hs stats were less than ideal wait until the end of your sophomore year before transferring because your hs record holds very little weight and many schools won’t even consider SAT scores at that point.
Good luck!
Students end up transferring for lots of different reasons (finances, change in major, fit). When I see a student contemplating a transfer before even enrolling, it raises a red flag. The risk of setting foot on campus on day one with a foot already out is you don’t make an effort to find your place. Your LORs from professors and college ECs are important when transferring and I think it’s hard to be authentic in your involvement when you are looking for the exit.
ETA What if you have an unsuccessful transfer application cycle and you are “stuck” at the first school? Better to try for a better option on the first go around, IMO.
“I wanted to make sure transfer opportunities could be one of the factors that could help me decide where to enroll.“
You heard wrong- it’s not a meaningful metric in evaluating transfer applications.
Taking a very small leap, I am guessing that you feel that the school that you are going to in Sept is beneath you, and you are hatching your escape plan. For all of the reasons mentioned above - and a few others- your best path is to throw yourself into your new school and make it as successful as you possibly can. IF you end up finding that you are happy there- that’s a win- & by then the things that seem super important will have changed. But, if you have done your honest best to bloom where you are planted and this time next year you are still confident that it’s not your path, then 1) the year will have been happier than if you spent it unhappily waiting and 2) your transfer application will be stronger- so win again!
Different colleges that may be targeted by transfers may have different preferences for prior college origins. For example:
Some have an apparent prestige / selectivity bias. One article in a student newspaper at a highly selective college about transfer students gave examples of those who all came from highly selective prior colleges.
Some focus on non-traditional students, many of whom started at community colleges.
Some have transfer arrangements with in-state community colleges.
Some get transfer students from all kinds of colleges.
But really, if you are about to attend a 4-year college, choose the one that is the best fit for you (affordable, academic offerings of interest to you, and anything else) with the viewpoint of staying there through graduation.
The exception to the above is starting at a community college, where the academically oriented students are expected to be aiming for transfer to a four year school and can be perfectly authentic about that. Perhaps the OP may want to consider starting at a community college.