<p>A friend of mine has been at a small religious university for the past year, and due to personal problems her GPA is not great. I haven't asked her directly but I believe it's around 2.5. She wants to transfer somewhere that will offer her a degree that will allow her to attend grad school at a secular university. (Her current path is leading her toward faith-based work, which she doesn't want to do.)</p>
<p>I think she would be open to transferring to a public, but most likely wants to go to another private university. I think that would be the best option for her, too. The only private colleges I can think of off the top of my head are Pomona College, Claremont McKenna, and Occidental, but all of those require pretty high GPAs and I honestly don't think she's there. What are some good options that I can mention to her the next time we talk about school stuff?</p>
<p>P.S. In case it wasn't obvious, we're from SoCal, and she wants to stay in the area I think. :)</p>
<p>From the location of those colleges, I’m guessing she’s in the Los Angeles area?</p>
<p>With that GPA, it will be essentially impossible to transfer to any “top” private school… and honestly, any “lower-tier” private school is probably not worth the price tag. If she wants to transfer, she really needs to work on improving her GPA.</p>
<p>Thanks for your response.</p>
<p>She is focused on bringing her GPA up, but this is her current GPA. A top school is out of the question-- she’s being realistic about it. Her current school is expensive and lower-tier anyway. Her parents just wanted her to go there because it aligns with their religious views, but her dad would foot the bill for a different college if it was still an OK school. I don’t think she would mind transferring somewhere that wasn’t that prestigious, as long as the degree would lead to grad schools that weren’t strictly about church-based work.</p>
<p>What field is she interested in pursuing in graduate school? She should look for a college with a strong program in that field.</p>
<p>She wants to get into Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy, so she’s looking at at least a master’s (probably a PhD) in Psychology. That’s why I don’t really know where to start. I’m an Economics major, on the public university track, and my field doesn’t require an advanced degree right away.</p>