<p>hi-</p>
<p>i asked this question in another one of my posts but the thread pretty much died. anyway, i was wondering if anyone has some ideas on how to let my advisor know why i want to transfer without sounding like i am bashing the school i go to. my advisor is an alum from my current college and LOVES everything about it. it is great, but not for everyone. </p>
<p>any ideas?</p>
<p>Focus on YOU and not the college. In other words, what is it that you require for your educational/college experience that is not being provided? What is it that you hope to achieve that you cannot in your present environment, or would be better encouraged to achieve in another? And specifically what is it about the college you wish to transfer to (I assume Barnard) that your present college does not have or offer? Why will it be a better "fit" for you and you for it?</p>
<p>Any advisor, and I should hope that anyone working there IS a huge advocate of their college, should be able to relate to solid info like this and will not resent you for it. And if you cannot come up with a pretty specific list of factors like I generally described above, you probably would not be a good transfer candidate any way...</p>
<p>I second what churchmusicmom said.</p>
<p>I had to face this situation (I think alot of transfers do). I made a point to explain to her that I didn't hate the school or anything, but that it just wasn't serving my educational needs or aspirations. In my case, it was a change in major and the need for a more serious academic environment that brought me to Barnard. In your case it may be something different. However, just be sure you know why you want to transfer specifically to Barnard or the other schools you're applying to, and relay that to your advisor. </p>
<p>Every school is not for every person. Just because she liked it doesn't mean you have to. Hopefully as an advisor she understands that.</p>
<p>Hey, thirding the people above...I went through this earlier this semester, too. It was really rough having to explain to my advisor, and then again to the profs that I got recommendations from, and then again to every single one of my current semester professors (mid-semester reports). But it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. They actually were all very understanding. No college is perfect for everyone, and pretty much all professors, especially advisors, have had a few students transfer over the years, so it won't be a shock to them that not every single student is happy at your school.</p>
<p>thanks everyone for the feedback!! i knew others had to have been in similar situations before so thanks for shedding your wisdom onto me. </p>
<p>I was thinking... would it be a bad idea to write a letter to my advisor explaining why i want to transfer? i am a strong writer and feel that i might articulate myself better through a letter. of course i will talk to him about it more in person as well (it is a small school and interactions with advisors are frequent), but i feel like a letter would be more powerful. any thoughts on this?</p>
<p>also, i know this is kind of silly but the first time i talked to my advisor about transfering (in early november) i got a little emotional. I didn't start crying or anything, but it was hard to articulate myself clearly. mainly bc i was going through a tough break up with my boyfriend at the time and you know how emotions like to spring up at the least opportune time! anyway, i think i came of as scattered brained in regard to my reasons for transfering. he said he thought they were reasonable, but i still feel weird about it. im probably just over-analyzing but thought a letter might help.</p>
<p>I completely understand about your feeling the need to put your reasons in writing as I also feel more comfortable communicating that way. Particularly since you have already broached the subject with him (and he already said he thought your reasons for wanting to transfer were "reasonable), I think it's a fine idea.</p>
<p>thanks churchmusicmom. im going to work on the letter over christmas break.</p>
<p>I spent an hour and a half trying to word properly the letter to my advisor about why I wanted to transfer. In the end, she sent me an email back saying, "Hey, I understand you have your needs. It's fine."
And that's pretty much it. Your advisor will probably will be more than understanding. Colleges are vastly different from one another and each is only right for certain people.</p>
<p>for the ppl that had to ask for mid-year report when they were transfering: did you notify your professors at the beginning of the semester or wait until you had to ask them? I am debating whether or not I should let my profs know that I want to transfer so they can watch my performance more closely. any thoughts?</p>
<p>mandela, i just approached my professors with the sheet of paper, and asked them to write my grade and sign on the dotted line. it's not really a personal evaluation as much as a way for barnard to ballpark your progress, and make sure you're not goofing around.</p>