Transferring after 2 years

Transfer Students
1

Hi,

I am a freshman at TCNJ. I didnt want to attend TCNJ, but i got a D in an AP Physics class in hs so I wasn’t left with many options for college. At the risk of sounding pompous, I really cannot picture myself at TCNJ for another 3 years. I am highly ambitious and eager to learn and came into college with an open mind, but the student body leaves much to be desired. My class is generally bland washed up high-school athletes from local NJ high schools with little ambition and diversity (in both thought and race). I applied as a Public Health major to all my colleges, and the program at TCNJ is severely undeveloped and underfunded. I am interested in environmental/sustainability sciences but I’m not completely sure yet, and TCNJ doesn’t have any option to study such topics and explore other areas esp. because it is a primarily teaching school. I feel like every other student I meet is shallow, prioritizes their sorority over their education, and isnt extraordinarily smart. Even my profs are underqualified and are often adjucts that cannot teach properly. I hoped that going to a small school over Rutgers, where Public health/environmental sciences are much stronger, would give me opportunities to conduct research or obtain cool internships early on, but this isnt the case either. In fact, the only redeeming quality about the school that convinces me not to drop out each day is joining the crew team, which I cox for. However, a sport should not be what makes be stay in an environment I am otherwise unsatisfied in. I have already gotten quite involved in the school however, and am wondering if it is worth it to transfer after 2 years because then I will have two incomplete college experiences and will not be able to commit myself entirely in either college. I was hoping to attend top LACs, none of which I got into (except Smith and Mt. Holyoke). I have no financial constraints and would prefer to stay on the East coast. Is transferring after 2 years worth it, especially if TCNJ doesnt offer what I am interested and I am very unimpressed with the school overall? I would like to graduate in 4 years, and I dont even mind sticking with Public Health, as long as I can study it in a college where it is more developed as a program. Or should I just stick it out at TCNJ for 4 years and hopefully attend grad school in environmental policy or something that I am more interested in? I prefer to transfer after two years becasue I dont want colleges to see my hs grades. I am currently in my spring sem. of fresh. year.
Stats:
HS GPA: 3.5 weighted, very poor
HS AP Classes: Bio, Physics, Psychology, Spanish
ACT Score: 32
College GPA: 3.83, deans list (this is just my first semester. I expect it to drop because I am not doing well in my current Calc class). So probably will finish fresh. year with 3.6(worst case scenario)-3.8 GPA
College involvement: Bonner volunteer, coxswain on crew team, hopefully will snatch an internship, research opp., or job by end of year, cellist in orchestra
Asian (Indian) female
Upper-middle class, daughter of college-educated immigrants

The colleges I really wanted to attend were:
Tufts
WashU
Bowdoin
Middlebury
UMich
Northwestern
Wellesley
Haverford
Swarthmore
Williams
Amherst
Colgate
Vassar

I didnt even bother applying to any of these in HS (except Wellesley, which I got rejected from), so I would be a first time applicant. I think I would right a really compelling essay about being on the crew team, and I hope to keep my grades up my first two years. So… in conclusion, is it worth considering transferring after TWO YEARS for a fulfilling college experience (ie, two years at each school)? Can anyone speak from experience about this? What are my chances at the colleges listed above, and how can I maximize my chances of transferring into them (I know transferring is often harder than applying as a freshman)? Ideally, if transferring, I would continue with PBH or switch to a major that interests me, continue to cox on a club (not varsity) crew team, GRADUATE IN 4 YEARS, and be able to adapt socially and academically into the new school (and get as involved if I were a freshman applicant or transferred after one year… or is this even possible?)

I would appreciate any answers, as I am wholly unhappy with TCNJ right now and need some motivation to get my through my next three semesters here.

2

Hi! I just finished my transfer applications for admission to a different school as a sophomore, so after doing some thorough research in transferring I think I might be able to help answer a couple of your questions!

First of all, it seems like you have really grounded and solid reasons for transferring, which is exactly what you need to express in your applications. I think that it is definitely worth considering transferring if your education and experience is not what you want it to be. Your happiness is important, and while college may not be “the best four years,” you still deserve to make the most of your student loans. Since I am trying to transfer too, I can completely empathize with your experience, and I just want you to know it will be okay!

To look into your chances at the colleges above, you can Google “common data set [college]” and then click on the one for the most recent academic year. They should have information on transfer applications and transfer acceptance rates. Small schools like Middlebury, Amherst, and Williams are very competitive for transfer admissions, mainly because they have such small classes so the amount of open seats to be filled by transfers is smaller than say, a public university like UMich. I know that Northwestern says competitive applicants have B averages, as listed on their website.

It is possible to transfer after one year, but then they weigh your HS transcript and SAT scores more than they would if you apply as a sophomore. If you were a strong candidate in HS, then try applying now! But based on what you explained about your AP Physics class, it might help to apply as a sophomore. Additionally, a lot of the transfer deadlines have already passed, so if you do want to apply for transfer admission for this Fall, make sure that the applications are still open. Some schools admit in the Spring as well, and so you could look into that too.

To maximize your chances, make sure you can get strong letters of recommendation from professors, work hard on your GPA, and make sure your essays are strong. When writing the Common App essay, make sure you include why specifically your current school is a bad fit, without badmouthing it. Colleges want to see what in particular attracts you to them, so do some research on professors’ work, class offerings, and program offerings (do they have a study abroad experience specific to your interests? Maybe they have a workshop every Wednesday that you want to participate in?).

Lastly, I’m not sure if those schools weigh demonstrated interest, but it couldn’t hurt to attend a tour/visit and email admissions with thoughtful questions that aren’t listed on their website.

If you want to know more about my own experience with transfer applications and my decision to leave my current school, I’d be happy to fill you in. Good luck, and hang in there!

3

Hi, firstly thank you so much for the thoughtful and detailed answer! I will definitely follow all your advice. To address some of your points - I plan to apply as a sophomore (so transfer junior year)… also, is the essay only supposed to be on why you want to transfer? Are they not open-ended prompts like the Common App essays?

Additionally, thanks for offering to share your personal experience. Should I privately message you? Some questions I have are:
What type of ECs do the colleges you transfer into want to see?
Are you transferring to a more selective or a different type of college? What has your experience like been so far in general?
What are your reasons for transferring (and transferring soph. year specifically)?
Do you believe transferring soph. year puts you at a social/academic disadvantage at your new school?
Are you keeping the same major?
Do you plan to graduate in 4 years still?
Did you go into college planning to transfer eventually?

Once again, thank you so much for you response! I do not know of many people who transfer after two years, so now knowing that it is in fact done makes me slightly more optimistic! I’m so excited to hear about your transfer experience :slight_smile:

4

I say stick it out at TCNJ. You’re wasting money going to any of those other schools at higher cost. Give it a chance, you are doing well relative to your peers.

5

Thanks, but since I’m an only child I have the financial ability to attend somewhere where I’d be happier with my education and the student body. I feel that my reasons for wanting to transfer are pretty valid.

6

seems like you know what you want to do. don’t let others stop you from that…
i say stick it out at your current school for 2 years… taking hard classes and doing your best. get involved on campus, build up your college extra curriculars. than, apply as a transfer to the schools you’re interested in.

7

There are kids with unweighted 4.0’s (never had a B in their life, or only had one B+ on a midterm progress report that didn’t go on their final transcript) who consider your list of schools where you would like to go to be a list of mostly reach schools. Clearly you need to do as well as you can at TCNJ and try to get all A’s if you can. This will maximize your chances of transferring, but will also maximize your chances of getting into a stronger school for graduate school if it comes to that.

I don’t have experience with transferring after 2 years. However, when I was in graduate school the large majority of the students that I knew had gone to a higher ranked graduate school compared to where they went for undergrad.