<p>How terrible would it look to admissions committees for grad school if I would transfer from a top 30 school down to a 3rd Tier state school?</p>
<p>I'm at Tufts now, the education here is simply not worth $46,000 a year. Not a chance. So I'm going back to my state school. I should leave Tufts with roughly a 3.2-3.3 GPA if that helps...</p>
<p>Basically I'm wondering if this will be seen as a cop out. It isn't, I'm unhappy with this school and can go back and get an equally good if not a better education at the Honors College of my state school. Will this screw me when I apply to Grad/Law/MBA schools if I'm aiming very high?</p>
<p>My opinion: Do well in the Honors College. Get to know your profs. It won't hurt you. At the time you apply to grad school, if this still bothers you, just explain it as you did here: that you enjoyed Tufts and did well but for financial reasons felt it was a better decision to go to your instate public Honors college. And preserve your funds for grad school.</p>
<p>Personally, in the end it's more important for me to (1) be happy and (2) not pay $180,000 for an education that I could get for free.</p>
<p>I really am a smart guy, it's just this money worries the heck out of me. It's all I think about it seems; being in debt. That and not being happy here has really adversely affected my grades.</p>
<p>I would still like to apply to the top grad programs though. 3.2 after two years, yeah, not impressive, don't know if I'm screwed though. Could turn things around.</p>
<p>Thanks guys, good stuff :)</p>
<p>Also, I originally was a transfer student to Tufts from this school I'm going to now...that I think will hurt. Two transfers.</p>
<p>no, trust me, you're fine, grad programs will not be skeptical of you transferring to a public school, especially if your grades improve, and you're in the honors program.</p>
<p>With a 3.2 you're not screwed, especially if you start doing really well at your new school.</p>
<p>alot of people transfer, you initially got into tufts and managed to maintain a good gpa there, i don't see why grad schools would be bothered by the fact you transferred down.</p>
<p>I know the stuff about public schools because you can look at admittances to different grad programs, and i know kids from lots of state schools who went on to top tier law schools, MBA programs, etc.</p>
<p>you aren't SCREWED with a 3.2, but it probably means you will only leave with, at most, a 3.6, which isn't horrible but you will obviously need to make up for it with other strengths if you are looking to apply to the best law schools, for one.</p>
<p>Do you think that you could do a nice write up for when you apply for graduate school?</p>
<p>Also, like how I say in other threads, "if you truly feel in your heart" that you would be better off at your state school- then swap schools. I am swapping schools after a while myself! You only live once and you may eve like the grad department at your state school!</p>
<p>Elsifjdl, thanks so much. I can't tell you how much I've appreciated your help here. I feel alot better because of this conversation. I'm going to go devour an entire strawberry shortcake now to congratulate myself. Comfort food what?</p>
<p>To answer Merlin's question I'm a Philosophy major. While I'm not sure of my GPA in my major it is around 3.2 but slightly higher I'd imagine. I've gotten pretty much all B-B+'s here with an A or two and a C or two spattered on each side. The C's I've received were not in my major. </p>
<p>I know I'd be able to do a nice write up. I love writing, I know my posts here might not be any indication but I know how to write well. Especially on applications. The essays were the only reason I got into this school in the first place.</p>
<p>it doesnt matter what college you went to. Richard nixon went to Whittier college (a 2nd/3rd tier liberal arts college in california) and he went to Duke university for grad school ;)</p>
<p>I'm confused, have you already left Tufts? It's pretty hard for you to get an honest assessment without naming the state school. If you're aiming at a top 10 law or MBA program, school really matters. It matters much less for a PhD program. As for grad schools only looking at the grades in your major subject, huh??</p>
<p>For law school more than any other, GPA and school are important. Take A look at any class at Harvard or Stanford Law Schools, they are dominated by grads of top schools. So are classes of top MBA programs, but there post undergrad job matters most, and where you graduate from often determines that job.</p>
<p>So if you've spent 2 years at Tufts and your state school isn't Cal, UNC or UVA, you may want to consider other options. How about a year abroad on a not so expensive program or a transfer year. 2 years in, if the state school won't be helpful, I might want that Tufts degree.</p>
<p>2 years at a 3.2 might keep you out of a top professional program, but I would have to think the turn around will be considered more if from a top school.</p>
<p>such a lack of knowledge? look who is talking. It is known that it doesnt matter the prestige of the university for grad school, just as long as the applicant is competitive (Good GPA and LSAT/GRE scores). If you are so highly knowledgable, then you would know that President Nixon, who attended Whittier College, went to Duke University for Grad. School. Not to mention that Emory Law accepts applicants from different universities, even the not-so-prestigious Cal States.</p>
<p>Mojo, why don't you check the ranking of Duke Law School in Nixon's era? And ever thin he might have been connected? And last I looked, Emory isn't exactly Harvard. I invite you, and all interested party, to take a hard look at the roster at any top 10 law school. Or business school for that matter. You will see that there is an extreme skew in favor of grads of ivy league schoos and other top colleges. Extreme. You'll see, for example, that a small ivy like Dartmouth will have more kids in every class than a huge state school, considered top by many, like UCLA.</p>
<p>The facts speak for themselves Mojo. Sure there might be a kid or 2 from SDSU Mojo, but just check how many graduate from there and contrast it with say very tiny Amherst.</p>
<p>Dude, you just said it yourself, of course there may be a kid or 2 from SDSU and there maybe more from Amherst, but dont you think that due to the quality of competitiveness of such colleges, such as Amherst, leads those applicants to apply to Law schools such as Harvard rather than someone from SDSU? It is not the fact that its a better school, its the fact that many of those applicants are just in a more "competitive spirit" or environment that causes them to apply to these schools. However, if the applicant is strong enough, he or she will get accepted to schools such as Harvard regardless of the school they went to (as the 1 or 2 from SDSU proves it) I am no longer going to argue with you.</p>