Transferring for Political Theory

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
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Hi, I’m a freshman at Emory and I’ve become very interested in political theory and philosophy. While my interests are still in political science, they are now focused in theory rather than American politics, as they were when I was applying during my senior year.

Emory is a fantastic school and has an excellent political science department. However, we only have two professors of political theory, and from what I can see there are three courses commonly offered in the subject each year. I am taking two of these courses this Spring, meaning I will have almost exhausted my coursework in the subject during my first year.

That leads me to my question. Do I have decent chances to transfer to Columbia for political theory? From what I saw Columbia has twelve professors in their political science department that specialize in political theory, so that would open up lots of opportunity for me for the rest of my undergraduate career. While I was a senior in high school I was apprehensive about the Core, which is why I didn’t apply to Columbia last year, but I am participating both semesters in Emory’s Voluntary Core Curriculum and am enjoying it very much, so I think I would enjoy Columbia’s Core as well.

As far as stats go, in high school I was valedictorian and got a 33 ACT. I did lots of music ECs, along with experience in politics.

So far I’ve also gotten very involved at Emory. I am vice president of one of the political groups on campus, an elected member of student government, and a member of an investment management group. I also was an intern on a congressional campaign this year. My GPA at Emory is 3.64, made up of all A-s, except for one B+ and one A in health.

I had a lot of time to think about this over the holidays, and I thought that it seems like an opportunity worth pursuing. If anyone has any input or advice, I’d love to hear it! Thank you so much!

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@bab54251
Stop pretending people are dumb, please. You could easily transfer to Georgetown for the same major concentration. Or be more pragmatic and combine your degree with QTM/QSS at Emory that could actually get you a job. Or realize that that “political theory” is just decent marketing. You prestige chasing and that’s fine, you’re in a position to do so. But please don’t be facetious.
I think transfer apps are due soon tho, so hurry. And yes, you have a good shot. Your GPA is no that high, but you go to Emory so they will be lenient.

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@emorynavy
Thank you so much for the help! I’m not pretending people are dumb, and am asking for help because I know little on this subject and assume people like you know lots more than me. I’ll definitely look into Georgetown since that seems like a good option. I think I should also point out that I like Emory and it’s a great school. If it weren’t for some of the great professors I’ve had I wouldn’t interested in political theory and looking for options to study it further. I also have lots of friends at Emory and wouldn’t consider starting from scratch at a new school if I didn’t think it was important. Swapping the name on my degree is not an important reason, in my opinion. So, your accusation that I am not being genuine must be due to some sort of misunderstanding, since I do not misunderstand the weight of the decision I am trying to make. I recognize that by leaving Emory, I would be giving a lot up. Still, I appreciate the help and your insight! Thank you very much!

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Explore courses outside of political science. The literature departments probably offer theory-driven courses. Emory’s philosophy department also leans towards continental philosophy. I would say you might like that, too. Can you not petition to take graduate courses in political theory?