<p>Stats:
Top 20 Liberal Arts College
3.0 GPA (3.55 Sophomore Year)
Economics Major
Recipient of numerous diversity scholarships
Top Division III Athlete (Competitive enough for Division I)
Tons of Leadership (Student Government, Volunteering, Club Participation)
Meh Internships/Work Experience</p>
<p>I am currently enrolled as a rising junior at a top 20 liberal arts college. I hate it here and have become clinically depressed as a result. I am far from home (1400 miles away to be exact), hate the weather, and haven't been able to fit in as well as I would have liked.I am sure my low gpa limits my access to other comparable schools (avg. student gpa here is low, though - 2.8 ). GPA sophomore year was a 3.55, however. My freshmen year I went through a debilitating illness that resulted in me being hospitalized and taking time off as a result (a couple of weeks), which is why freshman year/cumulative gpa is so low. Is there any chance that I could transfer to another college or university with comparable reputation and academics? My ideal school would be:</p>
<p>Mid to mid/large student body size </p>
<p>Near or in a large city</p>
<p>Decent econ/biz/finance major</p>
<p>Strong Athletic Teams (currently play for top division 3 team, nationally acclaimed player-strong scores)</p>
<p>Sociable (maybe even a bit fratty/sorority-like)</p>
<p>Prestigious (at least top 30) - I plan on pursuing a career in consulting or banking (I have strong contacts w/in industries) and need to attend an institution with on-campus recruiting, thus, why ranking has to be comparable to the college I already attend</p>
<p>Has a decent minority population (I am an african american female, so fairly important)</p>
<p>With the exception of a tiny handful of colleges, you may have already missed the boat in applying as most colleges require a minimum of 2 years in residence on their campus. </p>
<p>This means applying during one’s junior year would be a non-starter as they won’t accept applications from students applying after sophomore year to become incoming juniors or those whose college credits exceed a number which would be equivalent to their 2 years worth of college credits. </p>
<p>Moreover, with your overall GPA, your odds of getting admitted to most Top-30s as a transfer are extremely slim as most transfer applicants are likely to have much higher college GPAs and that GPA becomes more important the longer one is in college. </p>
<p>This can be mitigated somewhat with citing your hospitalization during your freshman year, but even with that, there are no guarantees. </p>
<p>Are there any good schools that would allow me to apply, say in fall of this year and enter in as a junior transfer during the spring? Are there any good schools that would allow me to enter my senior year as a junior transfer (i.e. miss out on a year of schooling)? </p>
<p>Sigh… I really hate students like you.
Hey, good luck breaking into banking with that GPA. I’m sure you’ll do fine against all the 4.0 PBK kids…</p>
<p>Sorry to hear your plight.
That being said, if you can stick the next year out and use your senior year to concentrate on graduate school application, it will serve you well, with the strong professors contact you already have for better recommendation than anew school. That is if graduate school is on your agenda.
Transfer can be a bit complicated as far s finances, new location, new school major requirements, socials scene etc… and it ca be down right stressful, take longer years to graduate and frustrating. So research well, see the alternative of having a strong junior year and Graduate exam scores and then start your application for grad school the fall of your senior year. You have invested so far already and you can pus through as well, with counseling, and good support system.
Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>@soze
If I end up residing at my top lac, I would still do fine in recruiting. Transferring to a top institution would be a necessity if I decided to leave my old school, as networking is key in the industry. I don’t simply want to go to another top school because I’m a prestige “wh0re”. I’ve got strong contacts at most bulge bracket banks and consulting firms. If you don’t really have anything of relative interest to add about transferring options then you really have no need to comment. My main reason for transferring is to maintain my mental health, as being far from home and “out of my element” has significantly impacted my academic and social progress in college.</p>
<p>@ccco2018
Thanks for the information. I plan on pursuing an MBA and applying my senior year (hopefully a deferred admissions-type program). A PhD/MS isn’t really of interests to me. I was hoping transferring might help socially, mentally, and academically in college. The possibility of spending an extra year in college would not deter me if the option of transferring to a comparable school like my own was an option. Another extra year would raise my gpa for internship/full time opportunities and business school. I receive a significant amount of need-based financial aid (full tuition and board) so I am hoping most schools, if accepted, would extend a similar amount of financial aid to me.</p>
<p>Hopefully that works for you, but if you choos eto do that keep that to yourselves and do not create a situation of “I’m so over this school” with your professors or friends, because if it does not work out, then your last 2 years will become a more stressful and even hostile environment.
Research well, and when certain contact only your adviser that will give you transfer recommendation and that’s it.
till you are guaranteed a spot in your new school with a package you can afford.
Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>This may not be what you want to hear, but considering the 2 year minimum residence requirement and credit cap of most colleges for transfer applicants, you’re going into your junior year now, current GPA, and aspirations for banking/finance/consulting, your best bet is to stay at your current LAC and graduate. </p>
<p>You can try taking a gap year with a leave of absence and do a transfer to another top 30 institution as a junior that way to avoid exceeding the 2 year max credit cap. However, there are no guarantees as I stated in my prior post. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Why in such a rush to get an MBA so soon? Most MBA applications I’ve seen from friends have stated they expect a minimum of 2 years worth of full-time work experience and preferably more before applying to their program. </p>
<p>Your post "Would happen to have any recommendations on colleges to transfer to during Junior year that would allow me to enroll? " was not clear.
I was referring to recommendations from your current school to your prospective transfer school.
It is required and some want not only from 2 professors, but also dean of academic/registrar.
This is why I always tell students to keep their relationship with current school at the utmost importance till all is done. Do not burn bridges with anyone that will play a role in your transfer process, as this can be a huge hindrance.</p>
<p>Is your LAC part of the twelve college exchange or similar program where you can do a semester at another college? Also, although I know you said you wanted to be closer to home, most colleges allow you to do semesters abroad on other universities’ programs, so you could meet a new cohort of people and get off campus that way. My thought is if the timing of transferring won’t work, maybe just getting away for awhile would help. </p>
<p>If I were to take a gap year/semester off, would my chances at transferring be decreased? I know my odds aren’t as great as they stand. And about pursuing an MBA, I hope to apply my senior year to a deferred admissions program at Yale, Harvard, Haas, Duke, etc. These programs allow you to apply your senior year, gain work experience after graduation, and come back after 2+ years of experience. During that time I hope to have secured an analyst positions in banking or management consulting.</p>
<p>@ccco2018 </p>
<p>I apologize for the misstatement. I was asking if you had any recommendations on colleges that would allow me to transfer as a second semester junior or as a first semester junior (during my senior year - i.e. losing a year of college credits). I wasn’t asking about recommendations from professors/deans/etc.</p>
<p>@ttm321 </p>
<p>I attend a NESCAC school, and I don’t believe we have such a program in place. Going abroad would have been a great idea, unfortunately I missed the deadline at my school and I am a full time athlete so it would be rather difficult.</p>
<p>Wow, that’s probably at least 30 firms at which you have “strong contacts.” If that’s the case and as you’ve said before “networking is key in the industry” (apparently more important than academic performance) why are you so concerned about where you transfer into as long as you’ll be happier and do well? </p>
<p>I am a member of two competitive direct pipeline programs who have corporate partners within the banking and consulting industries. I am confident that I can secure an internship if I remain at my school through these programs. However, I would like to make sure I put myself in the best position for fall recruiting as chances are still slim to none for most, thus, I would like to remain in an institution with strong on-campus recruiting if I can transfer. I never sighted networking as being more important than “academic performance” and quite frankly, the circumstances surrounding my less than stellar GPA doesn’t signify me as being “lazy” or “unqualified” for the competitive positions I am seeking. I go to a top school known for grade deflation. I had a rough freshman year due to documented illnesses. I have a strong upward grade point average. I have sighted these facts in my previous posts. Networking is integral in the banking and consulting industry. Even if I had a 3.7+ my chances would still be slim to none, as it would be for most applicants (top school or not). Most of these firms have acceptance rates far below 10%. Relying on just shear academic performance would have never been enough. Not for me. Not for anyone. I want to transfer to become healthy, mentally. I have been clinically depressed for a while, and staying at my current college has only exacerbated that issue. I also came to college with a clear goal, and that was to do well in order to gain a successful career in financial services. My journey right now is to find a balance between my career goals and my mental/physical health. Attending my current school has made the journey exceedingly difficult. I hope this clarifies things.</p>
<p>Class standing when transfering to a new school will depend on the total number of transferable credits. From my understanding most schools will want you to spend 1/3, or 1/4 of your total credits at their institution before graduating.
In other words, if you are going to accumulate say 90 credits when you transfer, some schools might say… we can only count 80 or so, and the rest has to be completed at our institution before you graduate. Thus losing credits and adding another year to your education.
You mentioned needing counseling for you personal health, then that should be your priority now, and not transfer. So, it seems like a semester off school might be a better option here, and then return to your current school, and then complete your degree, while applying to graduate school.
In addition, the deferred MBA program at Yale and other IVY’s are becoming a non guarantee recently. They now make sure their class is filled and only if someone does not show up, do they even go to their deffer-ed list. So, it looks like you have to do your research well on these issues.
Bets of luck to you.</p>
<p>You sound like a thoughtful young person. Might I suggest that in the balance between mental/physical health and a successful career in financial services, that the mental/physical health needs to take priority? This fact suggests a gap year to get away, heal and reflect. </p>
<p>Please don’t anyone take offense, but in my experience the type of high powered banking jobs that you are pursuing are not jobs that foster mental and physical health. They require long hours and often a sacrifice of a more balanced personal life. The rewards as I see them are money, power, prestige and intellectual stimulation. Only the last supports happiness in any meaningful way, IMO, and it can be found in many other careers that pay reasonably well and offer a more balanced life. Something to consider at any rate.</p>
<p>At very least, I believe you’ll have to have your clinical depression resolved before you will be able to succeed in the pressure-cooker type of environment that is I-banking. A gap year might allow you the time you need to heal, regardless of whether you transfer or not. </p>
<p>I wish you the best of happiness in the future, whatever you decide.</p>
<p>I don’t know if these school take spring transfers during junior year but some school’s I know that offer spring transfer are Claremont McKenna, Northwestern, Cornell, Barnard (if you’re a girl that is), and probably some more. </p>