Transferring FROM Wellesley?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Wellesley College
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<p>Does anyone know of anyone or has anyone transferred from Wellesley?</p>

<p>I'm a first year, and I know it's early, but I am seriously thinking about transferring from Wellesley after this year. Wellesley isn't what I expected, nor really what I want, I recently realized. It is just way too far from home, isolated, and hard for me to feel a connection with most of the people here. All in all, I am quite indifferent/close to unhappy here. I don't know for certain yet, but I currently feel like Wellesley doesn't match my personality.</p>

<p>If anyone has transferred from Wellesley or knows of anyone who has, please give some insight as to how the process works, if many people transfer out successfully, and any other experiences/stories about people transferring out. Here are some questions on my mind lately--</p>

<p>1) How many people transfer out of Wellesley? Is it hard to do so?
2) How do I convert Wellesley's "unit" system to "hours" of credit?
3) A general inquiry: Why do people who transfers from Wellesley usually do so?
4) Who do I go to to discuss the possibilty of transferring?
5) I feel like if I transfer out, I am "betraying" the school... I know Wellesley is a supportive community... but is Wellesley still supportive when it comes to people who want to transfer out?</p>

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<p>My D is now a second-year student. One of her classmates transferred last year - after the fall semester. Regarding the credits, it depends on where you want to transfer to. I believe her classmate was in her foreign language class, and my D said you had to complete the entire year (not just one semester) to get any credit.</p>

<p>I’d recommend giving it some more time (not that you have too much choice there) - I know my D, who really wanted to go far away to school and had her heart set on going to school near/in a big city, once she was actually there got homesick and scared and wondered what she was doing there. I think after 2-3 weeks she got over that feeling. </p>

<p>I think she said the classmate’s parents had gone through a recent divorce, the mother had recently moved to a new city, and the girl chose to transfer to a school in her mother’s new city.</p>

<p>Logistically, to transfer you would apply to a different school. You would have to send your Wellesley transcript and see what credits they accepted. Depending if you finish just the first semester or the whole year, you may not be considered a transfer student. Most schools require 24 credit hours to be considered a transfer student. Otherwise, you may need to send your hs transcript and SAT and/or ACT scores.</p>

<p>Start with the Office of the Dean for First-Year Students to discuss the possibility of transferring - if that’s not the right place, they’ll let you know.</p>

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<p>The administration is very supportive of transfers. They don’t want unhappy students, and they realize that fit is sometimes a miss. I will say that it is very early for you to be thinking this. Many students take time to adjust to any college and feel unhappy or unconnected at first. While you are looking into transferring, keep an open mind and try to get involved in some extracurriculars.</p>

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<p>Hey sincerelyy
I am also a first year who cant help but think about transferring next year:/ I know its only been a few weeks so I hope it will get better, but I understand what youre saying completely. Having spent time on campus, I’m not sure if this is the place for me…
Just wanted to empathize:)
good luck</p>

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<p>To potential first year transfers:</p>

<p>I know it might start to sound like a broken record, but the advice of “giving it more time” is cliche for a reason. When I was a student, I remember hearing a number of students thinking about transferring sometime during their first semester at Wellesley. Lo and behold, the vast majority of them stayed and ended up loving Wellesley. In fact, two really really good friends had a pretty miserable first semester, but second semester, found the group of friends that clicked with them and loved their experience.</p>

<p>Transitions take time. Moving to a new environment and adjusting takes time. Getting used to college (whether at Wellesley or anywhere else) takes time. For some, it takes very little, for others it takes a while. Just because it seems that everyone else around you is being all buddy buddy with each other and you feel left out, doesn’t mean that you won’t eventually find your niche and end up loving the place.</p>

<p>That being said, only you can determine whether or not Wellesley is the right school for you. It might be helpful to speak with someone, most likely a staff member like your RD or dean, about how things are going. These are folks who work in higher ed for a living - in other words, listening to you and giving you advice is part of their JOB.</p>

<p>“How hard is it to transfer out of Wellesley?” It depends on if you get accepted to another college. There’s no test or essay that Wellesley makes you go through if you want to transfer to somewhere else.</p>

<p>Generally, 1 Wellesley credit equals 4 credit hours. But I would make inquiries and confirm at the registrar office for the other school(s) that you’re interested in.</p>

<p>I found that Wellesley was supportive in people’s decisions, whether it ultimately came down to Wellesley or another school was the correct decision. My word of advice: if you go and talk to people, i.e. the First Year Dean, and she says something to the effect of giving it more time, don’t take it to mean that she’s trying to discourage you from transferring. Rather, most likely she’s talking from her years of experience, and she’s probably talked to scores of students who wanted to transfer out within the first week or two of school, but after found their footing and ended up loving the place. Perhaps a good place to start to talk with a bunch of upperclasswomen and ask them if they’ve thought of transferring and/or knew anyone who did. Ask them how long it took them to adjust to Wellesley. Ask them if their first year was super easy or super hard. I bet you’d find a range of answers.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

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<p>college<em>query, pbleic – Thanks for your posts. They were both very helpful. college</em>query, how is your daughter liking Wellesley? Has she always been in love with the school? Or did she gradually figure out how to adjust and love it at Wellesley?</p>

<p>winter345 – Thank you for posting. It feels good to know that I am not the only one confused and unsure about the prospects of spending the next four years at Wellesley. I really appreciate it. Let me know how the Wellesley experience is for you as time progresses. :)</p>

<p>jacinth_ambrose – Yes, I do realize it is early. So yeah, I’m willing to give this a try. It’s just that right now it doesn’t look so good, and I just want some input and answers to the questions and thoughts I’ve been stressing over lately. Thanks for posting.</p>

<p>Any other information, insights, words of advice, personal accounts, etc.?
I’d love to read anything anyone has to say in response to this thread. Thanks.</p>

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<p>My daughter feels very fortunate to be at Wellesley. She wanted to attend a school that was out of state (we are in the midwest) and in or near a large city. We did not have the opportunity to visit before she moved in. Because of our financial situation she hoped to attend a school that meets full need.</p>

<p>Wellesley had been her “dream” school - her freshman year in high school a former student came and spoke about Wellesley, so it had been something she aspired to. Her high school doesn’t have that many students that a) go on to college and b) go out of state, especially to top schools. I think in her graduating class of over 300, less than 10 went to college out of state.</p>

<p>I think for most students there is an adjustment period - I believe she had some self-doubt (am I smart enough? do I belong here?) plus the anxiety of making new friends, learning to manage on your own, learning to live with roommates, being very far from home with no support system, etc. Even though she was very independent and wanted to be there, she did get homesick.</p>

<p>From what she’s described, she’s probably the “typical” Wellesley student - hard working, pushes herself to achieve, wants to make a difference, etc. She does find the academics quite challenging but she did get mostly A’s and a couple of B+'s, so she feels she’s up to the academic challenge. While she feels there are some very brilliant and intimidating students, she also feels that she can hold her own. She’s taken advantage of study groups, professor’s office hours, etc.</p>

<p>She was in a triple last year and really clicked with her roommates. I’m sure that helped. She also pursued some extracurriculars she’s participated in most of her life to become involved with at school. She did try out for a sports team and didn’t make it (she was a top varsity athlete in that sport at her high school), but made another team but then decided she didn’t have the time to be a varsity athlete.</p>

<p>Regarding adjustment to college: my son’s girlfriend is a freshman in college (not at Wellesley) and is very unhappy right now, but I think she was not ready emotionally to go away to college. She got a full scholarship at a prestigious school and due to her home financial situation, didn’t really have any other options that her parents could afford. I think she feels a little trapped and isolated. She is a very quiet, introverted person and I don’t think she makes new friends easily.</p>

<p>Can you pinpoint what is making you unhappy? Would it be different at a different school? College freshman need to understand that “you can’t go home again.” Even if you stay at home, your high school experience is over and your friends will disburse.<br>
Examine if your unhappiness is just from the transition of going to college, or if it’s the fit of Wellesley. </p>

<p>I wish you the best - I obviously don’t know you, so I don’t know what specific advice to give you, but just the general platitudes - I’m a firm believer in making the most of every situation, of turning lemons into lemonade, etc. Even if you eventually decide Wellesley isn’t for you, take advantage of some of the wonderful things around you while you are still there. Best wishes!</p>