Transferring: Information About Schools

Colleges and Universities A-Z Reed College
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Hello Everyone!

I am currently in the process of researching a number of different schools with the intent to apply as a transfer student, and I would appreciate any insight into the schools listed below in terms of the strength of the departments I am interested in pursuing, how they compare to one another (which is, perhaps, a bit of a silly question in that they are all somewhat similar in terms of academic quality), and graduate school placement is also of interest.

Currently, I am a student at Marlboro College, intending to study some amalgam of the humanities and social sciences (likely some combination of Anthropology and Sociology and History). If I recall correctly, my GPA is currently somewhere in the 3.9 area; I’ve become involved in a few different clubs on campus, and I will be working with one of my professors on a project this coming semester. The size and focus of class, the interdisciplinary environment of the departments, the access and relationship with professors, and the process of the Plan of Concentration were all factors in my matriculating. However, though I have formed wonderful relationships with a few professors, I am not quite satisfied with the school. Academic rigor is a primary motivation for looking elsewhere, as I felt classes were too easy. In addition, due to ever-decreasing rates of enrollment, the new president instituted a program that will give a new student from each state a full scholarship should they choose to attend. My fear, of course, is that this program, given Marlboro’s small endowment, will impact my financial aid such that I will not be able to afford to continue my studies.

The schools I am interested in applying to, in no particular order, are as follows: Reed College, Swarthmore College, Wesleyan University, College of William and Mary, Bates College, Oberlin College, Carleton College, University of Virginia, and the University of Michigan.

If I had to choose favorites, I would say Reed and Swarthmore are probably most appealing to me. That being said, there are programs of study at some of the others that are particularly appealing to me-the Classical and Medieval Studies programs at Bates and the College of Social Studies at Wesleyan, for example.

Any information or insight is greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

2

How specific. ‘Information’.

But seriously, what specifically are you asking for? I’m sure Marlboro, Reed and Swarthmore share the qualities for which you may have initially attended Marlboro. Our social sciences are superb, although sociology is a tiny department and I found two of the three tenured professors flat or annoying (one of them has anger issues). I can highly recommend the history department, and from what I hear from my friends, anthropology is superb as well. The economics department is absolutely fantastic; our professors can make microeconomic and macroeconomic core theory sound incredibly interesting.

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In regard to your question, I am simply seeking information from people with experience with those departments. I gathered that your social sciences were wonderful, but it would be helpful to know what students in those department think about the professors and the courses they have taken, as well as more general experiences with the school.

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That I cannot cover in one CC post. Sorry. Look into past posts on Reed College, and look at reviews of individual professors on ratemyprofessors.