<p>I currently attend a small, relatively unknown state university in Ohio. I have a full scholarship at this school. I chose to attend here because it was close to home, I had no idea what I wanted to do, and it was paid for. I told myself that in 2 years, I would look at transferring. The two years is nearly up.</p>
<p>I'm considering going to the University of Kentucky. It's not expensive. Generally, it's a well reputable school. I like the area that it is in and I think I'd make a good transition. I've had several people tell me that I would be insane to transfer from a place where I have everything paid for, to a place where I would have next to nothing paid for. This is generally true - but I'm concerned that going to this relatively unknown university will hurt my chances of being successful. Alongside that, I'm just not getting that "college experience" at my current university.</p>
<p>The general gist of my question is this: is it worth transferring from a small school where you have a full scholarship to a known school where little is paid for? Is the debt worth it? Does the place where you receive your undergraduate degree really matter? I've been agonizing over this and I could use some input.</p>
<p>It depends. I know, not much help, but it is a complicated question and has many facets, including:</p>
<p>How much debt?</p>
<p>What are you studying? </p>
<p>Are you planning on going on to professional school (eg. Med, Law, Business, Architecture) where you likely will be full pay? Will you be finished with an UG degree or plan to go on to Grad school with a high likelihood of being supported through grants, etc.?</p>
<p>In your current school are you able to take advantage of lots of academic and other opportunities by virtue of being a big fish in a small pond?</p>
<p>Other than reputation, what else does UK offer you that you aren’t getting at your current school?</p>
<p>I would probably be looking at 20,000 dollars of debt, give or take.</p>
<p>I am currently an English major. I may double major in English and Philosophy if I stay at the school I’m currently at.</p>
<p>As of now, I am not sure about professional school. Law school has always been floating in the back of my mind. I am not completely sure if the place where you obtain your UG has any influence on getting into a good law school, so that’s another one of my concerns.</p>
<p>I have a 3.9 GPA, but other than that, I don’t have many other things going for me. At this school, there aren’t many activities or opportunities available to get experience, and I feel like I need to be somewhere where I can build my resume. </p>
<p>Most people that go to my school are commuters (including me), so it’s hard to make friends. It’s not just the academic side of things that I feel is lacking. I want more opportunities and a better overall experience. The area that I live in (and where I go to school) is small and there isn’t much to do. Moving to a bigger city would promote my state of mind and independence.</p>
<p>Con transferring: 20k debt, English major, possible law school. </p>
<p>Pro transferring: More opportunities & experiences, happier.</p>
<p>Use the Search function on the Law School subforum to find threads on how much difference UG college plays in Law School admissions, I’m sure this question is asked all the time. I also recall a long thread on the Parent’s forum a while back. I could be wrong, but I think prestige of the UG college does matter for Law, but mainly if it’s a school like HYP, or some large difference, I’m not sure your two schools qualify.</p>
<p>This is a hard one, have you talked to your parents about taking on that much debt for you, how do they feel? It’s not huge, but it is substantial, particularly with a degree that doesn’t generally lead to immediate gainful employment. One of my kids is majoring in English too and is headed for Med school, and I have counseled keeping UG costs down as much as possible. But your well being, opportunities and experiences at this time in your life are important factors as well, and very difficult to place a value on. My best advice is to talk to your parents and try to figure out the best route that you will be able to live with.</p>
<p>I applaud you in giving your school 2 years and trying to make it work, you sound like a mature and thoughtful individual, and I have no doubt you will succeed whichever path you take.</p>