I am a first-year FGLI undergraduate at Williams College who would like to transfer out for a multitude of reasons to another institution that will meet 100% of my financial need and remain academically challenging; I intend to remain in New England, and to apply to no more than ten colleges for transfer.
I am considering the following schools:
Dartmouth
Brown
Yale
Colby
Bates
Bowdoin
Connecticut College
Tufts
and Wesleyan
Demographics wise, I’m from a New England state and am a low-income, first-generation college student. I’m a childhood cancer survivor w/chronic health issues.
I applied ED to Williams after doing the WOW program. Being a college freshman, I anticipate using most of my high school stats to apply for admission.
I did not submit test scores, I had a 4.0/4.0 GPA, was the valedictorian of my class, and participated in a breadth of extracurricular activities, nearly all of which I held leadership positions. My “spike” was an interest in journalism and writing (which I continue to maintain).
I am not particularly involved on the Williams campus due to the (unwelcomely) challenging time that I’ve been experiencing here. I am making up a course deficiency during my j-term as health issues had interfered with my handling of my course-load. I will be able to obtain recommendations from the necessary sources.
Due to my financial need and the aim to transfer so early into my college career, I would like to apply only to schools that I believe that I could thrive at both academically and as a community member, but also obtain sufficient financial aid at. I would love to be chanced and can provide more info.! My top choices are Bowdoin and Brown.
Don’t know the answer but I would call Bowdoin. Based on this I’m not sure transfers are guaranteed aid to meet need. Click on the is financial aid avail to transfers question.
I’m sorry things aren’t going well at Williams. Can you elaborate on this? It’s important to know what isn’t right about Williams, so you don’t end up at a school with the same issues. Why do you think the schools on your list would be better?
Regardless of those reasons, you will need to have academic reasons for transferring…what are those/how will you cover that? What do you anticipate your GPA to be for first semester and J term?
I agree Bowdoin might not work out financially… please research each school’s transfer FA policy and contact FA staff where you need clarification. A couple of the schools on your list are need aware like Tufts and Conn college, so that may decrease your odds of admission. But still try of course.
Did you apply to any of these schools last year? If so please share those decisions. Did you have any other affordable acceptances last year?
Very sorry you are going through this and hopefully your health issues are under control. Brown’s FA policies are different for transfers. Specifically, Brown is need aware for non veteran transfers…
Have you had accommodations at Williams? Did you register with the Office of Disabilities or Accessible Education Office, as it is now called in many schools?
Were you able to medically withdraw from a course without an F or W?
Many students are unhappy at this point in their freshman year. Believe me. Things tend to turn around in the spring for many.
Have you been depressed? The fact that you are not involved in anything on campus suggests that possibility, after so much involvement during high school. Or were you doing things at high school for admissions purposes and now lack motivation?
Have you talked with a counselor? Is it possible there are strategies for feeling more welcomed?
Are you unused to rural areas? I am very familiar with the Williamstown and North Adams areas due to the museums there. Are you thinking a more urban environment might be better for you?
There may be financial downsides to applying as a transfer at some schools, as others have said, so check that carefully.
Maybe, I’ve been out of the loop for a while, but my understanding is that even if a school is need-aware for transfers, all of the places mentioned in the OP would meet 100% need IF ADMITTED. The point people are trying to make, I believe, is that being a high-need applicant would add baggage to your resume.
Your reasons for wanting to leave are not clear, but if the issue is mainly that you aren’t connecting well with the people around you, I’d suggest reconsidering Dartmouth, Colby and Bowdoin, which tend to attract similar students to those at Williams. Of course they aren’t all carbon copies of one another, but Dartmouth especially seems to have a similar student body to Williams.
In your shoes, I’d place calls to the financial aid offices of the colleges in question. Ask them what you’ve asked us.
You’ll need solid reasons why you want to attend those schools, especially Yale and Brown. Make sure you’ve done your homework.
You haven’t told us exactly what your financial situation is. We might be able to give you better guidance if you can give us a better idea of that, and more info about what you ARE looking for in a college.
Since several of your tentative selections seem similar in their characteristics to Williams, you may want to consider at least one out-of-region choice, such as Haverford.
You have not shared why you want to leave Williams, which I think is important to know, as that can have a definite influence on advice and recommendations. That said, however, one factor you may want to look at is how well the institution performs for social mobility. For instance, this chart from College Transitions can be re-sorted by looking at the Delta Score or Y Score (basically seeing how Pell grant recipients graduation rates differed from non-Pell student graduation rates, and whether schools are outperforming or underperforming on the rates for Pell recipients). The higher the score, the better.
The schools below all had a 1.0 or greater for both the Delta score and Y score, meaning that they Pell students graduate at at least the same rate as their non-Pell peers and that the schools perform at least as well as expected with those students. The percentage of need they meet for undergrads (not just freshmen) is listed beside their name. Schools on your list that did not make this list below did not meet the above qualifications.
I went ahead and included the transfer admission rate at the end of each school’s row (source) and denoted which schools are need-blind for transfers (source).
Connecticut College, 100%, 31%
Skidmore (NY), 99%, 43%
Trinity (CT), 100%, 32%
Mount Holyoke (MA) – women’s college, 100%, 47%
Dickinson (PA ), 99%, 40%
Colby (ME), 100%, 13%
Bates (ME), 100%, 10%
Swarthmore (PA ), 100%, 13%, need-blind for transfers
U. of Richmond (VA), 100%, 45%
Boston U. (MA)…87%, but I think since the table came out they have moved to meet 100% of need; 54%
Franklin & Marshall (PA ), 100%, 31%
Haverford (PA ), 100%, 23%
Washington & Lee (VA), 100%, 9%
Boston College (MA), 100%, 24%, need-blind for transfers
Colgate (NY), 100%, 29%
Hamilton (NY), 100%, 21%, need-blind for transfers
Here’s some more details:
My reasons for transferring out of Williams include:
Being in a less isolated environment (I am from the area in which Bates is, which I find to be a good size for me).
Attending a school with a solid English/creative writing or education program (Williams does not provide an education program/ample opportunity to obtain a teaching certification). I am currently studying geosciences at Williams, and may still want to continue my geosciences studies elsewhere (while minoring/double majoring in English or education) depending on where I’d end up transferring.
Attending a school in which students are more well-rounded, welcoming, and collaborative over competitive. Much of Williams promotes a culture in which students stay up until 2AM each evening and don’t have time to eat meals on a regular basis to achieve grades that are not even A’s, and are disrespectful to other students who cannot keep up with such a routine.
Attending a school where FGLI students are provided with more support, and where there is less of a divide between private school graduates and public school graduates.
Attending a school in which more extracurricular opportunities are readily available.
Attending a school in which I can participate in a work study opportunity or have access to area employment.
My EFC is under $3,000, to speak to my financial need.
I have a “W” on my transcript, and will receive both j-term credit and semester credit for my j-term course. I anticipate that my GPA for the semester, with the addition of my j-term course will be between 3.5 and 3.8. The reason I withdrew from my course was due to medical impairments and complications with depression and anxiety.
This is helpful and I hope that your mental health is better…that should be your focus. Are you planning on attending Williams second semester?
As for transferring reasons that are academic focused, your reasons make sense.
Regarding your target schools, all of those schools will have some proportion of serious students who put in many hours studying. I agree, because I have heard it from a number of students that Williams students are competitive with each other, not just themselves. The disrespectful piece is dismaying.
Why have you not been able to get a work study job at Williams? For the financial aid piece, I encourage you to speak with each potential transfer school’s FA peeps, and run their NPCs (provided they give you direction that those will be accurate for transfers).
At many of the schools on your list there may be a divide between athletes and non-athletes (could be part of your stated private vs public school divide) , and/or full pay vs students with financial need.
I am surprised to hear that you don’t think they’re enough to do, if that’s the case, I would not consider other LACs…bowdoin, bates, Colby, Conn college, etc.
It would also be helpful if you answer the questions about where you applied and were accepted last year. Is U Maine appealing? If you are certain you want to transfer, you will need to put some less selective schools on your list.
Thanks for the input! I of course anticipate study-heavy cultures at most academically rigorous colleges; I think that Williams is a bit extreme, and have been told explicitly by administrators at Williams that the school’s workload is “ridiculous” compared to adjacent institutions.
Williams switched their financial aid program to all-grant last year, eliminating work study jobs. Next year, they intend to cut student employment by 33%, which is already quite limited. I have been exceedingly stressed due to not being able to work, as travel expenses from Williams can get quite costly; necessities are sometimes inaccessible as well.
I applied ED I to Williams last year, so I didn’t get responses from the other schools that I ended up applying to besides the University of Southern Maine, which gave me insufficient financial aid. UMaine Orono is appealing if I were to be admitted into the honors college. For other safeties, I’d applied to Wheaton MA, Simmons, and Marist College.
I intended to apply to Trinity, Boston College, Brandeis, Columbia, Hamilton, Harvard, Vassar, Northeastern, Tufts, Skidmore, Wellesley and Haverford.
These may be academic safeties, but they may not be affordable, so they aren’t safeties. You need an affordable safety…I assume U Maine is affordable? If so that could work, whether or not you get Honors college.
This is a reachy list, and I encourage you to cut it down. You have also made some changes since your initial list…take some time over the holidays to think about what you really want in a school, and which of these schools appeal…why did Brown and Dartmouth drop off in the last day for example? Do virtual admissions sessions and other research over the holiday and during J Term.
I’m concerned that Trinity and Hamilton, even Haverford, share some of the qualities with Williams that you dislike. Hamilton is isolated, Trinity sports vs non-sport divide, Haverford so small. I suggest considering Barnard over Columbia…but the work load at both is intense, you will not have a lesser workload at either of those schools.
I’m sorry you are stressed about not being able to work. Is there some place in town (I know it’s only two blocks long) that you could work part-time?
1-Your employment opportunities will be MUCH more robust- even if you don’t like your on-campus work study options, you’ll be able to easily find a job in walking distance of campus (or on public transportation) if you are in a city.
2- There are very few urban schools with the kind of “mono-culture” you are describing. (Maybe some of the performing arts heavy colleges like Emerson… but that’s not typical). Urban colleges typically sit in or near diverse neighborhoods, students volunteer in the local school systems, you see “locals” at the grocery store, it is much easier to be part of the community even if your roommate or hallmates don’t become your BFF’s.
3-There is tons to do. Concerts, plays, poetry readings, lectures, art museums with cool tours…
Some of the colleges you are looking at may or may not be better than Williams- but being geographically isolated tends to mean other characteristics (substance abuse, for one).
I’d swap out Dartmouth and Colby and add Simmons and Wellesley (with a caveat- it is suburban, not urban; and the women at Wellesley work VERY hard). If you think Wellesley will be more of the same (it is somewhat competitive to be honest) then don’t bother… you’ve already got quite a list in front of you.
I get that Bowdoin will be close to home, and presumably you understand the campus dynamics… but it is a frequent “kids who love Williams also love Bowdoin” school which gives me pause.
Brown will have tons of support-- and you should reach out to both a FG advisor and the transfer Adcom with questions. They will want to help you be successful in your transfer applications even if Brown doesn’t work for you. Brown students are VERY active in the Providence community- including the local public schools- and Providence is not a hard place to find a job even if you don’t like the work/study options.
You say above that Bowdoin is your top choice now, along with Brown. Yet it didn’t make your list last year. What makes it your top choice now? The town is larger than Williamstown, but the workload, size of campus, activities, % private school students, etc. should be roughly the same. That said, my student has found the campus community warm and collaborative. But the transfer rate at 3% is extremely low.
I wonder if a larger more diverse campus would serve you better based on your concerns with Williams.
I don’t know if OP’s gender even allows for Barnard (may have missed it) - but while the workload at Columbia University is substantial, it’s appropriate and manageable. People certainly do have time to eat and enjoy the occasional night out. And 2 AM shifts tend to be self-inflicted, e.g., mostly a question of practicing good time management.
My daughter never had a problem asking for a (reasonable) extension as long as it didn’t mess up the “grand scheme”.
I think Barnard does fit this categorization well:
and not at all like what they had described:
But be aware that Barnard IS need-aware for transfers!