I attended Dickinson College for my freshman year before transferring to Northeastern because I thought they had a better program for my major. Since getting there, though, I’ve started to think that it’s not actually any better. It feels more to me like a corporation than a university. Now I’m debating going back to Dickinson or transferring to Cornell. I’m not sure if going to Cornell for the next 2.5 is really worth having to list three colleges on my resume, and I’m worried that I might have read Northeastern wrong. Does anyone know how employers/grad schools feel about people who transfer between three schools? And does anyone who has gone to Northeastern or Cornell have any input on what the schools are like?
Probably generate meaningful responses if you shared your major.
If you can afford to finish the year at Northwestern, do that. You will have more time to see if you can adjust and determine whether your major is better served there than at Dickinson.
Also, think about just plain taking a break from college for a semester or a year. It isn’t clear that you know what you want out of your education - and that is fine - so time off to work and think and develop your goals might make the best sense.
Seriously, that’s your metric? You only list the college you graduated from on your resume…
I think you are discovering that having a big name is not the same thing as having a program that is any different from the less famous schools.
Northeastern is a very good university. There are hundreds of other very good colleges and universities in the US. I honestly do not understand why people get excited by the name of famous schools past the top 10 or so.
The thing that Northeastern is famous for is their coop program. Having some work experience in an internship or coop program really is a big deal when it comes time to look for a job after you graduate. Also, I believe that people with some actual work or internship experience will learn more from their classes as well. On the other hand, I know people who are at a school that you have probably never heard of who are getting great internship and/or coop experiences.
One thing that you have not told us about is the cost of these various programs, and how much debt you need to take on to graduate from Northeastern, versus how much debt you would need to take on if you were to go back to Dickinson versus going to Cornell. Of course getting accepted to Cornell is also a very high reach at this point (unless you have already gotten accepted).
I think that you should think about cost, internship/coop opportunities, and what you want to do in that order. I would try to forget about how famous or “prestigious” a school might be.
Sorry, I should have put more information in the original post. I’m an environmental science major. I’ve already been accepted to Cornell and it’s a few thousand cheaper per year. @collegemom3717 had a point, I guess it’s not so much the number of schools as the fact that I’m not sure if I want to try adjusting to a new school again.
If you have already been accepted to Cornell, then I would not worry about what your resume will look like. You are going to end up with a bachelor’s degree from either Northeastern or from Cornell. Either is going to be respected by employers. These schools are not much different in size either.
With a degree from Northeastern in environmental sciences and some coop experience you should do well after graduation. With a degree from Cornell in environmental sciences you should do well after graduation.
I think that you are right to think primarily about whether you want to go through the effort to find your way around a new school.
I do think that there’s a point of diminishing returns from changing. It’s possible you could be seeing this as a “grass is greener,” where no college will ultimately match what you think could be found somewhere else. You can get hooked on that rush that goes with change. In part, because you believe, “There always IS something better.” It can be a form of commitment issue.
But the job is to get the degree, build relationships, get the connections that make, eg, internships come easier. Then, move to the next exciting phase of life.
So think about it.
Why would you list all colleges on your resume? You resume should simply provide the degree you earned from the college that awarded it.
Great advice here generally. Went to Northeastern so if you have any specific questions feel free to ask here / DM me. I can’t say I know a ton about the environmental science program specifically if they are on those specifics.
You only have to list the college or university from where you earned your degree on your resume.
Make a decision and stick with it.