Hi all,
I am a current undergraduate student at a small liberal arts college that is also single-sex. After a long period of soul-searching I have concluded that I am transgender and that my current institution is not right for me (for other reasons as well). Even though it is a great fit academically, I have decided to transfer to a coeducational college. (When I look for employment, I do not want to be “outed” to everyone who reads my resume.)
Unfortunately I do not know of many “transgender-friendly” colleges or universities. I am especially looking for schools that have good financial aid (a strong deciding factor) and strong neuroscience programs, and preferably (but not necessarily) are outside the Northeast. I am currently looking at Oberlin (which I was admitted to when I first applied to colleges in high school but did not attend because of lack of financial aid).
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
You say you are looking for good FA. Will you qualify for good FA? What schools were you admitted to and what did they offer for FA?
Erin’s Dad - I can’t remember the exact numbers off the top of my head, but yes, I do qualify for financial aid. Most of the colleges I was accepted to offered at least some financial aid, and the ones that didn’t offered decent academic scholarships like Dean’s List and Presidential Scholarships. The most that was offered to me was about $36,000 or more (which is the school I am attending now). I don’t want to say where I am going now so I will contact you with my schools in a private message.
Most colleges are fine for LGB folk, but T students have it harder than others, as you’ve seemingly figured out. Some things to look for:
[ul][]Gender-neutral and/or single-occupant bathrooms
[]Gender-neutral housing
[]Counseling and medical/health support
[]Trans-inclusive athletic teams
[]Ability to change/select a name on student records
[]Sufficient student health insurance coverage[/ul]
A few links that may help:
http://www.campuspride.org/tpc/
http://www.collegeequalityindex.org/list-colleges-gender-neutral-housing
http://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2012/08/15/top-10-trans-friendly-colleges-and-universities
Pay particularly close attention to student health insurance if you’re transitioning or plan to do so. Some colleges cover all expenses through student health insurance, but most cover only hormone therapy or nothing at all.
Unfortunately the merit awards are usually only going to freshmen, not transfers. And many schools who will meet need for freshmen don’t always for transfers. Neuro is also not offered anywhere as it isn’t really a necessary undergraduate discipline. Not sure what to suggest as the NPC’s are usually just for freshmen too. But if you run some NPC you can see what you would have got as a freshman that is need based at least. Sorry I can’t offer college suggestions.
Reed College? You could explore neuroscience through your thesis and be a bio-psych major.
BrownParent - Neuro isn’t absolutely necessary. I just want to be out of here and go somewhere else that also has good STEM programs overall.
Oberlin is definitely a good choice.
Be aware that if an employer wants to know all colleges attended or all college academic records (probably more common for first job out of school than later), you may not be able to avoid being “outed”. However, not all single gender colleges are well known enough to be obvious in this respect.
Yes, Oberlin is a great choice. I believe they have a transgender residence house, and stellar academics. Maybe try Earlham? I was really impressed by their approach to everything. They are apparently trying to grow their class size by about 50 per year (we were told), so you might have an opportunity as a transfer for some aid there.
Re employment, my sense is that things are getting better incrementally. Hopefully it will be even less of an issue by the time you graduate. I don’t think you are obligated to put the college you attended first year on your resume. But once you get past the interview stage, if a potential employer were to ask, you would be obligated to provide it. My hunch, though, is that many won’t ask. Some potential employers do make sophisticated social media searches though. It kind of depends upon what kind of positions you will be interviewing for.
If you’re open to a big state school, Michigan State has transgender housing, which I thought was pretty cool. They have nice merit packages for high achieving incoming freshmen, I have no idea if they apply to transfers. It’s through the honors program.
I just saw your post about Common App and clicked your link to this thread 
All of the UC’s I’ve visited have a lot of LGBTQ friendly things happening, and many are great STEM schools.
For example, on my recent Davis visit they explained that all the dorms are co-ed by room. Many have gender-neutral restrooms! They also have a LGBT resource center, as well as a housing complex called Rainbow House that is made for LGBTQ+ students/allies.
Also, this website may help! (Excuse the terrible layout) http://www.campusprideindex.org/
Good luck!
Oberlin was the first school that came to mind when I read this, so good that you’re already looking at that. I’ll second the above suggestion for Hampshire. Maybe also Bard or Bennington? When I think of super-liberal LACs that aren’t single-sex those are what come to mind.