transferring twice

College Search & Selection
1

<p>a little about me, i attended a top 20 school, and then transferred to a top 15 school...but i dont like the top 15 school, in fact, i think i like the top 20 one better</p>

<p>i wanted to know if it is worth my while to try the transfer process again...i felt like i got pretty bad results the first time around...i had excellent high school credentials and my year gpa at my first school was ~3.8 and my SATs are in the mid to upper 1400s.</p>

<p>I wanted to know if I can keep up my performance at my new school...do i have a shot at </p>

<p>Stanford
Harvard
Columbia
Duke
Dartmouth</p>

<p>does it look bad to transfer twice b/c right now i think i made the worst decision of my life....</p>

2

<p>.what is your major?i think if you are not happy where you you should definetely move to another school."does it look bad to transfer twice b/c right now i think i made the worst decision of my life...." i think it will depends on the school you applying , some might look you down some will like that fact that you trying to find the best school for you . I personally think that if you are not happy don't stay , find somewhere you will feel happy.</p>

3

<p>The answer is:</p>

<p>It depends. If you were happier at your first school, you need to figure out the reasons why it was/is better than the top-15 school you currently attend. Once you figure that out, it will be easier to find other colleges/universities to transfer to.</p>

<p>I assume you're new to the top-15 school, based on your post, so I'll add a note of caution: it may take a little while (a semester or two) to get into the swing of things, so keep an open mind. </p>

<p>I'm not sure if your drive to Stanford, Harvard, etc...is motivated by your not liking your top-15 school, as you stated that you think your first (top-20) school was better for you. Again, I say this because you feel like you got bad results when you applied as a first-year while still in HS.</p>

<p>If the school you're at currently shares similar characteristics with those transfer schools that you're interested in, aiming for the top-10 may place you in the same predicament. Also, transfering a second time may not look very good to grad school adcoms. It might appear like your drive to transfer is motivated by rankings, rather than by fit, major, etc...</p>

<p>You don't want grad schools to even momentarily entertain that idea. At best, it makes you appear indecisive. At worst, it makes you look like you have difficulty making tuff decisions, and are guided by what others think (i.e. USN). </p>

<p>I'm not saying that is the case, but be careful. You may inadvertantly compound the situation, if you are seeking more prestige in a transfer school rather than one that fits (top-10 school or not). See how the term goes before doing something drastic.</p>

<p>Just a word of caution.</p>

<p>:)</p>

<p>PS--It may be hard to give the school you're at a chance, when you have a "wandering eye" or are on the lookout for something better.</p>

4

<p>I think you have to explain yourself well, but I've heard of this before. Why don't you like where you are? You don;t want to make a mistake the third time!</p>

5

<p>Tell us which schools you attended are the faults that you perceived.</p>

6

<p>What school did you transfer from and into? Why didn't you like the first one and why don't you like the current one? Transfering twice does not look good but if your reasons are legitinate, it's ok. The main problem is that by the time you transfer to your third university, you will have spent the better half of your college years trying to transfer rather than establishing a solid network on campus.</p>

7

<p>It's not a matter of whether it looks bad or not. Who cares? What seems obvious, however, is that maybe you're focusing too much on prestige and not enough on fit. What if your first school was the best fit for you? Who cares if it's top 20 instead of top 5? In terms of the Admissions office view on this -- I think they would have to think twice about admitting you. I think you've got to decide between where you're at now -- and where you were last year. Would help to know a little more about the situation.</p>

8

<p>Oh, god. Is jfaramoon Simbajune/bball with a new sn?</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=235925%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=235925&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

9

<p>My advice is stick by the second school. Personally, I think you will adjust and its going to be tough anywhere as a junior transfer. I think you'll figure it out socially at your new school. I was unhappy at some point during my first year at my new school. A year later I was ridiculously in love with the place.</p>

<p>You just got to your new school. Give it a shot.</p>

10

<p>Ivyleaf, I thought so at first, but I don't think so. Afterall, BBall transfered from a top 15 university (Cornell) to a top 20 university (Rice). If I recall, he wanted a school with a higher mean SAT score.</p>

<p>At any rate, most people who transfer do so for the wrong reasons and are never happy with their decision.</p>

11

<p>In fact he transfered from Cornell to Northwestern....I just can't understand ....
"If I recall, he wanted a school with a higher mean SAT score."So the highest mean sat score better the university is?</p>

12

<p>Some people rank universities according to how difficult it is to get in. It may seem sad, petty and superficial, but we each have our priorities.</p>

13

<p>Holy crap! All of this is the same guy?! bball, simbajune, etc?
Cornell, Northwestern, Stanford, Harvard, Columbia, Duke, Dartmouth--anyway you slice it, you're among the top fifteen schools.
When you achieve that level of perceived prestige in education, as slipper1234 once said, "it's not the school, it's the person."
My advice: instead of working on new schools, work on yourself.</p>

14

<p>I agree with Juju. Make NU work, forget the prestige, and start enjoying college.</p>

15

<p>I transferred 3 times and was still able to graduate with departmental and university honors from a top 20 school. Just be careful about what classes you take.</p>

16

<p>I agree with slipper and juju. You've already transfered to a school that's quite a bit different from your first school ... why do you think you will be any happier at any other school? </p>

<p>It's clear from your list of schools that you are only prestige hunting ... Columbia and Dartmouth on the same list? I'm sure slipper will be able to comment on how different these two schools are, both in regards to student body and other things like location, population, cores, etc. </p>

<p>Still unhappy at northwestern? Too bad, you wern't happy at Cornell, your posts under "bball" indicate you spent a few days at Rice before deciding to zip on over to northwestern instead. I believe in one of your old posts that your parents said you "wont be happy no matter where you go." It appears that they were correct. </p>

<p>"You don't want grad schools to even momentarily entertain that idea. At best, it makes you appear indecisive. At worst, it makes you look like you have difficulty making tuff decisions, and are guided by what others think"</p>

<p>This is very true. I can't imagine an ultra-selective grad school would want somebody who spent half of their college career thinking about tranfering to other schools - espectially when they've already transfered to two radically different schools in Cornell and Northwestern. </p>

<p>My advice: stay at NU and be somewhat productive in the social scene. throughout your posts under bball and/or simbajune, you have NEVER indicated joining any clubs or just getting involved in anything. IMO, this is a waste of the resources available at the calibur of schools you have attended. Get involved, do something, and have fun!!! Good luck.</p>

17

<p>jfar-
Gomestar just gave you some very valuable advice. Make the absolute most of your situation and take advantage of all the things your school has to offer. To be totally realistic, I think your chances of transferring to Columbia-Harvard etc are extremely slim to none.
As a Cornell mom, I followed bball's saga for the past year -- I also pm'd him a few times and tried to give some "motherly advice" which he didn't take. (what should I expect, my own kids hardly listen to me either).
What I told bball was to take advantage of everything Cornell had to offer.<br>
At Cornell (which I will speak about as I am most familiar with its programs)
I suggested that if he really wasn't happy in his environment, he might be able to take advantage of study abroad programs- some are for a semester or an entire year. Internships- Cornell has a semester in Washington. There are definitely ways to limit your time on campus. If you have AP credit, you might be able to take a summer course or two and be able to graduate a semester early. D's friend who is a student at Muelenberg spent a semester abroad and a semester in DC. So it is very possible to get your degree and spend a few semesters off campus. I am sure your present school has study abroad programs and Internship opportunities.
If you are like bball- you may be already be thinking of Law school. If that is the case, you will be prepping for the LSAT's next year. To start a new school in your junior year and at the same time begin some very intense prepping for LSAT's is not going to be a happy experience. (my d is prepping for her LSAT's now and will be going abroad next semester. She's a junior in the ILR program) It also means a new round of applications in your senior year for Law school admission.<br>
Do you really want every year of your college experience focused on applying to another school for the following year?? That really is a depressing way to spend your college years.
If you are interested in grad school- I am going to strongly suggest you make the best of your present college experience. Study like the dickens for your LSAT/MCAT/ or whatever and try to achieve the score you need so that you might be able to attend Law school at Harvard-Duke-Columbia or Stamford. You might be able to make it there yet.<br>
but you better take full advantage of your undergraduate experience--
I do not think Harvard Law or Stanford or even Brooklyn Law School is going to look kindly on an applicant who squandered their undergraduate experience away.
Get involved with clubs, activities, people and be HAPPY!!<br>
You got your whole life ahead of you. I really do think you need to examine what is causing you being this discontent. It is hard for most of us to fathom why you would be so dissatisfied at 2 of the best schools in the country. Maybe it really is coming from within. Good luck to you.</p>

18

<p>I agree with these thoughts. I think people on CC argue over incremental differences in prestige, but when it comes down to it your success is absolutely based on what YOU personally make of an experience. Northwestern is absolutely a top school and you should be proud that you got in. Now work hard in academic arenas but also work hard socially to find a fit for you on that campus. Whether it means joining a frat, a club, whatever. Northwestern is a big place full of some of the brightest students in the world, I am sure you'll find you niche.</p>