Transferring UMich vs. BU vs. Bryn Mawr College?

[kanned]

<p>I'm a sophomore currently attending Bryn Mawr College - a extremely small, women's liberal arts college (seven sisters!) in Philly, PA.
I applied to transfer for the winter term of UMich LSA college, and BU College of Arts and Science.
I just got into UMich, and I am still waiting to hear back from BU (but I'm hoping for good news -- I applied when I was a senior and got in with a scholarship).</p>

<p>But I'm not sure where I should go.
I really love Bryn Mawr in the sense that it has VERY small class sizes (the largest I've ever had is no more than 30 students), and the professors are extremely helpful and always available -- and you're not "just a number". However, I plan to major in Biology and I feel as though the Bio program here is going downhill -- if I do remain at Bryn Mawr, I am 100% majoring at Haverford (our brother school). Not only that, but the all-women's atmosphere, while liberating, is at the same time very suffocating (paradoxical, i know) with only women (and a good deal lesbians).
I love that Bryn Mawr has made me very open and accepting of all types of people, and I DO feel that it has pushed me to become more independent and has made me very driven - typical of any women's college, however, I also want a "normal" college experience, and a co-ed environment.</p>

<p>So if I do decide to transfer next semester, I'm not sure where I should put my deposit into UMich or BU. I love the location of BU, and it is considerably smaller than UMich, but the UMich reputation is much better than BU's.</p>

<p>I also hopefully plan to go to graduate school, which puts me in a dilemma because Bryn Mawr has an excellent rate of students getting accepted to grad school (it's ranked top 10 in the country, I believe, for successfully getting students in)</p>

<p>I'm also not sure if I should appeal to push my transfer back to enter in Fall'11 as a junior, instead of a second semester sophomore. I ideally wanted to enter as a second semester sophomore because it gives me more time to settle in to the new university, however, i'm not sure if it is too disruptive?? </p>

<p>Ahhhh, please help!!!</p>

[sooldmoon]

<p>I was kind of in the same boat, only that I was not speaking as a transfer student. My high school has a great deal of connections with small liberal arts colleges (my high school is quite small too). Many of my friends got into Middlebury, Bryn Mawr, Sarah Lawrence, Tufts, etc. Partly because my high school caters to a very strong liberal arts education program, but partly because (I think) our college counsellor has established LOTS of connections with those liberal arts college (so i guess it’s fairly easy for us to get in). I applied to MIchigan and BU in my senior year of high school, as well as some of the liberal arts colleges. However, though doing well in liberal arts, I was then very interested in music. I got accepted into both michigan and BU. I didn’t go to BU because I only applied to their college of arts and science. One impression that BU left me is that it is very hard to transfer to another major. WHen I visited, people seemed shocked once I mention the possibility of doing music along with/instead of liberal arts. Changing major at michigan, however, is very very fluid. Another possibility I was considering is Sarah Lawrence. I was seriously considering going there before I got my michigan acceptance letter (it came in late…). Liberal arts, very strong writing program, “conference” system, very small class size, and nearly all women (1-2 guys/class…seriously…). It suits me well cuz it’s JUST like my high school (all women too…). However, it lacks something. I couldn’t tell exactly what, but the same constraints and atmosphere are making me uncomfortable. I heard Michigan is pretty big, a good 50:50 men/women ratio, EXTREMELY diverse culture, and you can make a big school small (e.g. finding a small, close-knitted community within you school/college, but can enjoy the freedom and great resources in a HUGE university setting). PRobably because it’s very diverse, people here are very very nice, and you can always find the friend circle that you belong. Sarah Lawrence has a good music program (regardless of its “liberal arts” setting), but ultimately I chose UMich. It turns out I have made a right decision. I have never been happier like right now. I’d say between sarah lawrence (in your case, bryn mawr) and michigan, michigan offers a precious life experience that small liberal colleges aren’t able to offer. Between BU and Michigan, Michigan offers much more academic opportunities (the school itself is HUGE; numerous academic disciplines; flexibility of changing major; and, whether you look at this or not…better ranking). I felt people at michigan are more welcoming. But that’s just me. There are just too many good things about michigan. Transferring as a sophomore appears to be a better choice (more time to settle in, etc. even people who transferred to another school/college within the university have to catch up and cram all the freshman and sophomore courses in one semester…) Hope it helps!</p>

[jelp]

<p>My 2 cents… I know both Bryn Mawr and U-Mich very well… very true that they are very different. Both give excellent education. U-Mich will most likely have a lot more classes to choose from and you will have an easier time putting together a schedule of classes you can live with, just cuz there are so many more classes. U-Mich definitely also has all the rah-rah college stuff, football is very big of course. It’s a vibrant community, and there’s so much going on there that you can always find something interesting to do… lectures, plays, shows, fairs, etc. Their faculty is first rate. BUT… what you will lose… at U-Mich, your professors will not know your name. If you HAPPEN to pass them in the hallway (unlikely), they will not recognize you. Good luck seeing them in “office hours,” that’s like MINIMAL hours a week. You won’t know most or any of the kids in your classes. You will have to put up with a LOT of partying… this means people vomiting in the hallways and on the sidewalks and just really annoying drunkenness all around you most of the time. You will find a much broader range of students there… in the sense that they aren’t all really smart and interesting like at BMC. Some will be brilliant and some will be really stupid and annoying. The school itself will not really care about you one bit… you will have to fend for yourself. AA is a fun town but you DON’T have DC and NYC right up the road. At Michigan, if you just curled up in your dorm room and never came out, no one would really notice or care. That said, it’s a wonderful learning place and a great degree to have. Michigan would probably have a much more extensive Bio dept. and better labs. But since you can major at Haverford and want to go to grad school… depending on what you want to major in at grad school, maybe best to stay at BMC, grit your teeth & cultivate good realtionships with your professors. Maybe apply to live at Haverford. Go to basketball games at Villa Nova. Each school has its own advantages and disadvantages. 4 years goes fast, get the best education you can with your future ends in mind. Maybe grad school at Michigan?</p>