Hello, I am currently a rising sophomore at Vanderbilt( in middle of gap year right now. outside of US doing internship). After graduation, I plan to work outside of US, as i am doing right now. But it seems that vanderbilt…well is not doing well outside of US, especially where I am working right now. I was wondering if this is the case wherever i go outside of US, and if there is anyone who is in a similar situation or have some knowledge in this.
And if that is the case, I am also considering transferring to another school. The problem is, my GPA is not that great in first year(3.2-3.3 , maybe I can raise it up to 3.5, as i am doing junior transfer) because i kind of… well actually just because i didnt work hard for it. i was wondering if it is possible to transfer to schools around the same level as vandy (cornell, rice, brown, berkeley, georgetown, northwestern, dartmouth, etc). Also, is it only the Ivies that have the international reputation? I personally prefer going to schools near large cities, such as boston, ny, philadelphia, atlanta, etc…But if i plan to work outside of US, i heard that the ivies will serve the best. can anyone give info on this? any help will be greatly appreciated! thanks!
I have many reasons for transferring. Been thinking about it after couple months at vandy actually. greek life(though im not too against it) is way too prevalent. i feel that school does not focus on my major extensively. south atmosphere doesnt fit me very well. (actually didnt know the school too well when i came)
The only ivies that take meaningful numbers of transfers are penn, cornell. and brown. Outside of the ivies, some of the top state schools have reasonable international recognition. There isn’t really objective criteria on which schools are well-regarded, because it really depends on both the country and the field that you’re interested in, but Berkeley and UCLA seem to be generally respected.
Regardless of the school, your chances of being admitted to a peer or more prestigious institution are going to be pretty bad with a GPA <3.6. Just for an example, if you look at dartmouth’s stats (https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/facts-advice/facts/admissions-statistics) less than 10% of the recent transfer class had <3.6. As a junior transfer, your college grades are by far the most important part of your app. Basically, you’ll have one semester to raise your GPA, since admissions decisions are often made before spring semester grades come in (although they could help, since decsion dates are flexibile). You should probably wait, and revisit this after completing another semester and seeing how well you do. Best case scenario, assuming you have equal hours in each semester, even a 4.0 will put you at ~3.5 cumulative, and a 4.0 for the year will put you at a mid 3.6. You may get some leeway since Vanderbilt is a little bit tougher, and it’s probably worth the shot if you pull those 4.0s, but overall I wouldn’t say it’s too likely to get into an ivy.
Talk to people in your field and country of interest, and maybe they can give you a rundown of what schools are known. Some large state institutions will be probably be a little bit easier, assuming you don’t need much financial aid.
do not trade to a situation that creates debt. secondly, I find the sense that Vanderbilt is not that well known to be specious and not credible. Vanderbilt is incredibly selective and plenty well-known–and Vandy wanted you. thirdly, I also was not well adjusted to my college in the south 40 years ago and started talking up transferring which my friends still bring up to give me a hard time now…but I was seriously not comfortable with some of the subcultures here and there on my campus. Not my tribe. whatever that was going to turn out to be! I did not gather up the momentum to leave and instead I ended up having a pretty distinguished run being OK with Not being the norm in my school. I made some excellent friends over time…not my first year particularly but still seeing them regularly now. I got to know some great professors. I went abroad. I am not suggesting you shouldn’t leave. Do it if you are certain you want to start again. I also dislike the Greek scene to be honest, but why eliminate any school that has as many options as Vandy provides for things to do. After rush is over, Vandy students do move inevitably forward in life even though it is hard to envision this now. They start to go abroad for junior year. They start to care more about jobs and internships. Greek life is important to those who participate now, yes, but life unfolds. In the meantime, your energies are free from that particular subculture and you have many options. My Vandy son did the whole four years independently. Lots and lots of students do. He got involved two or three places. He did Alternative Spring break three times. He had very good internships which I will give Vandy a lot of credit for. He spent time in Nashville. Vanderbilt has been good to him in graduate school pursuits as well. Best of luck as you sort it out. Try to hold Vandy in high esteem whether you stay or go. this is the best outlook
@Faline2 and @blueblue8787 : You know, I looked at this thread and I initially wondered if the initial post was fair so would not respond. I think this international weakness thing is overblown and without a complete set of data, you can never fully understand placement statistic differences at elite schools Yes, some comes from relative prestige, but what about the fact that some elites, especially places like HYPS…Yes nepotism and cronyism is alive and well) have incoming classes that are technically more “aristocratic” and well-connected from the get go? Raw placement statistics usually will not tell the whole story of how and why certain people got those positions.
It is also very possible that international placement statistics reflect the demographics of the student body as well as the propensity of students at a school to apply for jobs or pursue careers abroad. If the school has more domestic students than most peers and a significant chunk of the already relatively small international student population are perhaps from the Americas (non-US) as opposed to Europe or Asia (with the latter having more students who may seek employment back in their home country), then you may even see a solid chunk of such students seek employment in the US. The placement statistics may not reflect “accessibility” (success or failure to gain access after applying) more so than desirability (willingness to apply abroad). I would argue that basically all elite research universities provide their undergraduates with a significant amount of resources to gain access to internships or scholarly opportunities abroad that would make them competitive for careers abroad. These opportunities just need to be sought and leveraged. Just because you attend an elite does not mean they will be delivered to YOU (yes you specifically) on a silver platter (you better believe that most students at “more prestigious” are not necessarily automatically gaining access to such careers.
There are just naturally some schools that have more students pursuing such options so the students are more well-represented abroad. Relative prestige can definitely have some effects, but the fact is, these careers will be able to find out if the school is good and whether your credentials and experiences align with the position you are applying for. If this is really just an under analyzed excuse to mask other reasons you want to transfer, I cannot help you. However, if not, look for the global opportunities they offer and “hook yourself up” with them. Unless there is evidence of a lack of non-study abroad global programs available to students in comparison to peers, this really doesn’t make but so much sense. Find what they have, qualify yourself for the opp., make it happen.
Also, just keep in mind that people can respect a school but realize that it is simply not for them. To me this is a respectable position. I never find a need to portray all these elite schools as magical wonderlands for EVERYONE (again, I am not the type to go all out to get someone to apply to my alma mater or anywhere if I don’t see it as a fit for something beyond shallow reasons that may just wear off over time. People need to research and not be so ultra quick to fall in love with the superficial and all of the things the schools try to market to them). School pride is nice (unless to the point of delusion), but this over-indulgence with the prestige of a place in the place of students’ happiness becomes problematic (people, because the institution is prestigious, will pretend to be happy or to fit because they really want that degree. It is a lot of pressure).
Still a little confused as to why this person believes that VU’s current placement abroad as a school trumps their current experience abroad. That just doesn’t make sense. Employers want relevant experience above all. What they are doing is a relevant experience. In fact it is much more relevant than VU or any school’s position