Would you transfer to a much lower ranked university?

Transfer Students
1

<p>I currently attend a top 60 (U.S. National) university. My major program is higher ranked (top 20), but I chose the wrong major going into this. My GPA suffered from many reasons.</p>

<p>I am considering transferring to a college much lower ranked (if at all) than where I attend.
I have looked at options to transfer to adult learning programs (State University of New York-- Empire State), or more prestigious programs like Penn State (World Campus/online).</p>

<p>I would like to transfer out of the top 60 school I'm in because of:
1) the other schools offer the major that I really would like to finish with
2) the other schools offer online courses and programs-- I no longer live close to the school I'm enrolled in.
3) I don't lack that much for my degree, but I'm struggling to finish it from a distance and in a major that my heart is not in. I have had work experience that changed what I want to do in life, and my current major no longer reflects the industry that I want to build a career in.</p>

<p>Should I consider transferring to a school that's far less ranked? Should I care about rankings and academic caliber? It is not likely that I would get into a better school than I'm in now (started college off with a weak GPA. My GPA has since risen to a 4.0 and holding, but starting off weak would seem to make me not very competitive). I am considering Penn State (World Campus/online), but my "safety" options are much less prestigious schools.</p>

<p>Part of me wants to finish the school/program that I began at. Another part says to follow my heart and choose a major that I love, and that would be relevant to what I want to do in life. A third part asks why I got so many student loans at the original school, just to transfer to a lower ranked and cheap school (SUNY- Empire State, for example).</p>

<p>What should I do?</p>

2

<p>“I have had work experience that changed what I want to do in life, and my current major no longer reflects the industry that I want to build a career in.”</p>

<p>Sounds to me like you are ready to move on to a different institution.</p>

<p>How close are you to finishing? One year or two? If it is just one year, is there the possibility of arranging a “guest senior year” at the new institution? That would permit you to study what you want to, but you would graduate from your original institution and you’d get to hang that particular diploma on your wall.</p>