Anyone who transferred as an undergrad

[Backwoods Boy]

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Hey everyone. I was wondering if anyone here transferred as an undergrad. Also, if you did, or if you even considered it, why did you transfer (or not).

The reason I am asking is a fairly simple one. I have started to think about the school I am going to and the more I think about it, the more I realize that it just doesn't feel right. Although my GPA is not what it should be, I feel as though I am not being challenged enough. It is just starting to seem as though I am just getting the benefit of being near home and not much else.

I don't think it's anything like culture shock. I mean, I grew up in a very rural, predominately caucasian area. However, I have not had any problems with other cultures. I have made friends with several people from different backgrounds. I think the size of the school has made me wonder a little bit at times but going from being 5 miles from the nearest town (which has a whole 800 people) to a school of 20,000 plus will do that to you.

I have considered this before and I will give my school another year to try to figure out my problem (I guess that is the word I am looking for) and whether transferring would solve that issue. I have a feeling that if I did transfer, it'd probably be to a private university.

 

[sumstorm]

I transferred and it was the single best thing I did for my UG education. I went from a school where I felt very isolated and limited to a school where I felt supported and encouraged. For me, the issue was $. I had a better financial aid package at my first school, but that wsa partly because so many students didn't NEED any financial assistance. I was part of a very small group of students that worked....and I didn't know of any other students that worked FT. I actually had more friends at other schools and in the community then on campus. My hall mates thought I was stand off-ish because I had to work rather than go out for dinners and such. It was really hard. The profs had a similar attitude, including announcing mandatory last minute review sessions (I was threatened with failure if I didn't attend...not because I wouldn't pass the test, but because I couldn't call off of work on a Friday evening....when I talked to the prof, she informed me that my only job was to be a student...I had to get 3 different deans involved, whch was just way more headache than I needed.)

The other school, which had roughly teh same population, same size campus, lib arts, etc, included a student population where 89% worked at least 20 hours a week, and at least 15% worked FT. It was a completly different world. Profs would meet with me around my work schedule, and work was encouraged. Staff recognized and encouraged students to develop skills in careers and jobs, even helped students set up businesses. The student population was highly tolerant of each other, which meant far less drama on campus. It was like living in a different world. I thrived rather than struggled.

I transferred after my freshman year.

 

[Backwoods Boy]

Glad to see I'm not by myself in this one. I figure if I do end up transferring, I will probably stay for an extra year wherever I transfer to due to the fact that at the school I am at now, I feel like I have not actually learned much. Instead, I feel as though it is being force fed to me just in hopes that I retain part of it.

 

[triceratops]

i transferred schools b/c i wasn't pleased with the level of education at the original school. the professors in the natural science departments didn't act like they cared about what they were doing. one of the professors stood in front of the class the first day and said "are there any pre-med students in this class?" those who were, raised their hands. he said "welcome to my class. i'll be the professor who keeps you out of med school." this was a foundational prereq course and after surviving that class, i decided to transfer to a school where the professors really enjoyed teaching and watching their students succeed. the transfer opened up a lot of opportunities for me. i couldn't be happier with my decision.

 

[jglovicz]

Hey everyone. I was wondering if anyone here transferred as an undergrad. Also, if you did, or if you even considered it, why did you transfer (or not).

The reason I am asking is a fairly simple one. I have started to think about the school I am going to and the more I think about it, the more I realize that it just doesn't feel right. Although my GPA is not what it should be, I feel as though I am not being challenged enough. It is just starting to seem as though I am just getting the benefit of being near home and not much else.

I don't think it's anything like culture shock. I mean, I grew up in a very rural, predominately caucasian area. However, I have not had any problems with other cultures. I have made friends with several people from different backgrounds. I think the size of the school has made me wonder a little bit at times but going from being 5 miles from the nearest town (which has a whole 800 people) to a school of 20,000 plus will do that to you.

I have considered this before and I will give my school another year to try to figure out my problem (I guess that is the word I am looking for) and whether transferring would solve that issue. I have a feeling that if I did transfer, it'd probably be to a private university.

I think if you feel that you aren't being challenged in the right way, transferring would be a good option...I'm just confused-are you transferring because of the academics or because of the demographics of the student body? If you want to move because you don't feel comfortable within the demographic (because it's something you haven't been exposed to), once you get more comfortable in your surroundings you may actually feel like the exposure has made you more well-rounded.

 

[Backwoods Boy]

I have very little problem with the demographic. I have gotten used to it for the most part. I am considering a transfer for academic purposes. Sorry for the confusion

 

[Truth74]

I've transferred universities and done a lateral move within the same university.
Have you thought of a lateral move? Perhaps, you could try a change of colleges/concentrations within the university. It may be that you are surrounded by people that do not share the same goals and it makes you feel disconnected. There are different attitudes within colleges/concentrations at every University. The way that your fellow students approach class does have an effect on you. From personal experience, Language Arts and Sciences was huge and it was hard to get the sense that I belonged there, but when I checked out the college of ACES, which was smaller and friendlier, it was like a second home.

If academic challenge is actually the problem, then a lateral move won't fix it, but I recommend you check out other colleges within your university before making the monetary and distance commitment.

 

[susiewaits]

I transferred in undergrad after my sophmore year (mistake number 1). I transferred from a large school to a very small private college (mistake number 2). I sucked it up and finished out at that second school, but I do regret the transfer. Transferring to a very small school so late in the game made it nearly impossible to befriend any of my classmates. In my experience people at small schools tend to form their social groups very very early on.

One of my reasons for originally transferring was that I felt like I wasn't getting enough from my classes, like I was learning nothing. There were anywhere between 60-800 (yes 800) people in my classes at the large school. But then going to the small school, the profs were holding my hand through everything, and it was driving me nuts. I realized a larger school education is what you make of it. You have to take your own initiative, but its all there! I had difficulties getting the courses I needed at the smalls chool because there were only so many biology type courses, and they filled up fast.

The first school was soo far away from home 3000+ miles, that transferring to a school within 4 hours drive was nice. It gave me a place to escape to when I got too stressed out.

I am not saying transferring for you is the wrong decision. In the end for me I did learn a lot by the whole experience. Given the chance to make the choice again, I would have stayed. I was happy at the first school, but too lazy to take the initiative to challenge myself, so instead I transferred.

 

[sumstorm]

I would agree that you need to be more thorough in determining what you need before transferring, and ensure the school you transfer will meet those needs.

IE the lib arts school I attended had support available if you wanted it, but not a lot of hand holding. Classes never filled up; if it filled up, they divided the class and created another section. However, the academics were TOUGH and some people had a hard time dealing with that after a transfer. Also, we didn't have grade inflation, which hit some people hard. No one graduated with 4.0's. So some people really had an emotional struggle with that. So, research the school, really figure out if it matches your needs. Easier said than done!

 

[susiewaits]

As Sumstorm said, do the research! Make sure that you are transferring for the right reasons. Make sure that the school you are transferring to fulfills what your current school does not.

Do not underestimate the impact of the academic and social changes involved in transferring. I had a 3.8 at the first school, but the teaching and testing styles were so radically different at the second school that i got a 3.0 my junior year. The transition was really very tough. I managed a very good GPA my senior year, so when it came to vet school app time i was able to prove myself in both types of curriculums.

In summation, make sure this is what you want and make sure you know exactly what you are getting into.

 

[Backwoods Boy]

I know that I will have to think it through. That is why I am going to wait another year at my school to see how the situation works out. If the second year is better as a whole than my freshman (which is very possible), I will possibly stay. I am not saying that I will not, under any circumstances, stay at the school I am currently at. All I am saying is that I have considered it.

I am not going crazy and possibly transferring without reason. I just am not sure if where I am at is where I, in my own opinion should be. It could be simply academics or it could be something else. I am not entirely sure at this point. Like I have mentioned, I am going to take another year to make a final decision. At that point I should have an idea of whether or not I should transfer.

On a side note: The schools I have considered aren't much further away than the one I am at.

 

[TSUJC]

After my sophomore year I transferred from a small private agricultural college in PA to a larger state agricultural college in TX. I wanted a better education, better amenities and I wanted to be in a place that could better facilitate my interest in food animal medicine (i.e. Texas). I don't regret the transfer at all! It was the best choice I ever made.

I had a really good advisor at the school that I transferred to and he helped to substitute my previous coursework to fulfill the requirements of the 2nd school.

 

[Backwoods Boy]

I have two schools in mind that I am highly considering a transfer to. I will go for this year and see how things go.

Any one else who transferred want to share their opinions?

 

[Willowhand]

To give you another perspective, I'm a transfer student who ended up returning to the school I left. I did my first two years at a really small -but excellent- liberal arts school in a rural area, then transferred to a state school intending to finish my bachelor's there -for financial reasons and because I wanted a wider selection of courses. I took advantage of the great variety of opportunities and I don't regret my time there, but I was miserable in a large school and found that the size and the tangles of bureaucracy negated more positives than it created. After a very short time I found myself longing for the friendlier and more intellectual environment of my first school, so I applied for a nice scholarship and am returning for my senior year. Working with friendly professors, having small classes, writing a thesis, and having all the unique opportunities that arise in a small community are well worth switching back.

If you are thinking of transferring to a smaller school, I would highly recommend it. At the small school I'm returning to, my professors would sit down with me and chat over lunch about research, ideas we've had, our families, anything. At the state school, most of my professors treated undergrads like inferior-minded annoyances, and you'd be lucky to get the time of day from one of them 🙄. I have also found that smaller classes are much more challenging and productive, since they can move at the pace of the students and are often shaped by the interests of individuals in the class. There's much more participation and more work required in terms of projects, papers, and hands-on experience (where applicable).

It all depends on what you're looking for. I know a lot of people don't like small schools and manage to get a lot out of big universities, but I know that I personally get far more out the small school environment. Think about how you learn best and what kind of community you really enjoy being, and consider the benefits and downsides of your college and the schools you might want to transfer to. Talk to professors and students to get some idea of how courses are run and get a feel for the overall personality of the school.

 

[ckgilabert]

I've been to 2 universities. San Diego State University and Cal Poly Pomona.

i did not fit in at all at SDSU. it was horrible. it was hard for me to make friends, i was doing a major that i didnt like, and i was away from home.

i went back to junior college, figured out that i wanted to be a vet and just focused on everything i needed to do to make myself learn as much as i could.

CPP is awesome, there's over 20,000 students, but the college of agriculture has less than 2,000 students and you get to know everyone. they're all friendly, there's always something to do. anyway, i loved it.

find something that you'll be happy with. its extremely hard to stay focused when you're unhappy.

 

[ckd816]

So this may be slightly off topic, but I wanted to speak to the differences in school sizes. I haven't transferred while in college, but I did jump around to a lot of schools throughout my education in the pre-college days. I went to a college prep school that had less than 200 kids spanning grades 7-12, and then I went to a public high school with 3,000 kids spanning grades 10-12. Now, I go to the 2nd largest public university in the US. There are days where I love my school, and also days where I hate it. I mainly wanted to point out that I don't think the school feels as big as it is... I know this obviously varies depending on the school, but I remember being shocked freshman year about how many people I ran into that I knew or had classes with (given that I went to a public university near my hometown). Also, I noticed that a lot of the same people pop up in my classes since we generally have to take the same classes within the same major. At my school, from what I have taken I would say class sizes range from 14 to 400, but it is not unheard of for a professor to recognize you and say hello even a few semesters after you took their class. Bottom line though: good amenities, bad administration. Anyway, I just wanted to point out that it is possible to be something other than a number or a face in a crowd for anyone who is reading this thread and freaking out about a big school. I thought it was interesting that a lot of vet schools are in the top 15 largest universities lists according to this website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_United_States_university_campuses_by_enrollment

Largest public:
1. Ohio State
3. University of Florida
4. University of Minnesota
7. Texas A&M
8. Michigan State
12. University of Wisconsin-Madison
13. University of Illinois-Urbana Champagne
15. Purdue University

Largest private:
11. University of Pennsylvania
14. Cornell University

I know that things would be different in vet school because it is its own community within the university, but at the same time you would be surrounded by the large environment. Anyhow... now I'm just rambling! I hope this was moderately insightful for someone! 🙂

 

[Backwoods Boy]

Excellent post ckd. I won't goes as far as saying I am freaking out simply because I was not surprised by the size of the school. I more so feel as though I am much better at focusing in a smaller class setting as well as feeling more challenged to push myself.

Going from 500 students in school to 20,000 can do that do you.

 

[bunnity]

Backwoods Boy, also keep in mind that class sizes tend to get smaller as you get further along. I'll give you an example from my school, which had 17,000 undergraduates. I majored in environmental studies, and the earlier classes I took like Intro to Geology had maybe 150 people, because all the geology majors took it as well as the kids who just needed a science ("rocks for jocks" was its other name). By the time I got to more specialized required classes in my major we were down to 40-50, and later the electives in my major were only 15-20 people. So you might achieve the same effect of small classes by staying put rather than moving.

Also check and double check that the schools you want to go to have financial aid for transfer students. I transferred (to the big university, which isn't a very interesting story because I was planning on it all along and the first school was just a really cheap, familiar place to get started...) and couldn't get any financial aid despite high need and good grades. They just had a no aid for transfers policy.

 

[Backwoods Boy]

I've checked into the financial aid bunnity. I contacted the schools I am interested in and am waiting on a response. I have thought about how the class sizes will decrease (as the nearly always do). Thankfully I have time to think about everything.

 

[ckd816]

Excellent post ckd. I won't goes as far as saying I am freaking out simply because I was not surprised by the size of the school. I more so feel as though I am much better at focusing in a smaller class setting as well as feeling more challenged to push myself.

Going from 500 students in school to 20,000 can do that do you.

Yes, I could definitely understand that point of view. I hope things get better for you at your school but I wish you luck in whatever you decide to do! 🙂

 

[Backwoods Boy]

Thanks a lot. I appreciate it. I would venture to guess that things will turn around but it's nice to know if things don't work out there, I have another option.

 

[sumstorm]

I think one of the differences though between a very small school and a very large school involves the diversity of fields of interest of individuals you tend to encounter. With less than 20 people in my major senior class, I spent a lot of time with people outside of my field. Also, since all our classes were capped in size, and everyone who wanted to take that class was guaranteed the ability to take it, no one was ever bumped or locked out, and always small. I also attended a liberal arts school, so diversity in studies was important to me. Also, we literally shake the hands of every staff member and every student in the first week of school (all in an hour or two.) Tradition. I can't imagine that type of introduction with a school of more than a few thousand. Note, Iam NOT saying small/lib arts is better, just that it is a different environment. I have audited classes at large universities and developed lab programs and research programs for a few; in my experience, it is a different place. Not better or worse.

 

[SaintSamson]

It also depends on whether you live on or off the campus as well.

I went to a small private college after attending a small private school my entire life. The school was nice, the academics were nice, but the 'personality' of the school and people were horrible.
I took a semester off to see if it was just me, but upon returning, it proved worse than ever. I finished out the first semester of my Junior year (which would have been the second semester if I hadn't of taken the semester off), and left. I then discovered that I had a learning disability that had slipped under the radar when I was tested in Junior High, and that I had NO idea how to actually study for anything more than reciting small things and taking small quizzes.
I transferred to a much larger university, and I can't say I love it. In fact, I don't really have a strong opinion about it either way. I live off campus, though, so I'm not that connected with the school. There is a more diverse population of students, though, and I now have the academic support and a larger array of opportunities that I need.
If you can pinpoint exactly what is lacking at your school and do your research well (maybe attending a class, if possible, of equivalence to something you have already taken to see how it compares), I think transferring can be beneficial.

 

[thnythe]

I'm not sure if this has been suggested yet, but perhaps there is an option of a Visiting Student.

For me, I wasn't sure if my UG school was the one for me. I took a semester as a Visiting Student at another school, and the credits transferred back to my original school.

It gave me a chance to see if the second school was right for me, but if it wasn't, then I didn't lose anything because I still received all course credits. I know a friend who actually did 3/4 years at other institutions under a Visiting Student status, but in the end graduated from his home institution (I think your last year has to be at your home institution).

It was kind of like dipping a toe in before jumping in the pool. It may be something to check into with your academic advising office.

 

[Gordo]

I transferred in undergrad after my sophmore year (mistake number 1). I transferred from a large school to a very small private college (mistake number 2). I sucked it up and finished out at that second school, but I do regret the transfer. Transferring to a very small school so late in the game made it nearly impossible to befriend any of my classmates. In my experience people at small schools tend to form their social groups very very early on.

One of my reasons for originally transferring was that I felt like I wasn't getting enough from my classes, like I was learning nothing. There were anywhere between 60-800 (yes 800) people in my classes at the large school. But then going to the small school, the profs were holding my hand through everything, and it was driving me nuts. I realized a larger school education is what you make of it. You have to take your own initiative, but its all there! I had difficulties getting the courses I needed at the smalls chool because there were only so many biology type courses, and they filled up fast.

The first school was soo far away from home 3000+ miles, that transferring to a school within 4 hours drive was nice. It gave me a place to escape to when I got too stressed out.

I am not saying transferring for you is the wrong decision. In the end for me I did learn a lot by the whole experience. Given the chance to make the choice again, I would have stayed. I was happy at the first school, but too lazy to take the initiative to challenge myself, so instead I transferred.

I came form a high school with over 3,000 students and went to a community college for my 1st 2 years due to it being paid for 100%. I then transfered to a private university also. And I found the same problem. I am a pretty easy person to get along with and have met alot of nice people but they have pretty much formed thier groups of friends and are set. Looking back I wish I would have transfered to a larger school. I mean it great knowing that your professors know you and stuff but I do feel like they also pick thier favorites. Outside of the academics there is the multiple bmw's, mercedees and such that everyone drive. So me and by big Ford stick out like a sore thumb. Not that I mind though cause I love me truck and no one ever believes that a girl drives it. So with that being said, just make sure it is a school that you have visited and think you will like. Good luck