| I don't think choosing a college with an eye to tranasferring is a good idea. But even so, I suspect it is not, in fact, easier to transfer to a small school than to a large one. Davidson, like other small schools with high retention rates, may have little or no room in a soph or junior class; Brown and other universities will have a few spots--and their larger size gives then a tiny bit of flexibility. (I personally know of several of my children's contemporaries who have transferred to Brown over the last five years.)
To my mind the bottom line is: there is a difference in name recognition that does not equate to a difference in quality, though my own preference would be Davidson for reasons of atmosphere, structure, and size. But I think the only real issues are whether the OP's daughter wants a larger school or a smaller one, and whether she prefers a curriculum with distribution requirements as at Davidson or an open curriculum as at Brown. Social milieu is also worth a thought--if she felt more comfortable at one place than the other then I'd say go to that school. |