To Transfer or Not? Tufts, Northwestern

hssenior2011 · 06-07-2012, 06:12 PM

Senior year, after being rejected from two of my dream colleges, I somewhat reluctantly went out of state to the University of Michigan. It's a fun school, but after spending a year there, I don't know if it's for me. With 25,000 undergrads, Michigan is HUGE. Although many people say it's easy to make a big school small, I feel overwhelmed. I have 400 person lecture classes, and my smallest class was about 35 kids. I want a campus with a smaller sense of community, and a sense of community that doesn't just derive from sports. I want a school that's focused on the undergrad experience, and where I don't just feel like a number. I'm not really all that excited about going back to school, but I'm worried that I won't be happier anywhere else, since every school has its problems. Also, I'm scared to transfer, which I also know is not a reason not to do so.

So, I have been accepted to Tufts and Northwestern (one of my dream schools), and I'm stuck on what to do. Do I transfer, and if so, to which school? I'm interested in English and psychology (i know, Michigan has great departments for both). If anyone can tell me any thoughts on any of the schools or what I should do here, I would really appreciate it. I'm so stuck.

hssenior2011 · 06-08-2012, 12:31 PM

please help??

Hanna · 06-08-2012, 12:36 PM

I can't see why you wouldn't transfer. Do you have a lot of friends at Michigan you'd be leaving behind?

SlitheyTove · 06-08-2012, 01:07 PM

Agree with Hanna. The things that you complain about at UM are not going to be problems at your two possible transfer schools, so transferring will be an improvement. Have you visited Tufts and Northwestern? What do you see as potential problems at either school?

I'd suggest posting about this on the Tufts and Northwestern forums. People will be delighted to tell you why they chose either school, what they love about it...and what they don't like, for that matter. My older daughter just finished her freshman year at Tufts, and is thoroughly in love with the place and all it has to offer. She's been talking to friends who attend University of California schools, and says that it makes her incredibly grateful for the benefits of attending a smaller, more nurturing school. I'm sure there are plenty of Northwestern students who'd say the same about their school. Go figure out which school you might love more. If that fails, pick based on being near Boston or Chicago. Then screw your courage to the sticking place

and get ready to move somewhere new.

NYU2013 · 06-08-2012, 11:57 PM

If Northwestern is one of your dream schools, and it's a fantastic school (above Tufts in terms of reputation), and if they are equally affordable, then why not go to Northwestern?

Alexandre · 06-09-2012, 02:24 AM

I would transfer to Northwestern since it was the OP's dream school. This said, I would urge him to manage/tame his expectations. Universities with more than 3,000-4,000 students will not have a campus-wide sense of community unless it is driven by a major athletic program (Michigan, Notre Dame, USC football or Duke, UNC basketball). Otherwise, schools with more than 3,000-4,000 students will be made up of many small communities, usually clubs and organizations, academic and research or social (Greek). Whether one attends a small school like Tfuts or a large university like Michigan, one's non-athletics driven community will be small and not campus-wide.

Furthermore, I am not sure if Psychology classes at any university will be small. Psychology is generally one of the most popular major at most universities. That is certainly the case at Northwestern. I would definitely check advanced level class sizes in Psychology at Michigan and compare them to Northwestern. I doubt there will be a significant difference.

I think that transferring is probably a good idea, but like I said, managing expectations is key in order to avoid disapointment.

goldenboy8784 · 06-10-2012, 01:06 AM

Alexandre, I disagree that universities with more than 3,000-4,000 undergraduates cannot have a campus-wide sense of community. I can't speak for Tufts or NU but my alma mater which has 6,600 undergraduates definitely enjoyed a distinct sense of campus unity that stretched outside the athletic realm since its easier to have more "shared experiences".

For instance, according to its CDS, 73% of NU classes have 20 students or less while the corresponding figure for Michigan is only 46.1%. Since they have more intimate interaction with fellow students, stronger bonds will develop among the NU student body.

Also, private schools tend to have more unified campus traditions so a place like NU will have a lot more "class unity" events such as fundraisers and senior bar crawls. More NU students stay on campus for a longer period of time so ties will develop among students due to their shared residential experience.

In short, NU is no Williams or Haverford but is certainly no Michigan either.

bluebayou · 06-10-2012, 01:18 AM

concur with Alexandre. Average class size is a worthless statistic if you are in an extremely popular major (or STEM). The English/Philosophy classes may be really small, but that is not of much consequences in Psych where classes tend to be larger.

If it wasn't for the 'dream school' comment, I would have guessed Tufts would be a better match. OTOH, the Mildcats are not exactly BIG time in attendance. lol

annasdad · 06-10-2012, 01:30 AM

OP, your premise is wrong. Neither Tufts nor Northwestern are focused on the undergraduate, any more than a big state school is. They're all research universities, whose lifeblood is research, and the grad students who do the grunt work to support that research. For a school whose raison d'etre is undergraduates, look to a LAC.

SlitheyTove · 06-10-2012, 02:09 AM

Hey OP, riffing off of annasdad's post, let me offer you two cents worth of advice no matter where you end up.

If you go to professor's office hours and make yourself known to them, you'll improve your college experience about ten thousand percent. Yes, go when you don't understand something....but also go when you do, to say you enjoyed a lecture or were curious about something that got mentioned in class. Ask for suggestions on what else to read, or other classes to take in the future.

No matter where you end up, there will be professors who are deeply interested in working with undergraduates. My D1 has certainly found this at Tufts. I'm sure there are professors like this at NU and Michigan.

hssenior2011 · 06-12-2012, 12:45 PM

Thanks for all the advice, it really helped! After a lot of thinking, I am pretty sure I am transferring, and most likely heading to Northwestern.

Sam Lee · 06-12-2012, 01:03 PM

annasdad,

I don't agree with your assessment. Big state schools simply have less resources available per capita. There's a reason why they have things called "honors programs" and why many private research Us don't.

goldenboy8784 · 06-12-2012, 01:11 PM

Good luck at NU hssenior2011!! It's the best school out of all your choices in my opinion at the undergraduate level.

annasdad · 06-12-2012, 02:49 PM

SamLee, you can disagree with me. But here's what a current Northwestern faculty member has to say about it:

Quote:

Large research universities do three things, only one of which is educating undergraduates. The other two are producing research and training graduate students. In some ways these activities are complementary: professors who are at the cutting edge of research know their fields very well (in addition to being very smart) and so can teach undergraduates the most up-to-date knowledge and provide the best answers to their questions. But there are also trade-offs: because professors are hired for their research productivity and expected to continually produce original research, they may not be great teachers and have much less incentive to devote extra time to their teaching. Some of them view teaching undergraduates as a distraction from their “real” work.

The mission of these universities to train future professors probably falls more on the trade-off side. A good proportion of your interaction with instructors at these schools will be with graduate students who grade most papers and exams, lead discussion sections, and sometimes teach their own courses.

... most students at these schools do not get involved in the research atmosphere, much less form bonds with professors. Instead, they end up taking mostly large lecture courses and interacting primarily with graduate students. While some of these classes will be life-changing experiences, few instructors will take you seriously as an individual. Most students at these universities become a face in the crowd, particularly in the larger and more popular majors ... If you do not seek out your professors, they usually will not seek you out.

What does a small teaching-oriented college offer? In many ways it is the opposite of the research university. There are no graduate students. Almost all of the classes are taught by professors. Many more, probably most, of them will be small seminars. You will likely get to know many of your professors personally or at least have the opportunity to do so. You will probably meet them walking around campus since these schools are often in small towns. And your professors will return the favor. They will learn your name and something about you. They are not required to do as much research and are encouraged to be good teachers. In fact, many of them end up at such schools precisely because they enjoy teaching and are good at it.

Three tips from The Thinking Student's Guide to College: 75 Tips for Getting a Better Education by Andrew Roberts

Sam Lee · 06-12-2012, 05:12 PM

annasdad,

I don't disagree with his generalization regarding "large research universities" vs LACs but also note what he said: "Most students at these universities become a face in the crowd, particularly in the larger and more popular majors ..."

So the extent of that trade-off depends on the number of students.