Hello! I’m a sophomore at Williams College currently deciding whether or not I intend to transfer out for fall 2024. I am a first-gen, low-income geosciences major with an interest in pursuing graduate study in oceanography. I am in search of programs in the Northeast/New England area as my home state is Maine. I would need to transfer to another college with an excellent geosciences/marine science program and financial aid comparable to what Williams offers low-income students. Some schools I’m looking at are:
Bowdoin
Yale
Smith
Amherst
Please help me with recommendations! I’m hoping to find programs that my credits will transfer to. I’m not set on transferring just yet, but this is the second year in a row I’m considering it due to the rural, draining academic environment.
I will add that I’m participating in Williams-Mystic in spring 2024 but am seeking a more permanent change in environment.
You might also look at Bates and Brown. Bates has a research facility on the coast (Bates-Morse Mountain) and many opportunities for marine science (through their Environmental Studies, Earth Science, and Biology departments). Brown also offers ways to study marine science through multiple departments and has a relationship with the research institute at Wood’s Hole. Bowdoin, already on your list, sounds just about perfect (look at their Coastal Studies center, as well as their Coastal Studies Semester program). When you look into Smith, check out the Five-College Consortium Coastal and Marine Sciences certificate program.
I don’t know how generous any of these schools will be in terms of financial aid for a transfer student, but I suspect most or all will meet full need for accepted students.
As an intended junior level transfer, your college record will be the most important factor in transfer admission.
Thank you for this thorough information! I’m from Lewiston, so Bates is a bit too close to home for me, but you’re right about their stellar fieldwork opportunities!
Understood!
Thanks! I have a 3.96 GPA and my courses this semester will not be graded below a B/B+, so I’m currently feeling OK about my odds grades-wise. I do have a withdrawal from fall ‘22, however I made up the course with a 4-week long intensive where I completed a 200-level semester-long STEM course during the j-term and finished with an A.
I was thinking Conn College because you mentioned Mystic.
It appears they meet need for transfer although I can’t 100% tell.
They only have a geo science minor but maybe another major works. It just may not be the right school.
Tufts maybe and they meet need but note it is very limited for transfers and is need aware.
Yes, it’s bigger and not as prestigious but could U Maine work for you - financially?
Good luck
If you’d consider going south, Duke could be worth a try - it’s a tippy-top school for your field of study. It’s very competitive but with strong stats from Williams, and being FGLI, you’d have a shot, and the aid would be comparable. Their Marine Lab attracts students and scholars from all over. UNC-CH is also excellent and meets need for OOS students. It’s a 2-hr direct flight from Boston to Raleigh-Durham.
Northeastern U is transfer-friendly and has its Marine Science Center in Nahant. Would be a complete change of scene for sure! The question is whether the aid would be generous enough. They meet need, but the package will include loans; and they don’t provide housing to transfers, and rentals are costly. Similar situation for BU which also has strong marine sciences.
You could always give MIT a try, though of course it’s a reach for everyone. (No worse than first-year admissions, though.) And since you’re considering Smith, maybe also consider Wellesley, from which you could cross-register at MIT.
Are you sure Amherst would feel different enough from Williams to be worth transferring?
What do you mean by “draining academic environment” ?
Decades ago, I attended a rural LAC and did not enjoy the environment. Rather than transfer, I studied abroad a lot as one was only required to do 4 semesters on campus. I was able to graduate in 3 years, but it still seemed like an eternity.
Because you receive substantial financial aid, you should take advantage of the full 4 years to earn an undergraduate degree. How many semesters on campus does Williams College require ? If just 4, then you have already completed 3 semesters on campus.
Meet with the financial aid office at Williams College to determine if your aid can be applied to a year of study abroad (Australia & Costa Rica might be of interest to you based on your major) or whether your financial aid can be applied to a year as a visiting student at Duke University as Duke is regarded as the leading US university in your area of interest.
Life is short, but college is expensive.
There isn’t anything else on this list that you could do?
https://study-away-application.williams.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ListAll
This site will offer you a variety of suggestions based on your interest in geosciences:
Agree…if you do a year of study abroad then you will just have senior year left to complete.
There might also be a domestic exchange program you could participate in for a year. Many years ago, a relative attending Bates did a year long exchange domestically. Not sure if that even is still available, but if Bates offered it, I would think Williams does as well.
Fair point. I have struggled socially as a low-income student on campus, as the environment is very cliquey. There is also a perpetual grind culture where, at times, students make peers feel bad for practicing basic self care instead of wrecking their mental health. Resources also have been difficult to access on campus as I have some health issues. There’s not even a drugstore on campus other than an apothecary that carries limited and pricey items. Students are also quite elitist (they ■■■■ on schools like Bowdoin), and being at a school this small where entitled behavior is so prevalent, everyone knows everyone’s business (which is very high school esque). I’m just searching for a more positive, less cloying environment where it isn’t stressful for me to obtain basic needs. There are also very limited course offerings in the geosciences department here, and I’m seeking more classes focused on oceanography (Williams doesn’t even offer geochemistry, which is required by a lot of grad programs).
Overall, I’m open to many solutions to these issues such as study away, so please feel free to suggest more study away options to me!
Sorry Williams has not proven to be a great environment for you.
I would make an appointment at Williams Study Abroad office at the start of your next semester to discuss options and see what programs interest you where your financial aid would cover the cost of attendance.
IMO, the other LACs on your list are more like Williams than different. Not to mention, the highly rejective LACs take few transfers.
Did any of the schools on your list accept or deny you coming out of HS?
I ED’d to Williams after doing Windows-on-Williams. I had been accepted to the University of Southern Maine as a safety at the time, but could not afford the school.
I don’t think I would recommend transferring in to another similar school like Bowdoin, I think the issues would be the same and starting a small school as a junior would be difficult. A year abroad is a good idea or if you do transfer I would go somewhere big.
I think Smith could be a great option. Has the major and the geochemistry course you want. Also it’s not a grind environment (Wellesley is more of a stress/competition culture.) Very accessible, cute town with everything available. You can get prescriptions filled at the Schnact Center on campus, or walk to any of several local pharmacies. Lots of low-income students (18% Pell. Also 2/3’s of students are on financial aid.) They report on their 2020 CDS no students transferring out, and 45 students transferring in, and the admit rate for transfers is higher than their normal admit rate. I think it would be easy to make friends as a transfer. My sister went there and in her senior year moved from one house to another (the default is to stay in the same house the whole time). The people in the new house were super-welcoming, she made new friends there easily, and overall loved her time at Smith.
Edit: Smith is also part of the Five College Consortium which also offers a coastal and marine sciences certificate that includes field placements in coastal research centers: https://www.fivecolleges.edu/academics/coastal-and-marine-sciences