Hi. I currently attend Hamilton College, which is a pretty competitive LAC in NY. I have done fairly well here so far, but I am not loving my school by any means (especially the social life), and I cannot see myself befriending any of the student body in the future…
Anyways… My question is this: if I transferred to a lower-division college, such as Occidental College (in California), would I be eligible for the same financial aid I had as a freshman applicant? I really want and need to attend school in California! It is my dream! Applying as a Junior applicant feels so far away… Ugh.
Here are my high school stats:
High School GPA: 3.51
SAT: 1970 (CR: 590 M: 720 W: 660)
URM: Hispanic
Current College GPA: Either a 3.86 or 3.94 (4 A’s and 1 A-/B+)
Also, if you know any other ‘decent’ schools in California that accept transfer students and provide great financial aid, comment below! Thanks a lot!!
Depends on the specific college. Some may give the same aid. Others may be worse for transfers. Merit scholarships generally tend to be worse for transfers.
You need to contact Occidental and ask, but I don’t think they are generous with transfer aid. Also, Occidental isn’t a lower division college. You need to look at other private colleges.
The California publics won’t fund OOS students, so if you are not a resident, you are looking at $55K for the UC’s and ~$40K per Cal State.
Financial aid for transfers is usually pretty bad. Apply to a variety of colleges if you want to transfer, but odds are they won’t offer as much financial aid as Hamilton did.
Look for like-minded people through clubs and activities.
Hamilton is an excellent college, one that is pretty generous with need based financial aid. Plus, I think you are very lucky to have been accepted to Hamilton with your HS grades and scores. I am sure you realize these are a good deal lower than the qualifications of their average student. However, your grades at Hamilton are excellent, especially for such a rigorous school. Academically you seem to be doing very well. Unless you are truly miserable and can’t fix it, I would encourage you to stay.
The academically excellent and balanced Hamilton may be most rewarding for students who appreciate contact with the natural world and small-village life on a regular basis. For those who, for instance, choose the college primarily for their generous financial assistance policies, the benefits of the experience may not be immediately apparent.
Btw, would your fifth course be a partial credit class? (The max for first-years at Hamilton would be four and a fraction.) Also, before final exams, can you be fully confident of those grades?