<p>Right now, I am a freshman at Notre Dame. This past semester, I received a 3.882. I am confident that, if I remain at ND, I will be able to maintain this GPA or even improve it.</p>
<p>However, it is also possible for me to transfer to a more challenging school such as Dartmouth, Brown, or Columbia. I believe that I have a good chance at getting into at least one of these. How much more challenging would these colleges be? Would it look better to transfer and maybe have a slightly lower GPA, or should I stay at ND? I want to have strong chances at the top law schools.</p>
<p>I don't think either of those schools are particularly more challenging than Notre Dame. I also don't think transferring, in itself, would provide you with a substantive boost in the admissions process. You should really just think about whether transferring is right for you in terms of your personal goals and whether you have an academic and social environment that fits.</p>
<p>So I wouldn't presume that a transfer would automatically lower your GPA, and I wouldn't not transfer for that reason. I would transfer, though, if I felt like my current school just didn't fit me, and that my new school would. And, ultimately, that factor does influence your GPA.</p>
<p>Notre Dame, Dartmouth, Brown, and Columbia are all peers.</p>
<p>It doesn't make sense to transfer, unless you find life at ND unbearable. The three schools are not more challenging than ND and none of them "look better" than ND.</p>
<p>The emotional and psychological toll that adjusting to a completely unfamiliar environment takes may adversely affect your academic performance. You want to keep your GPA as high as possible to remain as competitive as possible.</p>
