I’m a current UC Berkeley sophomore thinking seriously about transferring to a small LAC or Ivy. I’m currently in a interdisciplinary major studying sustainable urban design, permaculture, and the intersections of racial and climate justice. My GPA is 3.85 and I have completed research about agricultural biodiversity this semester. I am the President of a club, doing leadership in the student government, and I am a student working group fellow.
The reason I am thinking about transferring is that Cal isn’t the college experience I was hoping for. The last thing I wanted was cutthroat competitive. I wanted intellectual, radical, lots of gay and queer people, interesting research, and experiential learning. I am feeling overwhelmed by the lack of empathy from many of the professors here. I know I am in mostly lower div classes still, but it just doesn’t feel like home here to me. I feel less inspired and more stressed than I want to feel here.
When I was choosing colleges, I received a 30k/year scholarship to NYU Gallatin as well as acceptances to Wellesley, Smith, Reed, College of the Atlantic, and Barnard. My SAT was 2180. I chose Cal because the tuition was manageable for me but now I’m wondering if it would be worth it to take out loans and really love my experience.
If I do this, which colleges should I apply to? I’m overwhelmed. I’m still interested in Wellesley, Smith, and Barnard and also would put on my list Vassar? What would you suggest for me? I want a smaller college that is fairly close to a city, at least on the weekends, and where it’s less competitive and more intellectual, radical, and experiential. Should I also consider Brown? I would love any advice here. What do you think is a match for me?
Going from a big university to a small LAC will tend to maximize the disadvantages and minimize the advantages of each. Big universities’ strengths are ample upper division offerings, while small LACs’ strengths are largest in lower division courses.
Here is what you should know-- the seats at Ivy-plus schools that are available for transfers is largely tied to attrition. Since attrition is almost non-existent in the top Ivy schools, so are the seats available. By way of example, recently, Harvard had over 1500 applicants and admitted about 15, and Yale had over a 1000 applicants in which about 2 dozen were offered seats. Brown is close to 5%.So, while being qualified is certainly a criteria, the other portion must convey why these schools; typical reasons are that these schools offer programs and/or degrees not offered at your existing institution. Transferring because of the desire to attend a more elite institution is NOT consider a valid reason for transfer.
Second, that you could have obtained admission as a freshmen applicant. Third, that you have perfect scores at your current institution. Long story short…it is much more difficult to obtain admission as a transfer than as applying for a freshmen seat…
If you’re expecting “lots of gay and queer people” at an Ivy, I think you have another think coming.
Plus, I personally love the interdisciplinary program at Cal, but not sure how it will play out elsewhere. Yours, especially, is a bit disjointed - which I like (and is a strength of Berkeley’s), but may be viewed slightly askance by a staid Ivy.
I’m inclined to agree with @lindyk8 - I think that you will find it hard to pursue the very broad major you have designed at Berkeley at any LAC. Look at the range of class options that you have at Berkeley for junior and senior year, and compare them to the options at the schools you list (they all have online course catalogs). Wellesley and Vassar simply don’t have much to offer you in terms of courses, and I’m not sure that Barnard has enough of what you are looking for either. Smith might, if you look at all the consortium colleges together, but that would keep you on the move between locations- not the LAC experience you are thinking of.
From here (based on just what is posted) it would seem that you could go a couple of directions:
Stay at Berkeley for the amazing academic options, but stop looking for empathy from your professors. At the beginning of second year you are still a flea: one of a large group of small things that jumps around and hasn’t settled in yet! Look for empathy from your support group and for a more professional relationship with your professors (true for most profs at most colleges, LAC or not). As you get into upper level classes and settle in to your area of focus (and, I suspect, focus your area more) you will find professors who can become mentors. This timing for developing relationships with professors/advisors, btw, is not necessarily different even at an LAC, where the professors deal with much smaller numbers of students. You might have a more individual dynamic, but the professors really start focusing on you as you move into their orbit (typically as a major is declared).
Define a much narrower area of focus and try to transfer to a campus that feels more like you- Barnard or Brown would be my guess as your best bets from the ones you have suggested.