Match Me / Ideas for a Transfer Student / Photography + Business [3.00 GPA in 1 semester of college, 3.94 HS GPA, 32 ACT, <$50k, lower is better]

Chance Me / Match Me
1

This is just for brainstorming, so all ideas are welcome. We are wondering if there is someplace different out there, not just someplace else. She has not decided to transfer but it’s starting to look to me like it might be something to consider seriously.

My daughter is a freshman at a private college in TX. She is very unhappy. She started as an engineering major, quickly realized that was a bad fit, and would ideally (she thinks) double major in photography and business.

Her current college offers a Visual
Arts major (not photography) and she cannot
double major, only minor in business or visual arts and major in the other one. Current school has a very good business school.

Pretty much everything she thought she wanted in college (marching band, rah rah sports, super academics focused, medium sized school) she has realized she doesn’t like or want.

She would prefer:

• project based work and hands on learning

• more free time to do her own thing instead of “football Saturdays”

• limited to zero Greek life

• better physical environment; her campus is beautiful but the town is pretty sketchy and ugly and the access to the outdoors is pretty bad

• living in an apartment and cooking for herself

• more like minded kids; limited party scene

• maybe a smaller school? She’s not sure

Unfortunately her first semester GPA was a 3.00 which is not great for transferring. She had pretty tough classes that were all for the engineering major.

High school stats were a 4.24W/3.94UW GPA, 32 ACT, 4 APs, 3 year graduate, very strong extracurriculars. She has a medical condition and needs accommodations.

Budget: not sure, maybe up to $50K a year. Lower is better. We are right at that income level where we earn too much to get a lot of aid but not enough to afford anything and everything.

Location: she would prefer someplace out west

Schools I’ve thought of:

• Univ of Kansas, closest to home, cheap?, very good photography department, but it’s still a big University

• Univ of Utah, cool location, her brother lives out there so she has him and his friends, expensive?, also another big state school

• Belmont in Nashville

• University of Denver, next closest to home, she loves Colorado, not sure about rent in Denver—might be prohibitive—?

• Pepperdine, same problem with living costs? Also really far from home and she is already very homesick.

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Her religious beliefs and observancy are compatible with all of Belmont, Denver, and Pepperdine? Does she have specific preferences regarding religion for religiously affiliated colleges?

3

She currently attends a Christian college but attended public school exclusively after 4th grade. She is used to being in both environments. She prefers something more socially conservative, not necessarily religious. That may be incompatible with a lot of the arts, IDK. And of course Colorado in general is pretty liberal.

4

Based on the first post (not wanting a party-heavy school, etc.), would this mean conservative mainly in terms of personal behavior (i.e. less tendency toward recreational drugs including alcohol, partying, sexual activity, etc.) rather than necessarily about politics?

If the unwanted aspects of a college are related to high alcohol consumption, the paper at https://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/sites/cdp/files/documents/082-Presley.pdf describes college characteristics associated with greater or lesser drinking. The paper suggests the following characteristics are associated with less drinking:

  • Black and Asian students.
  • Female students.
  • No fraternities or sororities.
  • Less participation in athletics.
  • Two year college. (Although it looks like this is not possible for a student who wants to study toward a bachelor’s degree.)
  • Commuting from home. (For women, living on campus is associated with less drinking that living independently off campus.)
  • Not in the northeast or north central (Midwest) regions of the US.
  • Higher alcohol prices and lower alcohol availability in the nearby community.

While the above may be useful in initial searches, evaluation of each specific college would be necessary, since some colleges may be outliers.

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5

Pepperdine requires 30 completed hours and a 3.25 so that’s out. But maybe something along that type of school.

6

Her current GPA is a real problem. :slightly_frowning_face:

7

That sums it up very well. And as far as Christian culture, someplace like Liberty or Bob Jones would not be a good fit. I would say she has moderate political views but is socially conservative (as you say, in regards to personal behavior.)

8

Sorry this didn’t work out. I think, if I recall, Colorado was another finalist for you if I recall.

I don’t think the 3.0 is an issue and yes engineering is tough - and it happens. At the same time, how do you know photography / visual arts or business are the right fit. And her HS record matters.

Even though she doesn’t want partying, can she not find like kids? Not everyone at Baylor parties, I’m sure.

KU is large - but isn’t your home state Nebraska? Merit may be an issue as a transfer….so cost may be an issue. But you might also qualify for the midwest student exchange.

The current school is 14K undergrad and 19K total. You noted - she might want smaller but then mention larger KU. And it’s not out West - although that might be tough to hit budget. Northern Arizona has Photography - but it’s large. If you go large, you’re going to find sports, Greek, partying, etc.

So you might need to go back and tour some smaller (or larger) to really see - vs. make another mistake.

I think before you pick pricey schools, as a transfer, you have to be careful since you have a budget. Ensure they can fit it.

Southern Oregon has a business major and micro credential in Visual Storytelling. Before room and board, it’s about $50K.

W Oregon has a Visual Communication design program. It’s about 3K kids and is under budget full pay.

U of La Verne has both majors and is $62K. It’s about 3K undergrads. They have merit for transfers…don’t know how much.

Utah Tech (since you are looking at the U) is in very nice and slow paced St. George, near nature. It’s 13K undergrads. It would be well within range.

I’m a bit confused because you say you prefer limited greek life, access to outdoors, and wants to be out west - and you mention Belmont and kU.

Through the MSEP (it’s not out west), check out:

Webster - tuition $31K. It’s 2k kids

Fort Hays State has 3600 on campus. It’s tuition is $6K.

Others that might work - Central Michigan is well under budget - they have photojournalism and multi media design. Ithaca College is over budget but does big merit - and has a photography concentration in its TV, Photography and Digital Media group. It’s with nature but might be too party hearty.

I would stick it out, take the classes she thinks she wants. You don’t want to mistake the major again. It’s easy to say I want business - but you haven’t yet taken Accounting yet, etc. But I’d also go small because if the raucousness and partying are getting to her, i don’t see how going to a KU would help.

In Nebraska, you have UN Kearney and a few others - or what about a small public that’s not in the mainstream, like U of South Dakota, which has Photography as a major. It’s 7500 undergrads and costs $13K tuition - and you can get your own place.

Good luck.

Visual Storytelling Micro-Credential Visual Storytelling

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Utah does seem like a pretty good fit. I’d expect a bit more conservative (1/3 Mormon) with less drinking, but overall still fairly diverse. My understanding is that it IS a fairly “rah rah” school with a lot of support for sports teams, though. The business school also seems quite popular.

There’s a good interview on the Your College Bound Kid podcast recently with one of their directors of admissions that describes the experience well. Unfortunately, it looks like the episode isn’t posted on the website quite yet (it came out around the holidays, as I recall), but it’s in the podcast episodes.

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Don’t take that list like they are good or ideal suggestions. They all have problems, which is why I’m picking y’all’s brains.

With respect, it’s easy to say “stick it out” or “tough it out” when you aren’t the one who is miserable or when it’s not your kid who is so desperately unhappy.

Also we don’t KNOW that any major will be the “right” choice.

11

Disagree that it’s a big problem - it’s one semester and her HS will carry.

Budget (due to transfer) may be an issue - and fit will certainly be - you listed what she wants and then picked schools that aren’t that.

So rather than well known names like last year, focus on a positive environment for the student.

12

My comment is more related to - she’s changing majors but does she know anything about these majors - I’m hoping she can experience them is all - before changing places and then finding out she doesn’t like the major.

Business is a traditional fallback for engineering.

I put a bunch of schools in my list for you to look at, think about.

There’s more - but the budget will be the concern as a transfer, moreso than first year.

13

Well, last year we weren’t just focused on “names.” We carefully considered the environment, which is how she ended up where she is. There was no way to know that she would be bullied and gaslit by her roommates, mocked for her medical condition, or that she would hate her major from day one.

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She is taking an intro art class this semester.

15

All true.

I’m just hopeful where she goes next she likes the major.

Roomies are tough so maybe it’s better she gets her own place like you say. On the flipside, having roommates is a way to - socialize/not be lonely/integrate, especially at a new place.

It’s sad that kids do that to others.

Many don’t like their major, especially engineering. The risk, of course, that they don’t like the next one too.

You noted up front that a transfer wasn’t suggested by your daughter yet but you are just looking in case. Are there clubs at the current school related to her interest in photography ?

Could she go abroad or would her medical issue preclude it ? Do they have photography there at the current school ? Can she live off campus next year or is housing required ?

Could she live home a year and go to community college and then transfer - to give her more time to find an optimal environment?

16

Is she also taking intro to business and other business prerequisites (usually calculus, statistics, and economics, if not already covered by AP credit)?

17

She took Calculus in the fall; all of her classes this semester apply to either the business major OR the art major.

Whether she transfers is her decision; I am at her request gathering some information.

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18

What bus classes this semester ?

19

Pre reqs like speech. She has to be admitted to the business school to take business classes and she is not sure which one to major in (business or art.) Her brain says business but her heart says art.

20

Ahhh - make a living or love what you do. I like your double major idea or at least a minor.

Art is a tough gig for sure. I have a college friend who married a guy who was at one point a billionaire. Her daughter graduated with an art degree. The hobby is connected so got her gallery showings but it seems impossible for her to earn a living, at least in what she’s doing.

If your daughter takes a business class, she’ll know quick if she’s in or out - like accounting. Many ex engineers gravitate to supply chain.

Sorry to hear the roommate situation is so tough. Not sure why people are like that. I assume she asked about relocating to another room? Could her medical diagnosis qualify her for a single ?