My daughter is currently at Drew and while it offers many benefits (good education, reasonable cost, beautiful campus), she is considering transferring next year because she feels there is not a critical mass of students there who take their work seriously. We are searching for a larger school in the 3,000 to 10,000 range, more selective (Drew was at about 80% when DD was applying), with a price tag of between $36,000 (or less!) to $50,000.
Our primary residence is in Texas, though I am currently in Florida for graduate school. She is opposed to UT because of the size. She toured Rice this weekend and was pleased with the school, but the price tag seems to have gone up considerably since I last checked. She’s also looking at College of William and Mary and University of Miami.
She will probably major in psychology or neuroscience and is contemplating law school afterward.
Does anyone have any other ideas for schools for her to look into? I am at a loss. I am a little preoccupied with my own education, but I know she needs help navigating. Should we just hire a counselor, and if so, does anyone have recommendations?
I admire that she wants to be around more serious students. Kudos to her and to you. That’s very laudable.
How has she done at Drew? Will transferring be a strong option for her? It seems like she has done well if Rice seems like an option. Is that the case? It is a fantastic school, and she would find great students there. The same is true at William and Mary (I"m extremely familiar with William and Mary/Williamsburg). For an OOS student, it will likely be very expensive, though it doesn’t hurt to ask.
The downside to transferring is that financial aid is more difficult to secure. Not to say impossible, but more difficult.
That price range, without aid, is going to probably put her at a Texas or Florida public school, or maybe a public school where the cost for OOS students is relatively low. Other schools (besides Rice/William and Mary) I would, with little info, consider more academic/intellectual in that price range would be Rochester, Tufts, Holy Cross, Brandeis, Smith and Wellesley (both all women), and Belmont (TN), She might not think about an all-women’s school, but Smith is part of a five-school consortium with Mount Holyoke, Amherst, Hampshire, and U Mass-Amherst, where students can take classes at all the schools, and share resources. Wellesley is also a smaller all-female LAC, but students have social/academic access to local schools like Harvard/MIT. I know a recent grad who took classes and had many friends at these schools. Campus is spectacular. BU might be another option.
My family loves Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). It is very hands-on, project-based and has a great campus vibe. It is a science/engineering school. It would not be a likely choice for psychology but maybe neuroscience. Students are very engaged in their own education.
Again cost at any private school is a factor that she will have to navigate. Good luck!
Yes, I’m pleased that she is looking to improve her situation. She was in a competitive IB program in a large high school and we made the decision for her to be in the 75th percentile at a small school for college. Try out the big fish in small pond atmosphere…but it turns out it’s not stimulating enough.
I believe she has about a 3.4 at Drew after 2 semesters She got some bad advice - from her parents - that had her taking 19 hours each semester so her GPA suffered. It’s low for Rice, and I’m assuming others of that caliber, but she’s determined to bring it up next semester (she’ll be returning to Drew for at least one more semester) and I’m sure she can do it.
Her merit aid at Drew is very good, and we are hoping to find something in the same range.
Thank you for the suggestions! I will make sure she sees this and she can start researching. I’ve encouraged all-girls’ schools, to no avail, but your comment about access to other Boston schools might gain some traction.
It can be hard to find merit scholarships as a transfer student, and if she is not in the upper part of the range of admitted students’ academic credentials.
Also, she needs to raise her GPA to get into a high ranking law school. Law school rank is a big factor in law employment afterward.
Note that while 12 credits is the minimum full time course load, an average of 16 credits per semester is needed to earn the 128 credits needed for graduation from Drew in 8 semesters.
William & Mary is an excellent school for what you are looking for, it also happens to be where I currently attend, but other users are right that scholarships and financial aid may be limited from out of state. Also out of state transfers can be a little tricky. There was another student that I met on CC that was looking to transfer from a Texas community college. (Ironically his name was Drew) I offered to give him a tour if he ever came up to visit, and he took me up on the offer. He had basically almost a perfect GPA at his community college and a couple of extracurriculars, but he was waitlisted. However, he did receive an offer from Vanderbilt and got a pretty sizable financial aid package there (which is unusual for transfers), so I might recommend checking that out as it also fits your description.
Anyways the offer is also open to you and your daughter if you ever come up to William & Mary, I’d be more than happy to give you a tour/talk if you ever come up, but I’d be cautious if you are expecting a lot of financial aid because it is primarily a public state school.
It might be tough to transfer “up” in terms of intellectual rigor and still end up with merit aid. However, need-based aid would still be an option, especially at private schools. (Public universities tend to be stingy with need-based aid for OOS students.)
How did your daughter fare in high school (SATs, GPA)? A strong performance on the books might help offset her lower-than-hoped-for freshman GPA at Drew.
Also, what sort of campus vibe is she after? Is she looking for a school that tends towards liberal activism, or artsy intellectualism, or just plenty of good old-fashioned bright kids who like to think about things and have interesting discussions? Answering such questions would help other CCers better frame their advice to you.
Look at St Olaf in Minnesota. It’s a LAC but has more than 3,000 students and it’s academically rigorous - the students would be best characterized as studious, wholesome, and musical. It should be easier to transfer into than Rice and accepts Spring transfers if she wants to apply this Fall rather than this Spring. Its aid is need based which may help.
Rice and W&M are great but they’re tough to transfer into, especially from OOS for W&M and non-laterally for Rice.
In Texas look into Trinity U?
SUNY Geneseo and unc Asheville would likely fit the bill too.
What about TCNJ in New Jersey? She could easily visit from Drew to ascertain suitability, she wouldn’t have as much trouble adjusting, she could transfer this Spring (apply Fall), even OOS it’s within budget, and shed have the critical mass of academically-oriented students she’s looking for.
I know a girl who went to Princeton, and she and her friends were high on drugs for most of their four years. There will be slackers and partiers at any level university. I don’t think that is a valid reason to transfer. It seems like your daughter could find ways to meet the most serious students at her current university, and find people who want to socialize in ways that suit her. She shouldn’t worry about the “critical mass” of students, but rather her own circle of influence that she surrounds herself with.
@shawnspencer thanks for the info about transfers and $$$! That is one of the downfalls of transferring - the money typically only flows at the beginning of this game. We may take you up on your offer of a tour. I will keep in touch
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@MrSamford2014 Exactly! That is precisely the issue…keep the good deal/transfer up and pay much more. It’s hard to know what’s best. So many people say you get a good education anywhere as long as you apply yourself, others report that going to the best school has made such a difference in their lives.
We will not qualify for financial aid, so it’s all on us.
High school performance was good/solid - great for getting merit at a school such as Drew, not for getting into the Ivies. She may retake the SAT or ACT and as I said, she will improve her GPA next semester before applications for transfers are due.
Campus vibe: She’s looking for “just plenty of good old-fashioned bright kids who like to think about things and have interesting discussions” and to that I would add, people who are motivated to do their best so that she is sharpened in the process.
@mommyrocks Those were exactly my thoughts when she first started talking about transferring. However, with time and reflection on the situation, I believe her reason for wanting to transfer is valid. Her situation mirrors the environment she grew up in. We have lived in rural/suburban Texas for 17 years and though there are others in our small city who share our beliefs and values, there is not a critical mass of them so that when we leave our home we feel a sense of belonging in our community. After 17 years of trying to deny it or trying to make it better, I have to admit
that it’s a very lonely feeling to be a perpetual “outsider.” Once I realized that my daughter was dealing with this kind of issue at her school, but with academic values instead of social/political, I was totally on board with her plans to transfer. There are some serious students at her school, but from what she reports, she has been in classes mostly with students who are focused elsewhere.
It could get better when she takes upper level courses in her major, which are presumably populated by students with the most interest in the major. That is assuming that she chooses a major that is not seen as an “easy major” which attracts the generally less motivated students.
so her GPA suffered. It’s low for Rice, and I’m assuming others of that caliber, but she’s determined to bring it up next semester (she’ll be returning to Drew for at least one more semester) and I’m sure she can do it.
