I also have a kid at WashU, having an amazing experience (current Junior) in A&S. Elitism not at all an issue - very cooperative environment. Feel free to DM me as well.
WashU give excellent need based aid & some merit aid. I would not categorize it as “preppy” in any way. We spend a significant time on campus and this has not been our experience.
As I mentioned, I am generalizing. I did not say the student won’t find social justice there. If a student is into social justice and societal change, I would think of other colleges before I’d think of BC, excellent school that it is. That isn’t saying no one there cares about those things, and I am sure many do. Feel free to private message me if you’d like to discuss further.
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No, there is nothing more to discuss. I just wanted the OP to know, that not everyone has the same generalizations or experiences that you have.
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To me, that seems common in many HS/college kids. (Age, personality, maturity.)
IMO, pretty much every kid in college is privileged to a degree, but I get what you are saying.
I feel like people who aren’t wealthy/privileged, think kids who are wealthy/privileged are entitled. And while some may be, some may not be entitled at all - that is just their life. They get trips, or cars, or don’t have to work while in school, etc. To an outsider it may appear entitled.
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I shared on a previous post - many, many responses - THANK YOU - That my kid is thinking about transferring from a highly selective university. He is currently a freshman and would like to transfer and start somewhere else as a Soph. His university is great, just not a good fit. He wants academic rigor and also lots of social opportunities. ideally a campus with at least 7k undergrads.
He dreams of UCB or UCLA but those aren’t options for sophomores. USC Northwestern and Stanford are on his list, but we recognize that these universities are even more selective than his current university where acceptance for freshman is less than 10%.
His interests are law, journalism, IR, or sociology. He is a very well rounded student. Writing is his super-power. He’s not an athlete and we suspect he will not qualify for any aid of any kind and we are prepared for that.
He is super social and hasn’t found social connections in his school. He has great professors But, unfortunately some of his classes have not offered the opportunity for doing a “deep dive” in the way he’d like to. I feel like that will come with time, and likely, more meaningful social connections will also come with time. However, my kid is very self-aware (as much as an 18 yo can be) and I feel like we need to support his decision about making a change if he is unhappy and unfulfilled.
For anyone with experience with transfers I would appreciate any guidance or suggestions. For the many folks who responded in my previous thread, thank you so much. It was getting so long that I thought I would start another.
A somewhat common option for California residents dissatisfied as frosh at their four year schools is to do soph year at a community college and then transfer to a UC or CSU (different one, if their first four year school was a UC or CSU).
For four year schools that do take soph transfers, both college record and high school record will matter (the latter because the college record will be limited).
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I know Vandy takes them and Cornell.
But he’s at Tufts and I have no reason to believe academics will be any less.
Maybe he’d be better at a public Honors College?
I’m sure there’s many schools that will take sophomore transfers but he might have to bypass the pedigree and rank…clearly he feels it didn’t deliver anyway.
Good luck.
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Full disclosure my D transferred to Vanderbilt and her experience there has been amazing.
At Vanderbilt transfers are part of the plan and they have a very well organized transfer orientation week which provides new transfers with the opportunity to meet each other and integrate into and learn the campus prior to classes beginning. They accept around 200-225 transfers each year. Their business/educational model is somewhat built around it because it allows them to provide more upper level classes even though students leave for study abroad and by simply increasing the number of upperclassmen. For my D this was a big draw as one of her concerns was assimilation into the student body and making friends. She found the students friendly and welcoming.
Vanderbilt gave very generous transfer credits, my D had little trouble enrolling in desired classes even though transfers choose last, and the school requires students to live on campus so housing is pretty much assured. Vandy has built 5 new residential colleges which combine rooms, dining, study and recreational spaces under one roof. Nashville is an added plus from a social and cultural standpoint. And the airport is about 15 minutes from campus.
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This is so helpful. Thank you so much! Making friends when friend groups have already been established was also a concern so this sounds great.
And as a parent I love the idea of living on campus. In so many areas the cost of living is ridiculous and although dorms can have issues, I’ve heard more than a few unsettling stories about living conditions in rentals near many campuses.
Do you know if SAT or ACT tests are required? He did not prepare at all and his scores are not consistent with his grades, writing or LOR’s. That takes him out of the running for Georgetown as tests are required and I don’t think his scores reflect who he is as a student. And he has me to thank for that! I knew so many schools were test blind or test optional that I encouraged him to spend time on other projects vs studying for standardized tests.
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Shows optional. The CDS says recommended. It doesn’t show what percent submit but looks like a lot 1/7 of applicants get in.
If you really want to transfer, apply if it’s right but consider it a reach and add schools of less pedigree to ensure an exit.
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Test scores were optional the year my daughter applied. Your son is applying from an academically rigorous school; if his scores are his weak spot and not commensurate with the rest of his academic profile definitely submit the application without them. A well written why I want to transfer essay makes all the difference. I told my daughter when we were making her school list it was always worth applying to a school she was interested in, because if she didn’t, the answer was already no.
As an unrelated aside, be aware that transfer decisions and acceptance deadlines are different than first year applications. The acceptances are often given out over a wider timeframe and there can be more movement on waitlists because students will accept at a school they hear from earlier to ensure they have a spot to go to and then they’ll receive an acceptance from a more favored school later and they’ll withdraw from the first school and accept at the second school. Acceptance deadlines are usually 1-2 weeks after notification….there is no uniform response deadline date like May 1 so this “acceptance musical chairs” can happen well into June and possibly July.
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For anyone else reading this thread-- “test prep” does NOT need to be time-consuming. A strong student with good core skills just needs to familiarize him/herself with the test format, types of questions, etc. and then take a few practice tests under timed conditions (i.e. the clock on the microwave). I know it seems as though every kid is signed up for months of review sessions, one on one prep, hours of drilling- but that’s not the case. Effective test prep is not an arduous process if the kid has solid reading comprehension and math skills.
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This is extremely helpful and informative. We are new to this. Our older kids found the right fit first go around. I am very grateful for you taking the time to share these tips. Thank you so much!
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This is so helpful. Thank you so much for sharing. I really appreciate it!
Thank you for sharing this. I do think my kid’s weak area is that his test taking skills are not consistent with his other strengths. Every essay ever he has received a perfect score or sometime even more than 100 (maybe extra credit?) His writing is so good. But test taking is a skill and this has been a good lesson. His grades will still be great due to his writing. But in his particular case, I think learning about taking tests will be a big help. Thanks for mentioning this. I would want other parents to make the mistake I made.
Thank you for the input. We are not currently residents of CA. So that’s probably not an option. But thank you for taking the time to share. This might be helpful for another student.
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First thank you for that perspective. And thanks to the many parents who kind of scolded me about my preconceived notion about some universities, specifically USC. I appreciate the feedback. I’m here to learn and listen to the perspective of others and it has been tremendously helpful. USC is on the short-list.
And 100% agree that college is a privilege. I appreciate that reminder and you taking the time to share. Thank you!
I am not even clear on the difference between a liberal arts college and a university. Is it numbers? I think he’s be happier in a large place. Thank you for your helpful input!
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