<p>First of all, one can’t assume that everybody who leaves the school has transferred out. Of all the students I know who will not be returning next year, not one is not returning because they didn’t like the school. These students have outstanding health, financial, and family issues-- one of my friends was in complete tears when her parents told her that they weren’t going to be paying for college any more, another wrote an extremely heartfelt facebook note to tell us that family issues are keeping her at home and that she wants nothing more than to return to Chicago.</p>
<p>I’m sure there are students who transfer out because it doesn’t offer a program that they realize they want (business? engineering? communications?) or that they want to be at a smaller school, a larger school, a more rural school, a more party-centered school, etc. Not everybody who transfers out of school does it because they dislike it-- they are 18 years old, their goals change from time to time, and different colleges suit different goals better than others. I remember reading a post by somebody on these boards who had transferred from Amherst to William and Mary-- a move than many would see as a downgrade, but the poster had good reasons for it. He or she felt that Amherst was too small, too rural and reminded the poster too much of high school.</p>
<p>And I’m sure there are some students who absolutely despise the school, bar none. I’m not particularly concerned, nor should you be. There are also people in the world who hate chocolate ice cream. What do you want me to do about it?</p>
<p>**</p>
<p>I’m also not sure that Chicago has that low retention. Sure, it’s low in comparison to HYP (schools that students want to make sure they graduate from, and schools that make sure you will graduate), but I seem to remember that it’s on par with NU and others.</p>