My daughter is currently at a Flagship University in New England and has said she might be interested in transferring next year. We’re from CA and while she’s happy with the program she’s in (Education), she’s feeling like Vermont isn’t quite the place for her. She misses sunshine and it is so time and $$ intensive to get there! Small state, small town, not a lot going on.
I had no idea so few schools accept sophomore transfers! Boulder’s deadline for Fall transfers is 6/1. Do you know whether they normally have space available?
If you apply and get accepted for Fall, is it possible to defer to Spring?
Is it very common for them to have space available for Spring transfers?
Look on the common app transfer app, that is the best resource, at least for the schools that use the common app. Always double check the info on common app on the college’s website. Many colleges accept soph transfers but many of their deadlines have passed for this Fall.
Your D should contact the transfer admissions person and ask. Boulder might also hold virtual transfer admissions sessions.
Varies by school, your D should contact each school to ask.
Some schools take spring transfers, some don’t. The common app transfer app is also good resource for this, confirmed by college website.
Most schools have transfer programming.
Fundamentally transferring takes a leap of faith that things will be better at the new school, which obviously can’t be known with certainty.
I expect most transfers find their people…bia transfer orientation/programming, by talking with classmates, joining clubs, joining Greek life, getting a part time job, etc.
Also. she finished the year with a 4.0, and had the same in high school. Do you know how competitive it is to get in as a transfer, and what else is taken into account other than GPA?
She might want to look at Colorado State, too. I describe Old Town Fort Collins as 10 Church Streets and then you have every big box store and convenience you want south or campus. Plus, CSU is a WUE school. Fort Collins has a great school district so it is a great place for student teaching.
At many schools transfer admissions will be holistic, similar to first year admissions. As a soph transfer, the HS academic record and activities will be important in addition to the first year of college academic record and activities.
Websites should have the details about what factors are considered and their relative importance in the transfer admission process. You D should do virtual programs at the schools on her list that offer them.
I think that it is worth sending in the application.
I personally like UVM and Burlington Vermont, but it has real winters, winters there are both dark and cold, and no university is a good fit for everyone. I am guessing that she needs two flights to get to Burlington from California (the drive from Boston seems excessive).
UC Boulder is also a very good university in an attractive location and is way closer for you and easier to get to (I have done the drive from the Denver airport to Boulder on business trips multiple times and it is quite reasonable). And I agree with the comment to also consider Colorado State. I do not know whether the WUE discount applies for transfer students but it might be worth finding out.
A 4.0 in high school plus a 4.0 for freshman year at UVM should make your daughter quite competitive for either UC Boulder or Colorado State. One daughter was accepted to UC Boulder out of high school with a GPA that was good, but not an unweighted 4.0.
I am not sure that either Boulder or Fort Collins would have more going on compared to Burlington Vermont. However, the winters would be significantly milder. Also, being further south the winters would not be quite so dark.
Burlington has a population of about 44,000. Boulder’s population is 108,000 and Denver is 29 miles away with a population of about 800,000. Based on population alone, I would guess there’s much more to do in the Boulder/Denver area than in Burlington. Also, Boulder has about 300 days of sun a year. Colorado is a very attractive option.
I went to UVM and loved it, but feel like most of my college life revolved around university events, Church Street, and a few concerts more than what was happening in Burlington. I LOVED Burlington, but I would have been overwhelmed in a “real” city.
There is ALWAYS something to do in Fort Collins (pop 170,000) and, I assume, Boulder. It’s a great mix of students, families, singles, and even retirees (who end up moving there because they fell in love with the area when their kids were in school). But, I would say, the biggest draw is all of the outdoor activities right outside your door.
My son goes to CSU and his girlfriend is at UVM. They are both very outdoorsy, but while my son is always doing some kind of off-campus adventure throughout the state, Utah and Wyoming, his girlfriend seems to stay mostly in Burlington.