As title says, I am currently a freshman at a large public state university studying physics & astronomy. It’s unfortunate because I absolutely love the physics program here, but I feel very out of place within the school as a whole and I feel very strongly that I’d thrive at a smaller LAC. I also really miss rowing and after a semester of not having it in my life, I know for a fact I’d be able to handle it at the competitive collegiate level along with maintaining strong academics.
So, my question is…how likely is it that I would be able to be in contention to transfer into a more competitive (and strong rowing) LAC for the fall of 2025? (Particularly Wesleyan or Barnard, given those two waitlists really stuck with me and I still see them as very strong fits for me culturally, athletically, and most importantly academically).
My transcript from high school is comparatively strong, although my SAT/ACT is on the lower side (~1320 and 30, I chose not to submit last year) so I would plan to not submit them or perhaps retake one unless I receive better advice.
My grades this semester are all As in difficult physics/astronomy courses & labs except for a potential B-/C+ in Calculus II (the class average here is very low…for some reason not a well-received class so it was difficult to perform exceptionally) and I am already participating in undergraduate physics research.
In summary, I really miss competitive rowing, and I don’t think I am built for a large sports school. I also love physics, but I want the opportunity to freely try other classes/subjects. Unfortunately, the structure here makes it super difficult for me to take any classes other than ones directly related to my major (and they make it virtually impossible to switch majors). I also think I’m a better fit for a small school.
I would be willing to wait it out and see if my feelings change, but they haven’t at all since the first day. I just don’t want to wait anymore and potentially lose an opportunity that i may regret later.
Academically, a big university’s strength is typically in broader and deeper upper level offerings, while its weakness is the large impersonal lower level courses for those who care about that. A LAC’s strength and weakness is typically the opposite.
But it does mean that doing frosh/soph at a big university and junior/senior at a LAC is more likely to find the weakness of both types of schools, unless you are very careful to choose a LAC with a large department for your major that has good upper level offerings (or convenient cross registration like Barnard has).
If you want to transfer after frosh year as a sophomore, both your high school record and college record will count (a B-/C+ in math is unlikely to be a good thing for a physics major). If you want to transfer after sophomore year as a junior, then your college record will be the most important, with little or no importance given to your high school record.
I want to try and apply this winter/early spring (if I do at all) just to try to get things moving earlier and test my options, but I’m honestly hesitant to even go through the work if that low calculus grade is seriously going to damage my application.
I think I bring an otherwise pretty strong application to the table, but of course it kinda boils down to luck at some point. I just don’t know if it’s worth testing it now…but I honestly need some sort of change to be made or else I won’t be happy and probably won’t be as motivated in the future.
So Wesleyan, for example, reported accepting 130/503 transfer applicants in their 2023-24 CDS, 25.8%. This is a self-selected group, so obviously it is very competitive.
My point is if you really want to maximize your chances of transferring to an LAC where you can row, you might need to be fairly open-minded about where exactly that might end up being.
totally. I guess the other caveat of the situation is I really only wanted to try to apply to 3-5 schools so I could focus on my academics and not overwhelm myself, but if I want to keep options open then it may force me to add more. it’s a dilemma I’ll have to think more about
The transfer acceptance rates for Wesleyan and Barnard, at 26% and 21% in a recent year, respectively, appear to be fairly accommodating relative to their rates for first-year admission.
The below was originally written for another poster interested in physics. Since you have an evident interest in LACs, some of the suggestions may be relevant to you as well:
Note that Wesleyan appears among the suggestions. You also might like Vassar. If you consider any of these colleges, then you will want to screen further based on your interest in rowing, of course.
You might be able to keep it to 5 or less as long as you carefully choose those 5.
I know absolutely nothing about women’s rowing, but this purports to be a complete list of D3 programs:
I note it doesn’t include Barnard because I believe that is consider D1, and there may be others like that. But just looking at this list, there is a huge variety of possible programs. You’ve got more women’s colleges like Smith, Bryn Mawr, and Mount Holyoke. Franklin & Marshall is excellent for Physics (or, say, WPI, which would be a different direction). I don’t know for sure, but I would think colleges like Hobart & William Smith, Ithaca, St Lawrence, St Mary’s, and Washington College would be easier transfer targets. And so on.
I don’t know if it is possible to contact coaches about walk on opportunities, but I would think if they do exist, it may be possible to put together a list where there are at least some more likely to give you a transfer offer, and some particularly chosen for fit even if they are a bit less likely, and then see what happens.
If the primary purpose of transferring is to row, then it seems like you should let the possibility of rowing lead your search; contact the coaches and see who is interested in you.
totally my plan. I intend on beginning conversations with coaches prior to making the final decision to add them to my list of transfer schools, but since I’m a coxswain and interested in LACs with men’s rowing, I was planning to have to get in on my own and then think about rowing rather than the other way around because they’re unlikely to be able to help me with admissions.
absolutely can see myself at others, but the reason why those two are so high on my list is because they have the competitive rowing and physics programs that I like (specifically planetary science). I will look into more but those are the ones I was waitlisted from my traditional application round and so they stuck with me as top choices
You don’t have to be sure that you’d be happier at a LAC to apply, you just have to think you would. You can move forward making your year as successful and fulfilling as possible and then decide if/when you have LAC options if you want to take them. It’s not unusual for students to pursue transferring, get offers, and then realize they are happy staying put. You just need to set yourself up to have offers. And clearly, some students DO transfer. Ideally, you will have a difficult decision to make in late spring!
I’d get the apps in then reach out to coaches to see if they can help. I know one rower who had D1 and D3 recruitment offers i high school, transferred after freshman year (and where she had been a valued member of the 1V8 boat) , and got no support/interest from any of the coaches who’d been courting her the first time round. I mention this because you will need to assess the feasibility of that part of your plan later although you may want to do some leg work upfront to set yourself up.
Main point, set yourself up to have a choice, hopefully a difficult one because you’re so happy, in spring.
Apply -that’s two but you need more. You may be denied again.
It’s interesting because the large schools like Colorado and Arizoa are considered amongst the best.
You might look at a school like Florida Tech which would be very strong in Planetary Sciences. Not an LAC but small. And right near the launch pads. And a safety - very underrated if you want to work in space - their alums are plentiful at Cape Canaveral.
I don’t see LACs listed near the top of any ranking.
If women’s rowing is also an option there are plenty of solid choices though they may be very good, but not tippy top. Both University of Rochester has a good D3 rowing team and great physics. Small R1 which might also be a fit. Same for Tufts. Other possibilities are Ithaca, Union, William Smith all excellent schools with good D3 rowing. RIT as well but it is a larger university. Take a step back and figure out what is really key for your college experience and give it a go. Someone mentioned F&M, they do quite well in sending kids to Physics PHD programs. The NESCAC schools other than Wesleyan are options but they are a reach.
Particularly since it is an inherently multidisciplinary field, with people coming to it out of various Earth Sciences as well as Physics.
Of course research universities have a natural advantage when looking at something like volume of research in any given subfield. But if you are looking for a good foundational undergrad education that will set you up well for further study, I think you can be broad-minded. Then go to grad school at one of those research universities.