Unsure where to transfer [Reed, Whitman, Cal Poly Humboldt; biology major]

Transfer Students
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Hello, I’m trying to transfer out of Cornell, and my options are Reed, Whitman, and Cal Poly Humboldt. I’m from rural CA and I didn’t like how high-pressure and career-prep focused Cornell was, I think I’d be happier at an lac. I would be in my sophomore year but I’m on a leave of absence. I visited all of my options but I’m still unsure. I partly wish I could go to a UC.

I want to major in biology and study other things across the board like music. I like Reed’s and Humboldt’s locations more than Whitman’s, but a few things are making me hesitate about Reed. I don’t know anyone at Reed to ask these things, so I thought I’d ask here. What are some of your favorite classes you’ve taken?

does it feel like high school or a suffocating size compared to a big school?

I don’t want to suffer and struggle with academics like I did at Cornell, can you skim and still engage well in class, and get off campus a lot? I like how Reed is unique, but I’m not sure I’d fit in with the people there.

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Ask Reed to speak with a student ambassador or a student in your major that you can ask more questions. People say it’s a fit school so it’s good that you note the risk.

Technically Humboldt, by its name, is not an LAC but has many majors.

Best of luck

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Based on Reed’s reputation for an intense academic environment, it sounds to me like you are right not to just leap into it. Asking to talk to a current student or two is a good idea.

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Thanks for the advice, I’ll try to talk to some more students

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For context and if you would care to say, which school were you in at Cornell?

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By survey-based information, Reed students appear to be dedicated to their studies:

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I was at the college of ag and life sciences, a “biology and society” major

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Most students cannot skim the material in college and do well.

What will you do with your biology degree? As noted above, you really cannot skim the material and do well. This will also be true if you attend some type of grad school, as most with this degree do.

From what I have read about Reed, it does not seem like a good fit for you. I would look into the other two schools on your list.

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This post offers some general comments on Reed:

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Reed is one of the most academically intense colleges in the US (more so than Cornell) so it doesn’t sound like a good fit.
Both Humboldt and Whitman have a more laid back vibe.
Whitman is less isolated, it’s in the middle of touristy region with access to a nice town (and it’s sunnier). It’s probably more rigorous than Humboldt, at least the average student is stronger+college well-endowed with a strong alumni network.
Humboldt is very strong for biology specifically and is likely less expensive though so do take affordability into account.

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Of this list, I think I’d be inclined to give Whitman a shot. I think it will be a good blend of small, personalized academic experience and a more balanced intensity. I could also see Humboldt working for you, but I get the sense you are attracted to a LAC environment so that’s why I leaned toward Whitman. FWIW, I knew someone many years ago who moved from Berkeley to Humboldt, for similar reasons that you cite for leaving Cornell. She was so much happier at Humboldt. I think it’s wise that you’ve changed course and recognized that you would be happier in a less pre-professional and intense environment.

As for Reed, my S26’s best friend is going there and we toured with S26. It was not at all for S26, but he said he could see why his friend wanted to be here. His friend reads Marx for fun and is not at all motivated by grades… an academic rebel, if you will. I think Reed attracts those sorts. It’s intense in a different way than Cornell.

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I don’t want to suffer and struggle with academics like I did at Cornell, can you skim and still engage well in class, and get off campus a lot?

if you stay a Bio major the ‘struggle’ usually follows you regardless of the campus.

Biology is a foundational science that requires a deep level of understanding. You’ll hit courses like o-chem or physics to lay the groundwork and the gamut of the bio classes themselves. You simply cannot skim the material and pass. These subjects require hours of lab work and problem-solving that keep you glued to a desk or a bench, making it very hard to ‘get off campus a lot’ while staying on top of the curve. Take a look at the sample Bio program at Humboldt and you can see the classes they require: Program: Biology, General Biology Concentration, B.S. MAP - Cal Poly Humboldt Bio programs will be similar everywhere.

If your priority right now is engaging in class without the crushing academic ‘suffer’ factor you might be much happier in a different major.

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Agree with this. Bio can be intense, and Reed is not known for “chill academics” if that’s what you are looking for.

OP, how did you come up with your transfer list? These three seem very different….

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Can you get off campus at Reed? Sure, Portland is a very easy city to get around in, go to the farmer’s market or to a favorite restaurant. However, my experience is that Reed students don’t want to. The LOVE being with other Reed students and doing everything with their friends on campus. They love the intensity. They love talking to hear themselves talk. They don’t enjoy sports (no varsity sports on campus, not many professional sports in Portland).

If you are looking for a nice, laid-back experience, Reed isn’t it. Humboldt might have more of the science classes you want.

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Yes, agreed.

I also want to add that biology is not a “chill” major even at a school that has a laid back feel.

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Especially if the major contains a significant population of pre-meds competing for grades.

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I am thinking that we might be able to give more useful information if we were to understand a bit more about your situation and what you want in a university.

What do you want to do with a degree in biology?

There are in fact a lot of different things that you could do with this degree, but quite a few of them imply some form of graduate school. One thing this brings to mind is that students very often change schools from undergrad to a graduate program, and you can attend any one of a huge range of undergraduate schools and still get accepted to very good graduate programs. Another thing that this brings to mind is that graduate school in many cases may imply additional expense (and additional time and effort). Picking an affordable school now (such as an in-state public university) might imply for some of us having more ability to later fund a graduate program.

This makes me think of two things.

Biology majors tend to include quite a few premed students. At least the premed students who I have met have been very focused on trying to maintain high grades in tough classes. While neither daughter was premed, then both had majors that overlapped a lot with premed classes and had quite a few friends who were premed. As such I have heard quite a bit about how tough these classes are, even at schools that might not be quite ranked in the “top 100” in the US.

On the other hand, when I was in university I did know a few students at Cornell and visited a few times. Yes, it is academically very challenging. For a lot of us this would be stressful.

As such it does seem very likely that biology / premed classes would be tough at Cornell, and would include a lot of students who are very highly competitive.

My older daughter was a very good musician from a very young age through high school. She seriously considered majoring in music and aiming to be a professional musician. In university she was pre-vet (she is a veterinarian now). The required pre-vet classes are the same classes as the required premed classes, so she took the full range of premed classes and knew a lot of premed students. She just had to hit “pause” on her music. I do not think that she played much if at all for a few years. Now that she is a veterinarian she is able to find a bit of time to get back to music to some extent (I recently bought her an electric keyboard as a graduation present, because this was easier than figuring out how to get her existing keyboard which is sitting here near me to the location where she currently lives).

You might similarly just need to hit “pause” on music for a few years. One issue in life is that there are just too many things to do, and we each need to figure out where to focus our effort at each particular point in our lives.

From what I have seen of biology majors, and premed students, and pre-vet students, “skim” is not in their vocabulary.

I think that you are likely to get a very good education at any of the three schools that you are considering. I think that any of them can prepare you for a range of different biology-related graduate programs. I would not expect Reed to be the most “chill” of the three, but am not sure that there is any “chill” way to do well in classes that overlap quite a bit with the required premed / pre-vet classes.

But I also feel that this is a tough decision, and I am not sure that we really have all the relevant details. You might need to just do whatever feels right to you.

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