Hey Guys, last year I made a post about whether I should transfer to Northwestern or Carleton. I applied last year and didn’t get in when I had a gpa above a 3.5 at a 3.74 so I can confidently say that while it was easier to get in before it’s much harder now. However, I applied again this year to the Weinberg CAS at Northwestern and did get in with a gpa that’s like above a 3.8 (I have like a 3.95 GPA this year), and some really good internships cause of my current school. I’m happy at the school and am wondering if I should transfer or not, the only thing making me want to leave is my brother is at the school and I want to reunite with him as it was always our goal to graduate together. Also, I’m planning to apply for med school and Carleton has a really good pre-med enviornment, same with NU. I was wondering what I should do? Thank you
Also, I know people at Carleton with 3.9+ GPA (I know 3-4 people that had that and didn’t get in) that didn’t get into NU for transfer so it is absolutely much harder to transfer now to NU from Carleton than a couple years ago.
Stay at Carleton if that’s where you are now. You’re doing well and I don’t understand why you’d want to jeopardize your chances by transferring.
The bit about your brother sounds like a very personal thing so I am not sure what us strangers can tell you about that. I will say that hopefully you have a lifetime together, so the stakes for this one thing would seem to be low. But in the end only you can say how much that would mean to you.
Did you intend to write: “or remain at Carleton College?”
If you are happy at your current school (Carleton College ?), then stay.
Thank you to everyone for your replies. Sorry for the confusions, I wrote the wrong title and it was supposed to be or stay at Carleton. I’m thinking about staying at Carleton to be honest but I kind of want a city life and to meet up with my brother and graduate with him.
Would this help? I think you spend time in DC and Mumbai as well as various towns.
Could you also try and get an internship or a job in a big city? For instance, what are you doing this summer - and in the summer after junior could you volunteer in clinics or shelters in the Cities (if Carleton doesn’t have enough funds to support you for that, could a part time job alleviate funding issues, perhaps a low level position in a lab or something)?
Thank you for your reply and for your help. I got an internship over winter at a very good medical centre for research. However, a part of me does not like how small the city feels the entire year (to a certain extent it’s not that fun as NU)
Since you are familiar with both schools, this should be a personal decision. You seem drawn to Northwestern and, clearly, you are familiar with your current school and its location. Nothing that you have shared suggests that you will miss your current school. You want to experience more from your undergraduate experience which is something that I understand quite well.
Personally I think the quarter system is tough for pre meds. Unless you are double majoring I think the quicker pace at NU is a negative. My vote would be to stay at Carleton.
I think for me, I’m going to miss my friends and the profs. However, I called my twin and he really wanted me to go to Northwestern with me (he transferred from Carleton to NU the year before when I didn’t get in lol)
That’s fair, the only thing is Carleton is also basically a quarter as it’s 3 ten week trimesters
If your plan wasn’t to apply to Med School, it would not be so risky - you risk losing your shot because you’ll need to build new relationships with professors, access to volunteering and internships .. when others had 2 years of head start over you.
(In one way it’s nice your brother is there because he’ll help you settle in and thus be less socially isolating than transferring can be, but another risk is having his friends be your friends by default.)
While Evanston is much closer to Chicago than Northfield is to the Twin Cities, it’s still about 45mn by bus/subway. How often does your brother go to Chicago and does he have a car? Having a car would make a difference.
I understand wanting a change of environment when you’re in a small town, which is why I suggested the “study abroad for premeds” program listed upthread. Ask your adviser if there are study abroad programs in big cities and appropriate for your major and premed aspirations.
Ultimately, imagine if you don’t get into med school because you transferred and couldn’t re establish yourself;
Then, imagine if you stayed at Carleton and didn’t get into med school;
Which would be worse in your opinion?
(Considering you’re currently in the best position for med school from Carleton so the risks aren’t equivalent/as likely).
The above is not really accurate as NU students take public transportation to Chicago and many NU students venture to Chicago frequently. A car might even be a hindrance for those going to Chicago frequently due to parking and due to the excellent public transportation available.
Chicago is an exciting city and a great resource.
100% agree. A car is a giant pain unless you are going into the city first thing Sunday morning when there is nothing going on.
For those unfamiliar with Chicago, there is more to the city than the touristy downtown/loop area (which you can still get to in 30 minutes via metra from Evanston and there is the purple line express during rush hour).
Lots of NU students hang in the northern city neighborhoods - Lake View, Andersonville, Wrigley, etc… NU is less than 2 miles from the Chicago city limits.
I know you can hop on and go to Chicago through public transportation, which is a GREAT benefit so I apologize if I gave the impression a car was necessary. (I based this on going from Northwestern to UChic. Thinking back it wasn’t really relevant 
but I didn’t realize that while writing.)
I do think the question “how often does your brother go into the city/to Chicago” is a legitimate question - it is NOT meant to be snarky but a real question so that OP can evaluate whether it’s a key criterion or not and whether it makes a difference in their decision.
It’s important because, brother aside (a criterion that we can’t/shouldn’t evaluate), Carleton’s main downside is its location in a small college town, so that proximity to a metropolis could justify jeopardizing the med school path.
I think OP is okay taking a chance at a change in environment even if it fragilizes the med school path they’re on, but it’s something not to be discounted that needs to be thought through.
I know/knew NU students who went to Chicago multiple times each week via public transportation. Some had internships, but most were headed to NU’s law school several times each week. Although many have/had a car on campus, driving would have added the additional headache of parking.
Just to talk about getting into Chicago from NU…it’s doable yes. But…the metra and the “L” stops are not that close to campus. It’s a minimum 15 minute walk and can be as long as 30 minutes to the metra davis station or the few close to campus ‘L’ train stops on the purple line, depending on where you are leaving from campus. If one has to get into the downtown Chicago area, one would take the metra because the “L” train takes too long and they are less timely. But, one would take the “L” train if going to NU’s Chicago campus (law/business/medical) in Streeterville (which is far from the Ogilvie center where the metra train ends up.) Of course one can use uber now too, which, if in the budget, can make sense to either get to the public transport stops and/or get into the city.
I’m not saying it makes sense to get a car if you are a student at NU because of the hassle and expense, but I would not call the the public transport easy or fast either. It’s definitely not the ease it is getting elsewhere in the city from say, Loyola’s campus. I’ve commuted from both campuses (NU as a Kellogg student) and also lived near Loyola’s campus. And I won’t even mention that it’s cold/not warm most of the time school is in session. It’s still not reliably warm here (defining warm as 70 degrees+) and it’s almost June.
I’m honestly not understanding your reason for wanting to transfer. Maybe your brother can transfer to Carleton? Kidding aside, nothing is broke, so don’t try to fix it. You are happy at a top college and have a great GPA.
Why can’t you and your brother have some kind of amazing weekend celebration? Do you seek your brother’s approval, or are you trying to accommodate him in some way?
Ask your brother if he is happy for you to uproot yourself for no clear benefit. There are risks associated with transferring, especially in a situation such as yours when you are currently in a good position. Your grades might take a real hit. You have to rebuild your relationships with new professors. You will be scrambling to find new opportunities as a junior transfer. You might find yourself without a solid friend group, which isn’t good for mental health. (To add, don’t assume your brother’s friends will become your friends.) I’m just wondering why you would even consider this when there isn’t a compelling reason to do so.
It’s been high 50’s, low 60’s and LOTS of rain and damp here in the Northeast as well. This is not a Chicago phenomenon! We had ONE day which was described as “seasonally appropriate”, i.e. sun, warm enough to walk around without a fleece of some kind!