Expert: Sue Kayton - 9/5/2010

Question
Dear Ms. Kayton,

I am currently a freshman computer science major at a large public university in the South.  After spending a few weeks at my school, I've begun to realize that it might not have been the best decision for me.  Therefore, I am considering transferring to another university at the end of the year.

Of course, I understand the magnitude of such a decision, and so I am giving careful, sober thought to the matter between now and application time.  One of the major points I'm having to consider, of course, is the cost of attending a new school as a transfer student.  Most schools that I have researched do not offer substantial transfer scholarship opportunities, and those that do make offers would guarantee only about half the cost of tuition in my case.

Receiving any scholarship would be better than receiving nothing, of course, but as a National Merit Scholar who received a full ride from his current university, I would need to see far more than half tuition to go through with a transfer.  The problem is, I cannot know how many scholarships I will actually receive until I am accepted, and possibly enrolled (am I right?) in my target university, and I currently have no outside scholarships to offset any differences.

To avoid potential backlash should I decide to stay where I am, I would rather not discuss these thoughts with my advisers until I have had some time to seriously think about my plans.  In the meantime, do you have any professional advice for me about getting the best offers in the transfer process, or getting a good estimate for a scholarship package from a particular school?  Also, how might the fact that I transferred -- and my final choice of undergraduate school -- affect my graduate school admissions prospects, and my ability to find a job?  Thank you!

(p.s., my GPA is 3.85)


Answer
What do you dislike about your current school that is making you think about leaving?  What do you like about your current school?  Make a list of pros and cons, and post it here.  Which university are you at now?

Many colleges offer need-based scholarships that are based strictly on need.  Would you qualify for a need-based scholarship at one of these colleges?  Depending on the level of need, it can end up costing only the price of food to attend college.  Or if you have no need, you get no scholarship.  Generally, the more academically rigorous colleges offer need-based colleges.  Do you want to work hard enough, and do you have the standardized test scores to go to one of these more rigorous colleges?