Anyone ever done a transfer in college?`
 

I'm a student at Alma College in michigan, but I think I want to transfer to the University of Michigan. I thought I would like the small private setting a lot more than I really do. I was just wondering if anyone had done a similar transfer (small school to large school) and if they have any advice? Oh, and im a freshman looking to transfer next year if that helps.

Before you take the plunge, check to see how many of your credits transfer. You may decide to stay where you are.

If money and time isn't a factor, and you truly enjoy the school you want to transfer to, then go for it. There's NOTHING worse than being stuck at a place you are miserable at. If money is a factor (like paying for your own college) and time is a factor, then you may want to stay at your current college if the credits don't transfer over. I was going to transfer from my current college to my girlfriend's college, but many of my credits wouldn't transfer, plus the fact that I'm a sophomore and she's a senior. She'd be gone after one year of us being together. Easier/less costly/less stressful for me to simply stay at my current college. It's all dependant on your own personal situation.

-Lasereth

Getting accepted can be a challenge, also. I know that the University of Washington requires something like a 3.7 GPA if you're transferring from a private school.

It is pretty easy to find out how many credits transfer. I did a transfer from Texas Christian University to the University of Oklahoma, and they accepted every credit. We got kind of original in assigning certain courses against pre-requisites, but I ended up graduating in 4 years anyway. I never regretted it. I hated the school I was at and ended up with a life-long love of the Univ. of OK.

Cost is one of the major concerns for transferring. Im going to a private school (25k a year) and would be transferring to a public school, and since im a resident of Michigan, it would be almost half the price. I get a lot of scholarships where i'm currently going, but I still take 12k a year in loans. I will look into credit transfers, thanks guys.

I went from Rutgers to NYU. My advice is to have all your papers in order, and get real friendly with people who's reccomendations will matter. Have the transcripts, letters, and application, and photocopy it. Twice. The only real thing that matters in college is how happy you are, unless you're in law or med.

Why unless you're in med? (doing pre-med)

Make sure you get "official" transcripts to the right people.
They have to be sealed (unopened by you).
Make sure this is all excepted when you apply.

Make sure all the credits transfer for the school
Make sure all the credits transfer for the department/degree you're in.
There's a difference sometimes.

Find out after what credits are excepted, what is left over for your degree for that particular school.

The hoops you have to jump through are a pain in the ass sometimes.

i am just got done associates degree at a community college and i hated it. community college just sucked. i plan on transfering somewhere next fall, so i am on the path you are taking now, let us know how it turns out.

Definitely find out what's going to transfer over and what's not. And my congratulations if you actually get in to the U of M. I lived in Ann Arbor for a while last year, I wasn't going to school but I still got to hit up some of the parties. It's an awesome party school. Also, keep in mind cost of living if you're paying for that stuff yourself. Rent is obscene. My buddy was living in an 8' by 8' partition next to the furnace in the basement and he was paying over $600 a month. Of course, he had a reserve of about 12 brain cells, so maybe he just got screwed over. In any case, I know the rent is very high in general.

I'll be living in a dorm with my best friend of many years if I do go there. My mom is taking out loans for what I can't pay for, but I have to pay them off basically. I'm going to try and get a job at home depot over the summer, my friend make 5k over the summer there.

The only reason I didnt apply is because I didn't think I could get in, when it turns out I probably could have. 3.5 unweighted gpa and a 27 on the ACT from one of the top 50 public highschools in the nation. Plus, if I minor in music, i'm pretty talented at singing (my voice teacher is mad at me for not majoring in music, claiming I could be famous). I've been reading up and im pretty sure most of the credits im taking transfer, seeing as im only taking science, math and music at the moment, but i'm going to visit my friend in a few weeks and he says that there are counselors you can go see that are assigned especially for transfering students.

Pre-meds who don't focus from the very beginning become "I used to be pre-meds". Having to complete all the requirements for higher level courses, plus complete a music minor, will leave you with 0 time for anything else. College is unlike highschool, where you have someone riding your ass every day for homework, chapters completed, and book reports. Profs could care less.

I didn't really realize that. Thanks for the advice.