transferring undergrad

mommy2three2 · Aug 12, 2008

I can not speak for the difficulty of the programs, but I imagine the one difference that you will find is if you are in a smaller school now you may be in for an adjustment as far as transferring to a larger school where the culture is very different.

WayneStateKatie · Aug 12, 2008

Having attended 5 (yes really 5 colleges but the first 3 were when I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life...) I can tell you that the difficulty of classes and expectations are VERY different at different schools. I'm going to preface this by saying I'm not trying to brag or sound arrogant about my academics-- I am trying to give the OP an idea of different expectations for grades that I have encountered at different institutions.

I started off going to a very prestigious school in DC (when I went it was ranked 14 in the US. Think ivy but it's not an ivy). I had excellent grades in high school and was a national merit finalist. It was humbling to attend this school and have what would previously earn me As earn B-s.

I transferred to a school in Ohio (and LOVED it) and again the expectations were very different. Very highly regarded small liberal arts school. Work that would previously be A work would end up in the B+ range.

I'll skip over art school (though it's where I really excelled despite all other students struggling with time management)

I took some time to think about what I really wanted to do in life. During that time I took courses at community college near me I was able to put in little to no effort in my classes and pull 98-100%s as well as hateful glances from fellow students.

Now at a big state university (picked it because now I'm married and it's close to my house. I no longer have the luxury of picking up and moving wherever on a whim) I don't put in nearly as much effort as I did at my first two colleges and manage to pull all As (except that one B+ :rolleyes: The instructor had a very thick accent and I'm an auditory learner) Papers that would have gotten a C if they were lucky at my first two schools routinely garner As and compliments from my teachers.... I was in the 25% of eligible applicants admitted to the nursing program this fall and am very excited to finally start nursing school.

So in summary have I experienced different expectations at different colleges-- oh hell yes. Did they all offer a different environment? Definitely, and I liked some more than others at different points and stages of my life.

I am not going to be able to tell you that there will be a huge difference of difficulty between the program you're considering switching to and your current school, but it is a possibility as difficulty does vary from school to school. As to whether it matters where you graduate from, it's probably not going to matter. There is such a nursing shortage in most areas of the country that they will just see you as having a bachelors no matter where it was obtained. Pick whichever school you think will be a better fit for you. There is no point to stay somewhere you're miserable.

I wish you the best and hopefully your transfer to UConn will go smoothly if that's where you decide you want to go. Good Luck.

justme1972 · Aug 12, 2008

I would advise you to finish the program where you are and not give up your spot.

Because of the vast waiting lists at different colleges, transfers are difficult primarily because they only admit "as space comes available"...the problem is, that's fine and dandy, but the space never comes available.