Transfer schools for Creative writing and History

[Anonymous]

Washington University in St. Louis
University of Iowa
Emory
University of Michigan
Swarthmore

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She did none of her homework about the location or academic departments before enrolling at Kenyon. Now she’s outsourcing her transfer search to mom, who is outsourcing it to internet anons.

I predict this will not go well.

Better off staying at Kenyon.

I’m just looking for suggestions to bring to her. She didn’t ask for my input, but seems quite disillusioned from her first year. Not everything needs to be so cut and dry.

Also, yes, she messed up on location, because we toured and she thought she could handle it for four years, but things don’t always work out. My undergrad was in Williamstown, trust I wasn’t always happy about it, even if it was initially idyllic.

Lastly, Kenyon is known for its creative writing programs and alum, so that’s what attracted her. She gained an interest in history subsequently.

Why any of this had to be said, I don’t know, but it’s very telling of your character to go on the offense so brazenly.

She hasn’t learned anything from her failure and neither have you.

Very telling of your character that you’re whining about people being mean to you rather than admitting your kid effed up and is on track to eff up again.

My child is fine. You seem to be miserable at your own pathetic life however.

Your child has failed to do her homework and is still failing but she’s fine… that’s why her mom is asking the internet for help, lmao.

Here’s a helpful hint for you - your kid is not going to upgrade via transfer. If she were the kind of student who could get into Pomona, she would already be there. You should really be looking at less selective schools than Kenyon, not more selective.

We get it joker. Seriously, what an overreactive message for a very typical post about transferring. Most kids have periods of regret and slip on their research, it's very normal. It's hard to understand college until you've gone.

OP I'm sure your child is great. As long as she's kept her record up at Kenyon, she will likely be able to transfer to various other LACs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She did none of her homework about the location or academic departments before enrolling at Kenyon. Now she’s outsourcing her transfer search to mom, who is outsourcing it to internet anons.

I predict this will not go well.

Better off staying at Kenyon.

I’m just looking for suggestions to bring to her. She didn’t ask for my input, but seems quite disillusioned from her first year. Not everything needs to be so cut and dry.

Also, yes, she messed up on location, because we toured and she thought she could handle it for four years, but things don’t always work out. My undergrad was in Williamstown, trust I wasn’t always happy about it, even if it was initially idyllic.

Lastly, Kenyon is known for its creative writing programs and alum, so that’s what attracted her. She gained an interest in history subsequently.

Why any of this had to be said, I don’t know, but it’s very telling of your character to go on the offense so brazenly.

She hasn’t learned anything from her failure and neither have you.

Very telling of your character that you’re whining about people being mean to you rather than admitting your kid effed up and is on track to eff up again.

My child is fine. You seem to be miserable at your own pathetic life however.

Your child has failed to do her homework and is still failing but she’s fine… that’s why her mom is asking the internet for help, lmao.

Here’s a helpful hint for you - your kid is not going to upgrade via transfer. If she were the kind of student who could get into Pomona, she would already be there. You should really be looking at less selective schools than Kenyon, not more selective.

What a miserable person you must be.

[Anonymous]

Perhaps somewhat ironic but did she tour Denison when she looked at Kenyon ?

Granville has a very nice feel - the mall at Easton is cool and Columbus is 20 minutes away.

Perhaps something to consider.

Good luck to your daughter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has she looked into Pomona? Really tough admit, but they have great history outcomes and they recently spotlighted two seniors in the history department winning their masters fellowship at Cambridge: https://www.pomona.edu/news/2024/06/12-downing-scholarship-funds-leo-alaghband-24-and-zongqi-tim-zhai-24-study-cambridge

Their history faculty looks particularly strong and the department has its own grants and research support for students. Not sure about the english department.

Another good suggestion if she's a very dedicated student is Reed College. The history faculty is robust and the english department is pretty notable and popular. Very strange social culture however.

She has been looking into Pomona, but she is being realistic. Reed is an interesting option she has not considered, though I'd love any info you or anyone has about the "strange social culture."

Reed is known to be full of smart yet druggie students with a hippie / earthy vibe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best for rigorous academics and a truly intellectual environment, Swarthmore is the best in the east, and maybe the best anywhere. But it's small and I assume impossible to get into as a transfer student. And pretty intense.

Two other great choices that should be somewhat easier admits. Wesleyan, particularly if she can get into the school of social studies program. And Bryn Mawr .BM is even smaller than Kenyon, but it's certainly not isolated and doesn't have the prepsters and frat boys running around.

I'm sure it will be a relief to leave Kenyon!

These are all great suggestions, but sadly she really wants to avoid the northeast, so Wesleyan is off the table. She has swarthmore on the list, but Bryn Mawr and Haverford are being added from this forum!

You said your kid is interested in Boston.

Tufts

[Anonymous]

At the risk of attack from the naysayers on this Board, think about UChicago. The creative writing program is very nice and they do accept transfers. I know the midwest is not her preference but otherwise is sounds like it checks many of her boxes unless she really hates cold.

[Anonymous]

Is this to transfer in 2025? Isn't it too late for fall 2024?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bucknell offers a similar liberal arts education and has similar selectivity and rigor to Kenyon, but it's a larger school with more opportunities and better job prospects, including a strong pipeline to The Street.

Which is what every creative writing and history kid is concerned about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She did none of her homework about the location or academic departments before enrolling at Kenyon. Now she’s outsourcing her transfer search to mom, who is outsourcing it to internet anons.

I predict this will not go well.

Better off staying at Kenyon.

Not if OP’s DD is miserable there. What about Oberlin? Denison? Miami U? I agree with the other suggestions in neighboring states, Macalester, Carlton, and of course U Chicago, which also has an excellent English department and CW program. I’m curious about your DD’s displeasure with Kenyon, other than its location. English and Creative Writing are the College’s “crown jewels” and I’ve only heard great things about their humanities programs and social science programs. Best of luck to your DD and kudos to her having the courage to change course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She did none of her homework about the location or academic departments before enrolling at Kenyon. Now she’s outsourcing her transfer search to mom, who is outsourcing it to internet anons.

I predict this will not go well.

Better off staying at Kenyon.

Not if OP’s DD is miserable there. What about Oberlin? Denison? Miami U? I agree with the other suggestions in neighboring states, Macalester, Carlton, and of course U Chicago, which also has an excellent English department and CW program. I’m curious about your DD’s displeasure with Kenyon, other than its location. English and Creative Writing are the College’s “crown jewels” and I’ve only heard great things about their humanities programs and social science programs. Best of luck to your DD and kudos to her having the courage to change course.

There's a really small amount of space for her major in Creative Writing, and she's actually struggled a bit to get the pre-req classes, which really was a surprise to me. You used to need to apply, but now it is based off course registration time. She also feels there's not much overall support for the humanities (this likely won't change no matter where she goes), but she's looking for a place that has more talks and outside academics coming in and lecturing. And the overenrollment has really gotten to her, and apparently living conditions are terrible.

[Anonymous]

She could probably switch to Pitt for next school year. They take transfers. It’s urban and bigger, obviously. It depends how much she wants to just get out of there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She did none of her homework about the location or academic departments before enrolling at Kenyon. Now she’s outsourcing her transfer search to mom, who is outsourcing it to internet anons.

I predict this will not go well.

Better off staying at Kenyon.

Not if OP’s DD is miserable there. What about Oberlin? Denison? Miami U? I agree with the other suggestions in neighboring states, Macalester, Carlton, and of course U Chicago, which also has an excellent English department and CW program. I’m curious about your DD’s displeasure with Kenyon, other than its location. English and Creative Writing are the College’s “crown jewels” and I’ve only heard great things about their humanities programs and social science programs. Best of luck to your DD and kudos to her having the courage to change course.

There's a really small amount of space for her major in Creative Writing, and she's actually struggled a bit to get the pre-req classes, which really was a surprise to me. You used to need to apply, but now it is based off course registration time. She also feels there's not much overall support for the humanities (this likely won't change no matter where she goes), but she's looking for a place that has more talks and outside academics coming in and lecturing. And the overenrollment has really gotten to her, and apparently living conditions are terrible.

I wouldn’t want to go to a small school in the middle of nowhere either, but aren’t freshmen going to have a hard time getting preferred classes anywhere? It’s the case at my child’s SLAC too.

She sounds unhappy, but it also sounds like she has so many complaints that it’s hard to offer solid suggestions—it sounds like she hates the size, the location, the dorms/food, the course offerings (at a school known for strength on that department), the peer group, and the “lack of support for the humanities.” That’s a lot.

Are you sure it’s not about something personal/traumatic? It would be easier to write a good transfer narrative if she had fewer reasons rather than a million.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She could probably switch to Pitt for next school year. They take transfers. It’s urban and bigger, obviously. It depends how much she wants to just get out of there.

My dd just graduated from Pitt with a history degree. She loved the department. There are not a ton of history majors and the professors are making a concerted effort to try to attract more students. She has several professors who are serving as references.

Caveat: she did transfer to Pitt from a smaller liberal arts school and said that she thinks her classes were more rigorous at her first school. That being said, she does not regret transferring and had a fabulous experience at Pitt.

However, it certainly is not an elite school and it sounds like you both want a top name.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She did none of her homework about the location or academic departments before enrolling at Kenyon. Now she’s outsourcing her transfer search to mom, who is outsourcing it to internet anons.

I predict this will not go well.

Better off staying at Kenyon.

Not if OP’s DD is miserable there. What about Oberlin? Denison? Miami U? I agree with the other suggestions in neighboring states, Macalester, Carlton, and of course U Chicago, which also has an excellent English department and CW program. I’m curious about your DD’s displeasure with Kenyon, other than its location. English and Creative Writing are the College’s “crown jewels” and I’ve only heard great things about their humanities programs and social science programs. Best of luck to your DD and kudos to her having the courage to change course.

There's a really small amount of space for her major in Creative Writing, and she's actually struggled a bit to get the pre-req classes, which really was a surprise to me. You used to need to apply, but now it is based off course registration time. She also feels there's not much overall support for the humanities (this likely won't change no matter where she goes), but she's looking for a place that has more talks and outside academics coming in and lecturing. And the overenrollment has really gotten to her, and apparently living conditions are terrible.

I wouldn’t want to go to a small school in the middle of nowhere either, but aren’t freshmen going to have a hard time getting preferred classes anywhere? It’s the case at my child’s SLAC too.

She sounds unhappy, but it also sounds like she has so many complaints that it’s hard to offer solid suggestions—it sounds like she hates the size, the location, the dorms/food, the course offerings (at a school known for strength on that department), the peer group, and the “lack of support for the humanities.” That’s a lot.

Are you sure it’s not about something personal/traumatic? It would be easier to write a good transfer narrative if she had fewer reasons rather than a million.

Part of it is me trying (and failing) to translate a moody teen. Kenyon purposely keeps a small numbers and class size to intro creative writing to effectively cap the majors, so all the amazing classes you'd want, you cannot get unless you can pierce through this cap. Her list currently has Uchicago, Pomona, Reed, Tufts, Davidson, Haverford, Bryn Mawr, and Macalester, which is pretty reasonable and most would solve her complaints. There's a few articles about the creative writing resources (or lack-thereof) at Kenyon.