I go to a small, private university in the pacific northwest with Christian affiliation. My majors are Development Economics/French. GPA: 3.6. ACT: 30. Looking to go into economics research for a career, and eventually get an econ PhD.
I'm going into my senior year at this institution. Thanks to diligence and shrewd credit scheduling, I have the opportunity to graduate one quarter early, effectively finishing my degrees in less than four years while also having studied abroad. I am, however, considering transferring, and I'd love 1) the blunt opinion of people who don't know me on the internet and 2) any advice people may have from having been in this situation.
My school is a respectable regional school. It is not prestigious, and frankly I worry that it's Christian affiliation will negatively affect my grad school and job applications. The coursework isn't very rigorous for me, leaving me uninspired. Moreover, my academic interests have changed significantly in the past year, shifting to wanting to do more economics research--something not readily available at my school (at least, not robust research. Small smatterings of independent studies are). I don't particularly want to stay in the PNW, and I'm far from home in Kansas.
Would there be any sense in me taking a quarter off for internship and jobs, maybe some community college coursework, and then transferring to another institution that is more well-known, and might have stronger research opportunities? My reasonings seem superficial to me--location, name brand prestige, desiring a structured research program rather than making my own--yet I can't get the idea out of my head.
The grass is always greener on the other side, I know. And logically, staying makes sense. Yet the idea remains in my thoughts. Has anyone been in such a situation, with similar motives? Feel free to speak frankly about my little 'crisis,' I know it can come across as a bit cavalier.
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