To the Editor:
As someone who spent $25 for my first transfer term and $1,100 for my second, I feel strongly that the increase in "application processing" fees for transfer terms is highly restrictive. Effectively, the registrar is punishing attempts to seek academic experiences outside the realm of Dartmouth study abroad programs ("Some students prefer transfer terms to FSPs," Feb. 7). The fact is, transfer terms can be much more valuable than Dartmouth programs. Both of my transfer terms were scientific research programs that allowed me to do independent research in areas of study that Dartmouth programs do not cover.
Another example of the value of transfer terms is the study of foreign languages. In most LSAs, students only take classes with other Dartmouth students and often treat the language pledge as a joke. There is no incentive to make connections outside the Dartmouth program, and thereby students only learn the language at a superficial level. For this reason, LSAs tend to cater to students who are looking for an easy experience abroad. For students who wish to be truly integrated in a foreign culture and immersed in its language, a transfer term at a foreign university is infinitely more valuable.
If the transfer fee had been $2,200, as it is now for most terms, I would have been unable to do either of my transfer terms. The registrar has established a troubling precedent by charging students for "the cost of not having someone here" on campus. Isn't it enough to be charged to be here?
Matthew Pickart '13
