'10 high school graduate with questions

Applying to College
1

<p>I just graduated highschool this June and have some questions and would love any input.</p>

<p>I have been homeschooled all through highschool and was able to graduate as a 16 year old (I won't being turning 17 till the end of August). Because I am sort of young, I've decided to attend a local community college for the 2010-2011 school year, then attend an actual 4 year college/university in the fall of 2011. Now that I'm sure that I'll just be going to a community college this year, I'm not sure if I should enroll as a full time freshman student and transfer as a sophomore next year; or just take a couple classes then start as a freshman at whatever college or university I end up going to in '11.</p>

<p>I've heard that it is easier to get accepted into a college as a sophomore, especially if you get good grades as a freshman, but it is sometimes difficult to transfer credits over, especially if you go to a private college. I've also heard that you get less financial aid and scholarships if you apply as a sophomore. So, would it be better just to take two or three classes at the community college this year and start as a freshman next year; or would it be worth it to get some core courses done now, and transfer as a sophomore? </p>

<p>I will be applying this fall to university of new hampshire, holy cross, st. anselms, assumption college and probably some more, I'm a little behind in the college search, lol. </p>

<p>my other question is about grad school. I will be going to college as pre-dental and will eventually go to dental school after I graduate. I'm wondering how important is it to be in a prestigious college as opposed to a state college to medical/dental schools. I know that it is very exclusive to get accepted to a good dental school (harvard - which only accepts 30 students each year - BU, tufts etc.) so I imagine you will have better chances getting accepted if you went to holy cross as opposed to UNH. But is it worth the extra $30,000/year?</p>

<p>Anyways, would love to hear any advice!</p>

2

<p>Each college has it’s own definition of who qualifies to apply as a fr vs. transfer. For some, if you have completed less than a year of post-HS college, you will still be considered a fr applicant. However, others consider you a transfer if you have taken ONE post-HS college course. So, you need to check the websites of college you’re interested in to see how they would classify you if you took CC courses.</p>

<p>Many schools have lower acceptance rates for transfer than for fr admissions, there’s not a universal rule. I’m not familiar with the schools you’ve listed. You can find fr and transfer admissions rates on the College Board, College Search website or on Common Data Sets.</p>

3

<p>Research what colleges/unis you are interested in! They most definitely do have different a large impact on your path of action. Expensive schools are not always best in my opinion, it’s not such a good idea to pay THAT much for undergrad if your parents can’t afford (or generally…:P). There is always the option of transferring to the Honors program of less selective colleges.</p>

4

<p>It’s never a good idea to pay $30K extra per year for a school, particularly if you wish to go to further schooling (dental school).</p>

5

<p>thanks for the responses. I will definitely be talking to admissions officers about freshman vs. sophomore acceptance. The more I’ve researched it, I think I will just take a couple of classes at a CC this year and apply as a freshman for the '11 semester. </p>

<p>I do love Holy Cross, especially its smaller size (only around 2,000 students) and great reputation, but UNH is looking very appealing with its tuition only costing about less than half of HC!</p>