<p>I started college at my local T2 state school when I was fifteen and screwed up my grades. I dropped out of college, worked for a few years, got married, and had kids. I'm 25 now, and I have about 54 credits. I know my gpa is too low to get into any of the top schools... so what range should I be aiming for instead? My family is pretty much willing to move anywhere with me, but I'm hoping to live in the northeast/mid-atlantic area.</p>
<p>what state do u reside? if you lived in cali, u could pretty much apply to any UC.</p>
<p>you could probably be accepted to almost any flagship state school as a transfer, if that's what you want to do.</p>
<p>oos to UVA, Michigan, or some of the Cal schools might be the exception</p>
<p>i would go to a local CC for a semester, just to wrack up some recent credits and some grades. It'd be alot more impressive applying with a 3.8 after a semester at a CC than a 3.2 from a T2 school you want to years ago before dropping out.</p>
<p>that's what i'm doing right now... </p>
<p>do i have a shot at NYU (the liberal arts college) or BU? What about Syracuse or Case Western?</p>
<p>did you finish high school at 15?</p>
<p>yeah. i skipped a grade in elementary school and then i graduated early from high school.</p>
<p>i think you have a shot both at NYU and BU and also an even better shot at Syracuse and Case Western, especially if you make a good app</p>
<p>What are your financial constraints? How much can you afford to pay for college? How do you plan to finance your education? These may be deciding factors for you.</p>
<p>That is a problem -- scratch NYU, I don't think I can afford to pay for it (especially since I heard they're extremely bad with aid). I plan to work, obviously, though I'm hoping to get some financial aid as well.</p>
<p>I think your search will need to be a little different from most transfers.</p>
<p>First, I suggest you search USN&WR or collegeboard.com. Look at schools in the areas that interest you (see below), with majors that interest you and the size that you like, etc. Calculate your EFC. Go to each school's Admissions website and click on Transfer Admissions. Look at their financial aid policies - do they meet 100% of need for transfers, or a high enough % of need that will work for you.</p>
<p>If your spouse plans to work, choose locales where job prospects are good in that field. If your kids are school-age, or will be soon, take into account quality of the public schools.</p>