A few questions about transferring & reverse transferring (convincing my parents)...

Transfer Students
1

this is really long, I apologize

So I finally convinced my parents to let me transfer out of the university I currently attend rn (I’m a freshman at a private 4-year). I’m going to transfer to Cal Lutheran fall 2017. However, I really don’t think I can handle another semester at my current university. My classes stress me out so much, my roommate stresses me out (she’s a super overachiever and always talks down on me when I say I haven’t finished my work yet. Like, I KNOW I have to finish it. I’ll get it done. And she’s like, insane about her grades. She thinks a 90 on a paper is bad, and that’s been my highest grade so far. AND we’re in an honors college, like jesus fucking christ.) My school is also Christian, and I’m not religious, like, at all. We’re required to go to chapel 3 times a week and if we miss too many, we’re put on academic probation. I don’t have any close friends yet. I’m kinda friends with one girl in my hall, but even still, I constantly feel lonely and miserable and depressed all the time. I just don’t feel connected to my university and would really rather not spend another semester here. Which is why I wanna reverse transfer and go to the community college where I live. My parents are like, super against this idea though, and say community college is for “losers” or “people who didn’t do well in high school” (which isn’t true, I have a lot of friends going to CC who were salutatorians/valedictorians at my high school) or for people who are “lazy”. My mom thinks I’m lazy just because I don’t want to continue at my current university and because I briefly mentioned to her about wanting to change my major (I don’t anymore). So basically, my first question is: how can I convince my parents to let me do a winter term & spring term at the community college where I live? I was planning to sign up for intersession 2017 (if they let me) which goes from Jan. 3rd - Feb. 6th to get ahead on some credits and then do the regular spring 2017 term. I was also going to tell them that going to CC can save a shit ton of money, especially since CLU is expensive (not too much more expensive than my current university, but it IS expensive). I was also gonna tell them how I feel about my current school. If they let me go to CC, I was also planning to find a job (maybe 2) to save up even more money and help pay.

My mom is really worried that I’m gonna graduate late though even if I transfer once next year. I know if I even bring up the idea of going to CC, she’ll freak out. I told her earlier that I wanted to graduate early, but that was only because I hate my current school and didn’t wanna be stuck here for the next 3 1/2 years, but now that I’m transferring, I’m fine with not graduating early. So, if I transfer from my current school back to a CC for winter & spring 2017 term, then CLU for the next 3 years, would I graduate late? I was also planning to take summer classes at my CC, too, which my parents already said I can do. If I don’t end up going to CC and just end up finishing spring semester at my university (along with taking summer classes at CC) then transferring to CLU, would I end up graduating late?

Also, how much money would doing all this “waste”? That’s another thing that my mom’s concerned about.

One last question (I’d probably have to just ask my CC about this, but I guess it doesn’t hurt to post it on here, you know?) - can credits from a community college transfer over to CLU? I know this sounds kinda dumb, but I’m not sure that the classes I take at my specific CC will transfer.

Sorry that this is so long lol.

2

I don’t know the answers to your specific transfer questions (those would best be discussed with CLU) but instead of taking classes at CC, why not just work for the next 8 months and then pick up your education in the fall of 2017? You will be able to save a lot of money during that time if you’re living at home. And if you graduate “late”, it doesn’t matter since you will still have only attended 4 years of college, correct?

3

@jiilpnk, I’d honestly love to just work for the next 8 months, but that’s not an option with my parents. They’ll think I want to “drop out” or that I’ll never go back to college. Idk about the whole graduating late thing, lol.

4

Perhaps you can convince them otherwise…if you are officially enrolled for Fall 2017 in CLU and have a job lined up in the meantime, maybe that would convince them.

5

Unless you are on a massive scholarship and you current school is free, you and your parents are likely to save a boatload of money if you are at a CC or working. Put it to them that way. A semester off to gain a bit of work experience, contemplate your longer term career goals, and detox from your current negative environment would be a very good thing.

6

@jillpnk - Hopefully. I’m planning to tell them that I’m willing to work 2 jobs while taking intersession and spring classes at CC if they let me. That way, they’ll save a lot of money not paying for my current university for spring term (since my current university is also really expensive), and I can help pay for CLU next year.

@happymomof1 - I have a few scholarships to my school, but nothing massive. It’s still expensive. I’m hoping that they realize how much money they’ll save with me going to CC & working, but they’re REALLY hard to convince. They don’t see it as saving money, they see it as me being lazy since I want to go to CC. /:

7

Then tell them that you want to work for that semester off. There really is no need for you to be in school at all.

8

Wondering how things worked out for you.

9

@calmom17 I convinced them to let me transfer after my first year was over :slight_smile:

10

To answer one of your earlier questions, CLU has articulation agreements with a number of community colleges to aid in getting class credit, With regard to other 4 year university’s transfer class credit… make sure you have all of your class syllabi. Their articulation counselor may want to see them before giving you credit. If they waiver… you may need to get an ok from the appropriate department dean/chairman. I.e, math or English. They have specific forms that department can fill out in those cases.

11

If you don’t like christian schools why are you transferring to Cal Lutheran?

Either way the previous posters are right. There’s no sense spending a ton of money to go to your current school if you could go to CC and save a bunch of money.

12

@calmom17 What if I don’t have the syllabi for specific classes?

@philbegas My parents don’t see it that way and I’ve already made them upset enough by leaving my first university, I basically have to go where they want me to go. I’d rather go to CC but they’re paying and they “won’t pay for CC.” Oh well, I don’t really care anymore, I’m just gonna try to get through it and graduate then I’ll be done

13

Question: Hasn’t Cal Lutheran already evaluated your transcripts from previous university yet? If not, contact them to see what they will or will not accept at this point first. You should be able to get catalog descriptions of classes you took online so you can start there. What college classes have you already completed?

14

@calmom17, I honestly don’t know if they have, maybe they did, maybe they didn’t. I’ve taken 4 psychology classes, bio + bio lab, statistics, and 2 “honors” classes that they offered at my previous university (idk if these will transfer).

15

You usually can get a copy of the syllabus by emailing the instructor of the course. Sometimes they can be accessed online by searching for the course name at that college/university. In one case I wasn’t able to do that as the professor was long gone, and the course had changed significantly over the years, but a plea to our program alumni FB page got me a copy.

16

@Happymomof1 I’ll try looking online first & if I can’t find them, I’ll email my professors. Thank you

17

How did things work out?