<p>I understand some large universities do this, but smaller schools doing this? thanks,but no thanks....has anyone accepted this invitation?</p>
<p>We have a neighbor who went this route two years ago for Maryland’s flagship. I personally think it is awful, but the neighbor took a semester of classes at our community college and hit the ground running in January. She also was a cute, gregarious blonde, who found it easy to make friends.</p>
<p>I know of a couple of kids who have gone to CC for a semester then started in the spring. They passed up fall start admits at other schools to do it
Both went to the same popular (but not flagship) state u. in our state A lot of kids from our town/high school go there so for spring semester starters it wasn’t like arriving in January and knowing no one.</p>
<p>Smaller schools are doing spring admits too.</p>
<p>One of D2’s high school friends was a spring admit at a small (<2000 students) LAC. She did her fall term abroad in France. The study abroad was organized by the college. Not sure she received any credits for the program.</p>
<p>D2’s research U (~5000 undergrads) also does spring admits. Spring admits cannot take college courses for credit while waiting to start at the U. Taking classes for credits invalidates their acceptance. I know the university runs a special spring admit orientation that starts a week before everyone comes back for spring semester.</p>
<p>S was offered a February admit from an Ivy with no guarantee of oncampus housing. It came in August while he was busy packing for a fine LAC. He thought it over for a few hours, made a few phone calls and declined. I was so surprised and had no advice to offer. His reasons for declining: didn’t want to spend autumn on campus not getting involved/not bonding at the LAC just waiting for February elsewhere; too late to make a good alternative plan for first term; eager to begin college; if he were stuck with offcampus housing that would only add to the difficulty of breaking in freshman year. He also felt optimistic about the LAC. In years since, having met graduates from both places, I’m certain he received an equivalent education. While flattering to come off a waitlist, the timing made the offer confusing and less than appealing. I’m very glad S knew his priorities in that moment.</p>
<p>DD had a friend, also gregarious and personable, who did a spring admit at Berkeley, it was no big deal at all once the fall term was over.</p>
<p>The universities likely do it for load-balancing, because there are usually more students in the fall than in the spring. Students who graduate in 7 or 9 semesters instead of 8 semesters are likely to have one more fall semester than they have spring semesters, and a student doing a co-op job during a spring semester may spend 5 fall and 3 spring semesters in school before graduation in 8 school semesters (9 calendar semesters including the co-op job).</p>
<p>For a spring admit, taking courses at a local community college in the fall may be a good option if allowed by the university – if they are all transferable and applicable to the student’s degree program, then it may be possible to spend only 7 semesters’ worth of four year university costs plus 1 semester of cheaper community college costs to complete the bachelor’s degree. (Berkeley allows spring admits to take courses at community colleges but not four year colleges before arriving in the spring. It also has an optional fall Extension program in Berkeley for spring admits; a limited selection of regular-campus-equivalent courses is offered.)</p>
<p>I only know one person who accepted this at an LAC with less than 2,000 students. She only lasted one semester.</p>
<p>At some colleges like Berkeley, there are a huge contigent of spring admits who go to CC for the first semester and are housed together. I talked to people who did it when we visited and they felt they really didn’t miss much. Another spin on this a college who has some freshman spend the fall term in London. I thought it sounded nuts, but a friend of ours daughter really wanted to attend the school and ended up loving the program as well. I think it was NYU.</p>
<p>A friend was offered a spring admit at her safety (one which would be a reach for most people) - but she chose one of the 6 Ivy acceptances she had in hand rather than waiting a semester to start there. 
I’ve always suspected the offer had something to do with keeping their numbers up.</p>
<p>My son and his friend were offered spring admissions at UMdCP. My son said, no thanks, but his friend took the offer. He worked from second semester senior year of high school through the summer, right up till this term and earned enough to make a nice dent in the cost. He also took some courses so he’ll be caught up by junior year if he takes another two courses in the summer here in local school. His parents are thrilled with how this worked out and he’s happy too. He’s on track to get his degree there as an OOS, but the way it’s working, the parent’s will pay as if it were in state with the the half semester break and the local classes filling in the gap, not to mention the extra work money earned and put towards most of this years cost.</p>
<p>I’ve always thought it made sense from a purely business point of view for colleges and universities to make an effort to fill the spots created by midyear graduations. Every college and university I’ve ever known has had a December graduation as well as the larger one in the spring. </p>
<p>I know quite a few kids who have been accepted for the spring semester, and have used the fall to work, or travel, or attend community college. </p>
<p>Our state flagship allows the spring admits to take evening classes during the fall. There’s no on campus housing available for them until spring. Quite a few of the spring admits room together in off campus housing, work a part time day job, and take evening classes during that first fall semester. It doesn’t seem to be a big deal.</p>
<p>Middlebury does a “Feb” admit every year. Have a good friend doing it (he’s a 3rd year) and loves it. He took the opportunity to do a Fall community service trip before going to Midd. I’ve thought this Feb program makes sense, as colleges lose a lot of juniors in the spring for study abroad. Other than the first year, I think the student body doesn’t know who’s a “Feb” and who isn’t–though Midd makes a point of bonding these kids as a unit.</p>
<p>Not just mid-year grads, but the flux with some kids abroad or away for other reasons. Some colleges do it as a deferment, some offer kids the fall term abroad programs (with credit.) A friend’s very gregarious kid did that Europe term and found it very hard to get into the social swirl, 2nd semester. She found many friendships already formed- and it was winter, so kids at the college were not out and about as much. This is a small New England LAC. And, only her experience. At a larger school, can’t imagine there would be the same challenge.</p>
<p>A few kids from our high school have done it at Berkeley. They did the program where they went to Berkeley extension the first semester (and lived in the dorms, etc…). Berkeley is so tough academically that it was kind of a nicer transition for them. My niece’s friend is a spring admit at USC this year and so far is having a fabulous time.</p>
<p>Like tx5athome we know several kids that were spring admits to Berkeley. A couple did the extension program and a couple of others did cc in the fall and then went on to Berkeley. USC does a spring admit and we also know a few kids that did this. One of D2’s friends told me the other day that she just wants to go to USC and is fine if she ends up as a spring admit.</p>
<p>I agree that it can be hard for kids to integrate into the social scene especially if it is an OOS public or other whole new setting where there are few if any kids that they might know. My son got two such deferrals and though they were not his first choice schools, had they been, that factor would have been a deterrent. I don’t know how his friend is doing at UMd which is OOS for him. But financially and time wise, it has worked out well.</p>
<p>A cousin’s son was accepted to Penn State with the provision he start this summer which is a whole other twist to this. They are ecstatic because it was a reach school for him and he was turned down at Pitt and does not want to go to Temple. He gets into an instate reach school which is as good as it gets. He may take off a semester next year or graduate a semester early if possible, saving even more money, as summer sessions cost less than the academic year semesters.</p>
<p>I have several friends who have done this. Some worked, others went overseas. It worked out great for all of them. All schools have a number of kids who drop out after one semester for whatever reason. They offer January admit to fill those spots.</p>
<p>Middlebury enrolls a large (for them) cohort of “Febs” every year; 95 of the 570 or so enrolled freshmen start in February and graduate 4 years later in February, on skis at Middlebury’s own ski hill. They ask on the application whether the applicant wants to be considered for September admission only, February admission only, or both It completely works for some people. It’s probably easier to integrate with the school when there’s that large a cohort starting in February, and it’s just part of the regular rhythm of the school’s admission and graduation cycle, so no one sees it as anything odd or unusual.</p>
<p>Our S and D were in this situation in 2008 at Pepperdine. DD was offered fall admission, son was “rejected” for fall, then received an offer of a spring admission. In the end, both decided not to a west coast school. Our son did some investigation at that time, and the number of spring admits was much lower than the traditional fall class-he felt it would be difficult to “enter” everyone’s groups by starting at a later date. If it is a school you child really wants to attend, and will feel comfortable sociably, it can be a great option.</p>