Advice needed desperately. Ineligible to transfer from CC due to too many credits.

<p>A few days ago I read the "admissions horror story" thread. Unfortunately, I now need advice on my own horror story. </p>

<p>Let me give you some background first:</p>

<p>I am a January transfer student from a SUNY community college. I didn't go to high school due to chronic illness. The education I received in the hospitals was fairly useless. It was a joke, really. I am smart and hardworking, though, and excelled at CC. </p>

<p>Due to many reasons, I decided not to transfer right away. First, my lack of education and a personal situation at home made an earlier transfer unfavorable.</p>

<p>Second, I took many credits outside of my diploma path, but was encouraged to finish my associates degree. About a year ago, I read that some schools had a policy about not accepting more than 2 years of credit. I became nervous and called a school I was considering (can't remember which one), but the person I spoke with assured me that it wouldn't be a problem since I'd be coming from a 2 year school. I also spoke with advisors from my school and they again encouraged me to finish my associates. Everything in my life led me to the conclusion that the best option was to stay. </p>

<p>Clearly, some of the people I spoke with were misinformed because this brings me to my horror story.</p>

<p>Friday morning I got a call from Wellesley, my second choice college. I was told that they reviewed my transcript and determined that I am ineligible to transfer because I have too many credits. They don't allow applicants to relinquish credits, so I am out.</p>

<p>Then I called Smith, my first choice. I explained my situation and they also said that it's unlikely that I'd be accepted.</p>

<p>I didn't call any of the other schools because, at that point, I was too hysterical to think clearly, let alone speak clearly. I am assuming that the same policy will be a problem at the rest. I took 100 credits altogether, so it is very likely that at EVERY school I will have over 2 years of transferable credit. All of my classes were within a liberal arts degree...</p>

<p>I am pretty much heartbroken right now. I am throwing a pity party for myself, asking myself why am I being penalized for educating myself more. As far as I'm aware, I would need to stay an extra 2 years regardless because I only took classes at the 100 and 200 level. It is not like I have 3 years of credit at a 4 year school; my classes were still all only up to the sophomore level. Also, to my knowledge, most schools don't apply credits to the major. Therefore, I would DEFINITELY need 2 years to finish. </p>

<p>I will call Wellesley on monday to see if maybe they made a mistake and didn't realize that I would not be past those two years. I doubt that it will help, but it will make me feel better to try. After I call them, I will call the rest of my schools to get confirmation about whether I will be ineligible at their schools as well. I started writing a letter to Smith explaining that I would certainly take 2 years there, regardless of credits. I don't know if it will help, but I don't know what else to do.</p>

<p>I am shocked by this. I am frustrated at myself for listening to my incompetent advisors, for not questioning this further, and for being ineligible to attend the schools which, through TONS of research, I know would be my best choices even though I am both willing and required to take 2 more years.</p>

<p>Also, I’m frustrated that simply taking too many classes could be the thing to keep me out. What is wrong with educating myself further? I am a strong applicant otherwise. I may not be the strongest applicant, especially since I didn't go to HS or a four-year school, but I definitely did the best I could with what I had. I have a strong record and a few awards behind me, and my reading SAT is pretty far above their averages (my math isn’t, but I’m a philosophy and psychology major planning on law school, so it isn’t relevant). I have a 3.9 gpa in the honors program, have been really involved in ECs, and have done more than 600 hours of community service altogether in the last few years. And although I didn't work a lot when I was in school, I still managed to work some, and I worked a lot after graduating... All of my teachers really liked me, so I had great recs, and even the Dean of Students threw in a letter along with the "letter of good standing" required from my school (she normally doesn't do that, but she knew me because of my involvement). I am a good student and it SUCKS that this, of all things that have put me down in my life, could keep me from getting where I want to go. I don’t know what I will do if all of my schools reject me because of this. I will probably try to reapply to places that don’t have this policy. It just stinks because I put a lot of work into this and if anybody researched the best schools in EVERY area, it was me.</p>

<p>So, after this very long rant, I’d like to ask for advice.</p>

<p>First: In the event that I don’t get into any of the schools where I applied, can anyone suggest well-known, small liberal arts colleges that allow applicants to relinquish credits? To give you an idea of what I was looking at, here is where I applied: Smith, Wellesley, Mount Holyoke, Vassar, Beloit, Bates, Oberlin, Barnard (this one is an anomaly chosen for different reasons, so ignore), Clark University.</p>

<p>Second: *Has anyone else been through this or know someone who has? What did you/he/she do? *</p>

<p>Third: **Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle this? **All I can think of is to write a letter explaining my side of the situation.</p>

<p>If you made your way through this entire post, you deserve a cookie.</p>

<p>I too am a January transfer and have 80 credits from a C.C. I applied to only one LAC, Providence College, and was accepted as a Junior. The other schools that I applied to did not seem to have a problem with my credits, for example, Villanova University only accepted about 30 of them. Perhaps it is just the schools you have applied to, but I can't imagine they wouldn't understand the circumstances surrounding you situation. Maybe there is something else hindering your application. Best of Luck.</p>

<p>P.S. Providence College's Application period ends December 1st.</p>

<p>Cash, from what I understand, Wellesley didn't even really look at my application. The adcom member who phoned me just said that they saw that I had too many credits and was ineligible to transfer. I don't see any reason why she would lie.</p>

<p>Hm. Maybe the classes I took were more general? </p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

<p>Do everything you can to sort this out with the schools directly. You are absolutely right, there is no common sense in penalizing you for lousy advisors on the one hand and schooling yourself TOO MUCH on the other. One point I would hammer home is that this was at a CC, not a school where the credits could count towards a BA.</p>

<p>A last-resort strategy would be to apply to general education programs - Columbia, for example, has one where "non-traditional" students take the same classes with the same professors and get the same diploma, the admissions process is just much more lax in terms of magical numbers and letters.</p>

<p>Is there any professor or dean at your school you can involve in this? You seem to have a good connection with your faculty. Hang on to that lifeline, they may have more clout when contacting schools.</p>

<p>Thanks frrrph. I am finishing my letter to Smith right now. I talked to the head of admissions to my school yesterday and she suggested calling their deans of admissions. I was too exhausted to do it yesterday, but I will this afternoon.</p>