Advice, Opinions, and Answers Appreciated

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hello all,</p>

<p>First I want to tell everyone my background before asking my questions. I was a bad senior in high-school: I did not applied to all the universities I would like to attend, and therefore I only have two universities as my safety net per say (and I would rather not attend them). </p>

<p>Now I have attended one of my universities' orientation and registered for classes. However, my term does not start until Fall 2010 (around August).</p>

<p>Okay, with that said my questions as followed:</p>

<p>1) If I cancel my admission into the university that I have attended the orientation and registered classes for, and take a gap year would I be considered a transfer student or freshman the next year that I apply to all the schools I want to?</p>

<p>2) If I receive AP credits, and I have CollegeBoard sent the scores to the university I have registered classes for (and remember, my term does not start until Fall 2010, or about in August 2010) will I be considered a transfer student if I decide to cancel admission into said university? </p>

<p>3) Would my financial aid package be a lot better if I am considered as a freshman applying to a university, or as a transfer student?</p>

<p>My senior stats are not that astounding: a 4.35 GPA on a 5.0 scale, multiple AP courses (all of them had semester average of either an A or a B), and a National Honor Society Graduate (and I did not really have any other extracurricular activities other than when I participated in my school's orchestra).</p>

<p>I truly do not like my safety net schools, but more importantly I am lost of what I want to do with my life. I thought I wanted to become a biologist, a pathologist, a biomedical researcher, a computer person (dealing with building and designing computer components), and a game designer. I want to search for my passion.</p>

<p>With that said, would I be better off taking a gap year now? Or enroll in a community college?</p>

<p>I was thinking... If I cancel my admission into the university I have registered classes for but my term has not started yet, then I will be considered a freshman (and assuming my AP credits won't make me considered as a transfer student). Consequently, I can take a "gap year" and refine my high-school resume through means of more EC, higher ACT/SAT scores, and an actual purpose of why I want to apply to all the universities I want to then! I keep hearing that freshmen generally get good financial aid packages, so my gap year could actually benefit that too. Am I wrong with my logic?</p>

<p>My "safety net" schools are Baylor University and University of Houston. My top-choices are Texas A&M, University of Texas at Austin, and Rice University. I did not like Baylor very much when I went for orientation and I have had horrible experience with University of Houston's services. However, the three aforementioned schools I liked very much. Since I graduated from high-school in 2010, but I am applying to all these other universities next year would the Top 10% law still apply to me?</p>

2

<p>You should take a gap year, maybe explore the fields you may be interested in. It’ll give you time to figure out what you want to do with you life. If you go to community college, you will not get that chance.</p>

<p>If you truth do not like your safety, you shouldn’t go there. If you apply next year, you’ll still be considered a freshman, not transfer (assuming you don’t attend any college/university in the meantime).</p>

3

<p>Thank you liu02bhs. </p>

<p>Hm, you know what? I will also contact the admission offices at Baylor, A&M, UT, and Rice regarding my situation. </p>

<p>I still would appreciate more folks’ opinions regarding my situation though.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

4

<p>I would agree here with the taking a gap year. UT is harder to get into as a transfer than a freshman and if you decide you want to go engineering or business it takes above a 3.7gpa on a scale of 4 to be competitive for transfer. So if you do go to community college you would have to do very well. That said since you are in Texas the largest number of transfer students UT takes from one institution comes from Austin Community College so if you did want to attend community college that may be the place to go.
For ACC
<a href=“Academic Performance of 2-Year College Transfer Students ... - Data Not Found”>http://www.txhighereddata.org/reports/performance/ctctransfer/inst.cfm?inst=012015&report_type=2&report_yr=2007&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>For UT
<a href=“Academic Performance of 2-Year College Transfer Students ... - Data Not Found”>http://www.txhighereddata.org/reports/performance/ctctransfer/inst.cfm?inst=003658&report_type=4&report_yr=2007&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

5

<p>I agree with liu. If you don’t matriculate (start going to class there), you simply lose your deposit and would be considered a freshman, not a transfer, when you reapply the following year.</p>

<p>I also think a gap year sounds like it could be a good idea for you if you do the planning needed to make good use of your time. Take a look at The Gap Year Advantage-an interesting resource book-and search this forum for other threads on gap years to get more perspective and ideas.</p>

<p>And make sure you discuss this with your family right now. They need to know what’s on your mind.</p>

6

<p>Thank you guys so much! I am planning to contact the admission offices at the schools to explain my situation.</p>

<p>As for the gap year, I was thinking of doing a lot of volunteering that would help me search for my passion and retaking my ACT/SAT to do better on them. Nonetheless, I will see what other productive things I can do while taking a gap year.</p>

7

<p>The gap year idea sounds find. However, if you are planning to reapply to schools that did not accept you, or apply to schools where you felt you had little chance, then there is not all that much time between now and January to greatly improve your qualifications. I’m not saying it can’t happen and I don’t want to discourage you. But I encourage you also to broaden your search to find more “match” schools (schools less selective than Rice but that you’d rather attend than your two safeties.)</p>

8

<p>What are you SAT/ACT scores now?</p>

<p>You need to call UT and TAMU to find out how the top 10% rule would apply to you if you take a gap year. </p>

<p>You will not be a transfer student unless you take some college classes this next year. </p>

<p>Don’t take any college classes this next year if you plan on re-applying to schools. You’ll mess up your scholarship opportunities which are only high for incoming freshmen (not for transfer students).</p>

9

<p>If possible, you might want to run your plan by your school guidance counselor. Try to clarify the high school’s role in the application process once you are no longer a student there.</p>

10

<p>The OP wasn’t in the top 8% otherwise they would have been accepted to UT and A&M but yes it applies for 2 years after HS if I recall correctly. The best bet may be to take a year decide what you want to do, then enroll in a community college near the school you want to go to and transfer from there. BTW if its just a prestige issue with the current school then all I can tell you is that it isn’t the school that makes the person but the person who makes the person. Take advantage of the opportunities that you have if you need to find out what you want to do so be it. But more likely than not if you take a year off UT and A&M and Rice will still turn you down so be prepared for plan B.</p>

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<p>after having gone for one year, thinking I knew what I wanted to do and finding out that wasn’t it, I would still reccommend going for a year, but go in as an undecided major. The school I am attending has an incredible program for undecided students, they give you 4 times as much private discussion with advisors on campus, and they help you figure out what to major in, by recommending classes that many people do well in or intros in to several fields that you think you would like to go into. Then at the end of the semester they will help you pick more classes for the next semester after hearing what you have to say about what they recommended before, or how the classes you thought you would like went and if you really did like them. They pinpoint what you have high grades in and suggest more classes in that field or along those lines. I would hope that the big name schools you are trying to get into would have a similar program for undergraduates, since the school I’m going to is not very well known, although it is truely a university and not a community college.</p>

12

<p>The OP wasn’t in the top 8% otherwise they would have been accepted to UT and A&M but yes it applies for 2 years after HS if I recall correctly.</p>

<p>So, this won’t work for him, unless he goes somewhere else first and gets accepted as a transfer. </p>

<p>3) Would my financial aid package be a lot better if I am considered as a freshman applying to a university, or as a transfer student?</p>

<p>FA packages and merit scholarships are almost always a LOT better for incoming freshmen. Schools use FA and merit to get the best incoming freshman class because rankings are affected by that. There’s usually little incentive to give much to transfer students.</p>

<p>What is your financial situation? </p>

<p>What is your EFC?</p>

<p>How much will your parents pay each year?</p>

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<p>@UTPG: I am rank 15 out of 656 seniors. I am in the top 2%; I did not get accepted into UT nor A&M because I did not apply to them (I honestly was a bad senior: too “lazy” which I regret). </p>

<p>@mom2collegekids: My EFC is 015x. I have to recheck it again at a later time. My financial situation is not terrible but not good either. My parents will try to help me pay for a good portion of the expense without taking out loans. The rest will be up to me. </p>

<p>@tk: My top picks are UT/A&M/Rice. Either one would be good for me. </p>

<p>Again, I did not apply to my top schools because I was a bad senior: a lazy senior. I regret my decision. I am also planning to retake my ACT/SAT because I was also lazy on them. </p>

<p>Geez, I fail badly I know. :frowning: But I want to redeem myself by taking a gap year that so happened would benefit me greatly in searching for my passion, working, and volunteering. I have not applied to Rice, UT, and A&M because I was lazy so I do not know if I would have made it in. However, I am in the top 2% of my class and if I can take a gap year with the rule still applying to me, then I will take that gap year. I am sorry that I failed to provide this crucial information in my first post.</p>

14

<p>Well, since you are top 10%, you can take a gap year and apply to UT and TAMU as an incoming freshman as long as you don’t take any college classes (your AP classes/credits don’t interfere with this). </p>

<p>*My EFC is 015x. I have to recheck it again at a later time. My financial situation is not terrible but not good either. My parents will try to help me pay for a good portion of the expense without taking out loans. The rest will be up to me. *</p>

<p>Typically, when your EFC is about $15k per year and in-state publics COA is about $20k (or so), then your need is about $5k which will likely get covered with a student loan in the FA package.</p>

<p>What kind of FA packages did you receive from your current schools ? (UHouston and Baylor?)</p>

15

<p>OH MY GOSH!! So if my AP classes/credits do not interfere with the top 10% rule, and since I am in the top 10% then I will automatically get admitted? Hooray! </p>

<p>Anyways, phew! mom2collegekids, my financial aid package from Baylor is $25,500 right now, but if I get an ACT score of 27 (most than likely) then I will get $30,500. Baylor will be about $40,000 for 2010-2011.</p>

16

<p>Yes you will be automatically into UT or A&M I apologizing for the assumption.</p>

17

<p>There is no need to apologize! It is my fault for not putting crucial information in my first post.</p>

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<p>*my financial aid package from Baylor is $25,500 right now, but if I get an ACT score of 27 (most than likely) then I will get $30,500. Baylor will be about $40,000 for 2010-2011. *</p>

<p>Find out if Baylor will let you submit a new ACT after you graduate from high school for scholarships purposes. They may have no problem with that - but they may.</p>

19

<p>Baylor has no problem of doing that.</p>