Am I allowed to apply as a Freshman?

[BerkeleyCS]

<p>Hi,
I was admitted to college a year ago, but withdrew due to personal reasons and was only able to finish 3 classes worth of credits during my first semester of college. I took the rest of the time as a gap year. Am I barred from applying as a freshman even though I only took 3 classes from said university?</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

[entomom]

<p>It depends on the college you’re applying to. The definition of a transfer ranges from taking 1 post-HS college course to having less than a year of full time college. You need to go to the college websites to see if you are still a fr applicant or if you need to apply as a transfer.</p>

[BerkeleyCS]

<p>I went and checked on 3 college websites, and none of them seem to even mention the possibility of applying as a freshman and don’t have any explicit restrictions or definitions on freshman applications. Is it generally frowned upon or considered “gaming the system” if I apply as a freshman, or is it a legitimate option that colleges are aware of?</p>

[entomom]

<p>Sorry, but I’ve had very little problem finding fr vs. transfer definitions. And if a school doesn’t have the details on their website, then you call/email them. All schools have their policies, it’s your responsibility to find out what they are and abide by them.</p>

<p>What are the 3 schools you checked?</p>

[KKmama]

<p>You have to send transcripts from any colleges that you have attended. Schools can and do check a national clearing house, so the admissions people will know whether you’ve attended elsewhere. So, again, it is up to the schools to determine, by their standards, whether or not you are a freshman or a transfer.</p>

[BerkeleyCS]

<p>I checked Carnegie Mellon, UC Berkeley, and UPenn. I have been unable to find definitions for any of these schools, but it may be a result of my poor Googling skills. However, I did find very clear definitions for schools such as Stanford: <a href=“Page Not Found : Stanford University”>Page Not Found : Stanford University;
MIT: <a href=“FAQ Topics Transfer | MIT Admissions”>http://mitadmissions.org/apply/transfer/faqs&lt;/a&gt;
and Harvard: <a href=“Transfer Applicants | Harvard”>https://college.harvard.edu/admissions/application-process/transferring-harvard-college/transfer-eligibility&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Stanford’s seems to be very clear, and it does not seem that I will be able to apply as a freshman since, even though I only stayed for a semester and was a part-time student, entered the university seeking a degree.</p>

<p>However, MIT seems to imply that if since Ihave not yet completed two terms of college, I am eligible for freshman admission.</p>

<p>Harvard also seems to have a similar definition, where I am allowed to apply as a freshman because I have not yet completed one year’s worth of full-time study.</p>

<p>Is this mostly correct? </p>

[ucbalumnus]

<p>Based on your screen name, you may want to know that UCs consider you a transfer applicant if you have completed any college course work after the summer immediately after high school graduation.</p>

<p><a href=“http://admissions.berkeley.edu/transferstudents”>http://admissions.berkeley.edu/transferstudents&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Other schools have different criteria. Check their web sites. You may have to look at the transfer applicant section to find their definition.</p>

[entomom]

<p>UCs:</p>

<p><a href=“http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/transfer/index.html”>http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/transfer/index.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>

Who is a transfer student?</p>

<p>You are a transfer student if you enrolled in a regular session at a college or university after high school. (Summer sessions don’t count.)

</p>

<p>Penn is confusing:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.admissions.upenn.edu/apply/transfer-admission/eligibility-and-curricular-requirements”>http://www.admissions.upenn.edu/apply/transfer-admission/eligibility-and-curricular-requirements&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>

At least one full year of transferable academic course work (8 courses) must be completed by the close of the spring term prior to the September of anticipated enrollment at Penn.

</p>

<p>Seems like you might qualify as a fr, so you should contact them. MITs wording is similar to Penn, I would call them to be sure. </p>

<p>I can’t find CMUs definition, so contact them.</p>

<p>I know H is less than 1 year of full time college, so you will be fine for them.</p>

<p>S states:</p>

<p>

You have received a high school diploma or the equivalent but have not enrolled full-time at a post-secondary institution nor entered a college or university as a degree-seeking student.

</p>

<p>So, if you BOTH attended less than full time (less than 12 units) and were not enrolled as a degree-seeking student, then you would qualify as a fr applicant.</p>