<p>O.k, so i am currently attending a CC and looking to apply for the spring term of '09. I am at 29 credit hours and a current GPA at 3.94. I am hearing suggestions that maybe for the SUMMER and FALL of this year i should apply to a state school. Reasons being that more selective schools such as: Cornell, NYU and Northwestern (and some others) will find me a more qualified candidate than if I continued to stay at my current CC and finished out my 2 year term. I am currently in the Honors college at my school part of the Phi Theta kappa frat and am a military Iraq war veteran. I kind of feel that if I went to a state school i would have to leave behind the close and exclusive relationship i have working with the current dean and staff at my college and pop into a state school and be just another..."number". </p>
<p>My major is economics....my main concerns about not falling into this idea thus far is for some reason I find alot of benefit in being part of an exclusive group. </p>
<p>Whew...so my question is this....</p>
<p>For the benefit of my prospect of being the most competitive candidate I can possibly be to get into my desired schools. What would be the best suggestion for me? Should I stay in my current CC for the remainder of this year and work with the organizations I am in? or would i reap a greater benefit transferring into a state school, doing extremely well with my grades and try to work it from there? </p>
<p>please help me on this.</p>
<p>I'm going to go ahead and suggest that you attempt to transfer to the state school now. As someone that spent 2 years at a CC instead of transfering to a state school after a year, I had to make this same choice.</p>
<p>Advantages of Applying from a CC:
1) You have a better chance of maintaining a very high GPA
2) You will continue to be a "star" at your school in both academics and ECs
3) You will not have already transfered once before, which can be looked down upon.</p>
<p>Advantages of Applying from a State School:
1) Your grades will be more impressive to both the school you attempt to transfer to and grad schools if you intend to apply to those.
2) You will have a better perspective that will allow you to ascertain whether going to a good private school for undergrad is really that much better than staying at a state school and saving money.</p>
<p>In my case, I went to a CC for a year, contemplated and decided against transfering to the University of Texas after a year, and ended up transfering to Wesleyan after two years. As I enter my second semester at Wes, I have to say I would have preferred to have gone the state school route, at least for the second year. You just don't know whether the state school is good for you or not and you'll end up at the private school, possibly spending a lot more money. At the same time, spending 2 years at a CC can possibly have a limiting effect when you apply to grad schools, particularly if you're like me and you'll be applying to grad schools with only 1 year of the private school completed as compared to the 2 years at a CC.</p>