<p>An Ivy League offered me a transfer offer, and I have to meet certain requirements in order to be guaranteed a spot in my dream school. </p>
<p>So, where should I go for my freshman year? </p>
<p>Emory:
Pro
- My friends are there. One more year of being with them.
- Atlanta, Georgia is AMAZING!
- Close to home.
- I want to be in a diverse college setting.
- I feel that the people there would be easier to leave when I transfer b/c they understand that my career needs are important.
- Political science combined with international studies.
- If I don't meet the requirements of the transfer offer, at least I still have Emory has my backup. (Moneywise and education wise)
- Grade inflation leading to high GPA.
Con
- It's polisci program is not as good as the state university's. Ranking: 28th compared to state uni's: 15th.
- I plan on double majoring in environmental science, but I'm not sure how good Emory's envisci major is.
- I am offered a really good grant but still have to fork out about 17k. IMO, this is a major factor, but my parents would rather pay this much to ensure that the Ivy League college doesn't reject my transfer...I really don't want them to pay.</p>
<p>State University
Pro
- Parents only have to pay 5k (again, this is a major factor for me but not my parents)
- Big university to acquaint with many, many people. Good for networking.
- The admissions people love me.
- school spirit is VERY STRONG.
- Polisci program in top 15
- Business program in top 11
- If I double major, environmental science major is okay.
- Easy to maintain high GPA.
Con
- Far away.
- Scholarships are renewable so not guaranteed. So, if I don't meet the requirements for the Ivy League, I sure as heck won't have these scholarships renewed for sophomore year.</p>
<p>Please aid me in my decision! I was very adamant about the state university, but now I'm not so sure. </p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>You’ve been guaranteed a slot as a transfer next year to an Ivy? How is that possible?</p>
<p>Your State U is far away but Emory is not? No merit scholarships are renewable without the GPA to back them up. I would wager Emory has a min GPA for their grants as well. If you get bad grades you don’t transfer to an Ivy anyway. How much can your family actually pay for school?</p>
<p>Is the the Cornell guaranteed transfer?</p>
<p>Why are you so certain that you won’t be able to keep your grades up at the state U?</p>
<p>Hi Erin’s Dad! Thanks for the response. </p>
<p>Well, the Ivy League specifically selects a limited amount of transfer offers, and the transfer is only guaranteed if I meet a GPA requirement and take courses that fit the descriptions of courses required by this Ivy. I e-mailed two people from the specific school of the Ivy, and they both said the same thing: as long as I meet core and GPA requirements, I am guaranteed a transfer. (If you Google transfer offers, you’ll know which Ivy League I’m speaking of). </p>
<p>The state university I am talking about is actually located where you’re from, according to your account location. Yes, Emory is closer to home!</p>
<p>“If you get bad grades you don’t transfer to an Ivy anyway.”
That’s how my parents see it. However, I’ve spoken to my friends at Emory, and all of them have above a 3.5 GPA. We have the same work ethics, so I would imagine that I could at least get that GPA. </p>
<p>My parents have a 60k adjusted gross income, and Emory’s tuition is 58k. The state uni’s is about 41k.</p>
<p>Hi happymom! Thanks for the response!</p>
<p>1) 
2) I am actually quite certain that I can keep up a certain GPA at both schools, but I’m not giving it the benefit of the doubt.</p>
<p>Also, Emory’s grant is need-based. No minimum GPA is established.</p>
<p>If cost is a major concern, will the transfer target school accept you for transfer if you go to an inexpensive community college (and take the correct courses and get a sufficient GPA)? Or an in-state public university (since the unnamed state university is $41,000 per year, it is probably an out-of-state school)?</p>
<p>Which of these two universities are places you could afford if you decide not to transfer? Do you have a college fund that you could draw on at Emory? Many parents with an AGI like yours have would not find Emory truly affordable.</p>
<p>It is my understanding that Cornell doesn’t care where the guaranteed transfer students study other than that the place has regional accreditation. You may want to investigate a bit more. Your local community college or public U would almost certainly work just fine.</p>
<p>Hi ucbalumnus! Thanks for the reply. </p>
<p>The transfer target school will not take my state’s community college credits. It’s not good enough. (I e-mailed and asked the Ivy if they would accept XXXCC’s credits, but they said it didn’t meet the requirements).
Well, I made the mistake of not applying to my in-state public university’s scholarships, so it would actually be cheaper to attend the out-of-state uni’s for that one year. My parents would only have to pay 5k.</p>
<p>My parents can afford both, but Emory would strain my parents’ bank. They don’t consider it a big deal, but I do since I love them and don’t want to hear their complaining haha. We have a college fund, happymomof1, but not much. Yes, with our AGI, it would be extremely difficult to pay off Emory’s tuition, but with our AGI, Emory gave us an above average grant amount. </p>
<p>Thank you so much for your reply; it’s very reassuring.</p>
<p>What are the GPA thresholds to transfer to your target school and to maintain the merit scholarship at the out of state public school if you stayed there?</p>
<p>Basically, it looks as if the out of state public school is a better academic fit for you if you stay there, but would become unaffordable if you did not meet the GPA threshold for the merit scholarship. Emory appears to be just ok for academic fit, and at best marginally affordable with need-based aid.</p>
<p>I am aiming for a 3.5 GPA or higher, ucbalumnus. This way, I can keep my merit scholarships and meet my transfer requirements. </p>
<p>You are correct with your speculations!</p>
<p>3.5 GPA would be a pretty high bar to retain a merit scholarship, although if the out of state public does not have very competitive students, it may not actually be that difficult to reach.</p>
<p>What would be your contingency plan if you were not able to transfer to your target school and did not retain your merit scholarship? Go to community college in your home state and then transfer to an in-state public university? How good a fit (academic and otherwise) would the in-state public university be, and how would its costs for two years turn out after financial aid and scholarships?</p>
<p>Extra information: I’ve read through posts and talked to friends about how easy/hard it is to maintain above a 3.5 GPA at both schools, and they’ve all reported back saying that it isn’t hard at all. One of my Emory friends said her friends have 3.8 GPAs with average work input, and I’ve heard that polisci majors tend to have it easy with grades. Heard from OSU that humanities professors tend to give out As and Bs. </p>
<p>A possible path that I may take if I am not accepted into my transfer target school:
If I were enrolled in Emory during my freshman year at the time, I would continue throughout my years in Emory.
If I were enrolled in the out-of-state university, I would then transfer to an in-state university and apply for scholarships. Then, I’d work diligently to keep up my GPA in hopes that I’d be eligible for enrollment in the Honors program. </p>
<p>My in-state university as a whole is not ranked in the top 100 colleges, but its honors college is one of the top 5 in the nation. For my major, my in-state university’s programs would suffice, and if I manage to keep up a 3.2 GPA and participate in many of the in-state uni’s events/activities, I may end up with a full ride. </p>
<p>Community college in my home state is not an option. Frankly, my high school is a step higher than the community colleges in my state.</p>
<p>Remember that merit scholarships may be different (and often less generous) for transfer students than for freshmen. Check carefully before relying on that as a contingency. On the other hand, in-state publics are often quite reasonable with financial aid to in-state students.</p>
<p>Is there a reason for being reluctant to name most of the schools involved?</p>
<p>Oh, thank you for telling me that about merit scholarships to transfer students. Honestly, I’m relying on my connections with a certain in-state university in hopes that they will understand my situation. But, I can’t foreshadow the future like that. </p>
<p>Well, I’m just a cautious person in general, but I don’t want somebody from the state university to find out. If undergraduate admission officers are allowed to look at a certain applicant’s application to other universities, I don’t want any of that exchange to happen among my universities. I’m more open to name Emory because the grant is need-based aid.</p>
<p>I cannot thank you enough for the information that you’re providing me. </p>
<p>Does it sound like the state university is a good deal? My parents were lovely enough to pay my enrollment deposits for both universities. Mind you that Emory’s enrollment deposit is $475 which is a big deal for me.</p>
<p>The answer depends on your assessment of how difficult maintaining a 3.5 GPA freshman year will be in order to either transfer to your target school or keep your scholarship while continuing at the same school.</p>
<p>Thank you very much. I’ve made my decision!</p>
<p>
This could be a problem. Not only is double depositing unethical, often down in the fine print when you pay the deposit you are agreeing to only deposit to that university and that you understand that if you deposit to another university they have the right to rescind your acceptance. You will want to let the school that you are not planning on attending know ASAP so this does not bite you in the rear-end.</p>