This is probably a weird question that can’t be answered in general. But, I suggest you try anyway.
I’m an international student who will be beginning community college in January 2016. I want to attempt transfer after a year or two years to UCB, or Cornell, those kinda colleges.
Now, when you look at the ivies’ websites or even colleges like Northwestern’s, they say that a student applying after two years at an institution is discouraged/ineligible. This worries me. As I’m beginning in Spring and those colleges accept students only in Fall (CS major students like me), the only time I could apply is either at 1.5 years, or at 2.5. (January 2016 to January 2017 = 1 year, and if I’m out of community college from Jan until August to avoid being ineligible after two years, I would be considered as a break in education student)
I know I could email every university and find out, if what I’m asking isn’t silly, that is. But I feel this could be answered by you guys because my question is probably just an international-student-lack-of-knowledge-to-us-education question.
Please let me know what I should do. Should I wait and begin community college only in Fall 2016?
Of course, I know that UCB doesn’t mind how many years I spend at community college. Its the other top colleges I’m worried about.
I agree. But all ivies’ websites that do accept transfers say that after two years at an institution an applicant is discouraged for admission. So that means I’m ineligible to get admitted if I begin in Spring at a community college and complete requirements in 2.5 years? Just to avoid getting a break in education even if I graduate in two years?
Why are you intent on transferring? It may be much better to apply as a freshman rather than go the community college route. Freshman admit rates are often higher, and it is rare for colleges to offer large merit scholarships to transfer students.
It is considerably more difficult to be admitted to these colleges as a transfer applicant than as a freshman, and that goes double for an international student needing financial aid.
Note that Cornell does not have financial aid available for international transfer students.
Their admissions websites are very clear on the subject. I would not exceed two years (4 semesters or 6 quarters) of credits.
That said, there are many colleges besides the Ivies, some of which are stronger in computer science. Georgia Tech and Wisconsin, for example, do not mention such a restriction.
I think you are banking on a plan that has a very very very low chance of success.
Why are you starting a community college? Cost? Couldn’t get in anywhere else?
Why are you trying to go from the lowest end of colleges to the uppermost?
Why not apply to a university somewhere in the middle?
Or use the agreements community colleges have with their state Universities?
I think the colleges you describe are referring to academic years, not necessarily calendar years. Most four-year colleges expect degree candidates to earn at least half their credits there. That is why they discourage students who will have studied for more than two years at another institution from applying. If, for instance, you had been studying part-time somewhere while working for several years, and only had the equivalent of 1-2 years’ credits, you would probably still be eligible. Do not set your sights on transferring to the most selective institutions: that is a guaranteed recipe for disappointment. If you have no chance of getting into Harvard or Stanford today, you are unlikely to have a better chance in two years. The UC system only accepts junior transfers. Period. They are fairly kind toward graduates from California community colleges, but you need a good GPA and to pay attention to the requirements.
Yes, they don’t want you to accrue excess credits. The admit rate is so tiny–Harvard maybe 30 and most came from other top schools,don’t know the other offhand but no one takes many except Cornell and above they say no aid. When Penn takes one from CC I always read it is from a PA CC. What in the world will you be able to do to impress? You can’t just be an ordinary good grade student. Stanford favors CA CCs but they only took 20 transfers last year. Prob only a couple from CC. Some of the transfers have extraordinary accomplishments or academic goals that couldn’t be met elsewhere.Unrealistic all around.
It’s so unlikely that one would transfer from a CA CC to an Ivy that it shouldn’t be part of your plans.
Most transfers admitted to ivies are “lateral”, ie., coming from a similar-level university (a top 10 or top 25 universities or LAC).
To Cornell: mostly into CALS (look at the possible majors) and most from NYS CC’s.
It’s possible to transfer from a CC to a UC or a CSU, of course, but you already knew that.
You have a sound plan for the UC’s. Go to a California CC, preferably an excellent one like Foothills, the transfer to Cal, UCLA, UCSD or UCI, etc… That path is prescribed, well documented and all of your credit will transfer with proper class selection. The other top private universities want you there for all 4 years and there are so few transfers (because so few people leave) that is is highly unlikely.
Spend the money you saved by going to a CC for grad school at one of those big name private universities.
I don’t think it would be easy to transfer to UCB as an int’l. Most of the transfers are Calif CCs to UCs. I don’t know if int’ls are considered part of the TAG program. Will you be going to a Calif CC?
At a minimum, you’d have to go to a CC for 5 semesters with your plan if transferring to UCB.
Why are you starting at a CC? What is your school budget? How much will your family pay?
Hi, thanks for your replies. Its not finances that’s making me ineligible. Its because I never took the SATs and others during high school and also had to face other unavoidable family issues after high school which made my next chance for applying for only Spring. I did get into a few state universities, but I feel that’s just because I could afford to take the SAT only once, due to time. My SAT score doesn’t matter now. My high school GPA is around a 3.5/4.0. I don’t want to apply for aid if I do get into the highly selective universities, but I don’t want to wait until next Fall just to see if I get admitted into them as a freshman either.
My original plan was to go to a CA CC and then transfer to UCB/UCLA/UCSB as I’m a CS student. But I realised that if I’m going to take this route even though I’m accepted into a few not-so-selective universities, I might as well work hard for all the ivies too. I know that college education is what I make of it, and it doesn’t matter where I study. But its not just my decision, its a long term plan that probably scares me, and I can’t describe here.
So I would just appreciate if y’all let me know if you probably think I should begin community college in Fall 2016 instead of Spring, and then try, TRY to transfer to top ivies (as just an attempt) while preparing for transfer to UCs and backups (State universities, or colleges with agreements). I do have backup choices obviously, but I don’t wanna give up. Or you could tell me what the ivies’ websites actually mean by the ‘ineligible for transfer after two years’ thingy. Would you suggest I graduate from CA CC exactly after two years (in Jan) and wait until I get their decision in March and go wherever I get in?
What makes you think the SAT doesn’t matter now? Any highly competitive school (the Ivies) will consider that. FOr instance here is Brown’s Common Data Set. Look at section D.
No I meant that me posting my low SAT score here doesn’t matter. Because by the time I realized that the SATs are not offered between June to October, it was already June. I had no option but to take the one in June because taking them in October would already be too late, and it was.
I do know that once I start community college I would have to study for the new SATs and subject tests too. Already preparing for them.
UCs and CSUs do not consider SAT, ACT, or HS record for junior level transfers (although some HS courses may be used to fulfill some base level requirements). However, the super-selective colleges do consider these things even for transfers.
Fact is, there are thousands of universities that are wonderful and not Ivies.
If you need things that are plain spoken: you’re not going to an Ivy from a CC, regardless of whether you start in Spring or Fall.
What they mean by 2 years is 4 semesters of 15-16 credits but the assumption is that you’re trying to transfer from a 4-year college, typically highly ranked but not offering a specific subject (ie., you want to major in Sanskrit) or have taken all the advanced classes offered in … at your highly ranked college and/or are working on a cross-college research project already involving a professor at that Ivy, who told you to apply so you could join his/her team.
In all other cases, they’ll look at your application for graduate school, not for college. They want their students to start as freshmen.
For UCs etc, you could start in January and take 13-14 credits, and complete your 60 credits over 3 semesters.
You wouldn’t necessarily graduate, since you would be taking classes with the goal of completing gen eds and pre-reqs - those may match a “transfer AA” but may not, and it doesn’t matter.