<p>My DD has her heart set on a school that has turned her down. She considered doing a post-grad (13th year) at a prep school but when she asked the admissions counselor at her school of choice, he said unequivocably that they want to see college level work now. He said go to a CC, get good grades, and she'll stand a good chance of transferring in. It's not what she wanted to hear, but it looks like she's determined. But our question is, would it be better to send her to a private LAC that she's already been accepted to, and which offered fairly good financial aid, than a CC which in general has larger class size... Her main reason for a CC is that she doesn't want to go to a school where everyone else is psyched to be at that school when she's just thinking "transfer". Any suggestions?</p>
<p>There are many factors to consider.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Find out which classes will definitly transfer to her school/major of choice from the CC.</p></li>
<li><p>The difference in cost of LAC and CC for two years and how meaningful this is to you.</p></li>
<li><p>If she goes to the LAC there is the chance she might end up being very happy there and end up staying. She will then have all the benefits of knowing a college/peers/teachers for 4 years.Even if she does not see this as a possibility it is not out of the question.</p></li>
<li><p>If friends have anything to do with where she really wants to attend this factor could easily change in a year.</p></li>
<li><p>Ask the admissions dept. at college of choice if the difference in LAC and CC will make a difference in transfer applications. What is the % accepted for transfers, especially those who were not admitted in the first place.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>In general, I'd go for the LAC if money was not a factor and hope she falls in love with it. Good Luck. Course I wouldn't tell her this :)</p>
<p>Which one will offer the best chance of acceptance when she tries to transfer?</p>
<p>I agree, Sax. She has changed her mind SO many times on SO many fronts over the course of these past few HS years, I can only imagine what will happen from here on. Who knows if this "dream" school will stay a dream? My husband and I feel she'd be better off in a small LAC with smaller class size, better chance of classes transferring in, and professors with generally better office hours.</p>
<p>Any suggestions on how we present this to her? Reverse psychology? We have insisted that she choose three schools she's been accepted to and go to accepted students day, then decide.</p>
<p>There is a thread here from last year that was updated recently, about a boy who was rejected by all his schools, took a year off and then reapplied. He then got into all the schools he applied to this time EXCEPT the two that rejected him the year before. your daughter has to understand that the GC is only telling her what might work.
Why go to CC only to not get into the school again. Also either way she comes in as a transfer, missing out on that freshman year bonding.
As I've said to others here...she has to go visit CC and sit in on a number of classes before she makes this decision. She may find CC to be unacceptable on her own.</p>
<p>
X2. Work out the transfer logistics upfront between the LAC and the dream school. If everything looks good , it's a go. But my money is with door number 3.</p>
<p>As to what to tell her, the truth sounds good. In your opinion the CC is not the best environment for her, you feel the LAC route suits her learning style better (ie better grades to transfer) , plus you feel transfers in general are more likely from a quality LAC. </p>
<p>The only reason I'd alter what I think is if there is a standing relationship and track record between the specific junior college and the dream college like some CC's have in Texas with our most popular state schools. (Blinn and A+M for example). Then I'd go to the CC.</p>
<p>Personally, I'd try to veto the CC idea. The stakes are high - what if she doesn't get in that second year? Better to encourage her get over the idea that there is only ONE school on the planet where she will be happy and academically challenged. It just isn't true.</p>
<p>One concern with going to a CC is that there is no guarantee that you will be able to get into the dream school as a transfer. Even if the admissions officer was encouraging, you can't always count on space being available in the dream school for transfers or that she will definitely get straight A's at the CC. When kids are bored, they don't always perform to the level they are capable of or you can get a teacher that gives you a low grade no matter what you do. (My D had to drop a dual enrollment class at a local CC for that reason.) </p>
<p>You can also remind her of all the fun social things her friends will be doing as freshmen at college. If she puts in her year at the LAC, she will get to have those experiences, too. Do you know any students at the schools your D was accepted to? If not, maybe there is someone on CC who would have some info that could encourage her to choose one of those schools.</p>
<p>So far all the replies aren't in, so we have a few unknowns, but she did get into: Merrimack, Emmanuel, Assumption, Colby Sawyer, UHartford to name a few. </p>
<p>And I do agree, my worry with CC is that she's going to be detached and not connect with anything or anyone and that will a) not make for a happy year and b) translate into poor grades and c) she won't participate in any clubs.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
Which one will offer the best chance of acceptance when she tries to transfer?
[/QUOTE]
A simple, but important point.</p>
<p>Here in Virginia, the state government is pushing the public universities to increase the number of CC students in each class. The result is that some CC students are going to find themselves with UVa, William & Mary, and Virginia Tech as very real options. </p>
<p>Some states already have a well beaten path from CC to the big publics (Florida is an example that pops to mind), so the local Community College might not be such a big gamble.</p>
<p>In a few weeks, when your daughter has all of her decisions in hand, tell her to call the admission office at the school she loves and ask them what they think of her options. I imagine she'll hear that they've take transfers from each of her possible schools in the past, which might make her look at other factors before making her decision.</p>
<p>She must have liked something about the LACs she got into or she would not have applied to them. There is no guarantee that any of our children will stay where we send them in August (and the thought is painful to me), so why not give one of these colleges a try? The worst case, she transfers either to the school of her dreams or to another one.
Good Luck.</p>
<p>One other thought, maybe this is not about not getting into #1 choice at all.</p>
<p>This time of year reality is starting to hit H.S. seniors pretty hard. This is it. One more summer and away from friends, family and all that is comfortable and known.</p>
<p>Maybe she isn't ready to go away. She may be afraid of leaving and not emotionally ready to leave. How do you tell anyone this when it seems that everybody else expects you to go away and excell including your parents?</p>
<p>Just a thought.</p>
<p>Donna, There are so many factors at work here. But you know your daughter better than any of us. One statement of yours was troubling, however: "My husband and I feel she'd be better off in a small LAC with smaller class size, better chance of classes transferring in, and professors with generally better office hours." This is what my wife and I thought about for our first D, who was admitted to Dickinson with a pretty good scholarship package. D was undecided, and we pushed her to Dickinson. She stayed there one semester, then transferred to our State U. I have no idea whether there are any parallels between your D and mine. But the lesson that we learned is that what looks good to the parents may not be the best for the kid. I agree with your plan to have her visit 3 of the schools that admitted her. She should also visit the CC and talk to some students, maybe she has friends there. If it really is not challenging enough for her, hopefully she will know herself well enough to realize that. Good luck.</p>
<p>Sax, you hit the nail on the head. Why else would she be so keen on a post-grad or 13th year program?? She is a young senior (w/be 17 til mid-Sept) and it shows. She's not one of those kids who's dying to get out of Dodge. There have always been separation issues, although she's been fine at camp. But how do I know what's really going on and how best to proceed? Come right out and say, Are you not ready to leave home? But, that is a big plus on the CC side of the equation because it's close enough to come home for weekends but we would like to see her board, if only because I don't like the idea of a 40" drive to school. We live in Maine and the weather isn't always great. (She doesn't even have her license yet!) </p>
<p>Am I ready for the couch??!!</p>
<p>Donna,</p>
<p>Right now she may feel she wants to be closer to the comforts of home, but in September she may have reached that point of being ready to leave....especially if most of her friends have left. But on the other hand, she is younger than most seniors, so she hasn't hit that stage of looking forward to being independent yet.</p>
<p>At least you have time before those May 1 deposits are due. Time to start a list of pros and cons for your visits to schools she was accepted to.</p>
<p>Pull up your couch next to mine if you can get through the maze of filled couches in this virtual room:)</p>
<p>I have found the best time to talk to my daughter is when she is in bed getting ready to go to sleep. The defenses are generally down and the emotions easier to get to. Give her an open ended question about how she feels about graduating and going to college in general then listen. </p>
<p>Did you know the average age of an undergrad is something like 24 ( read somewhere on these threads). This really shocked me but helped me understand that many people do not do 18-22 and out. Lots happens in between. There is no one way and only one way. When my own daughter realized that this was true and she wouldn't disappoint us if she didn't fit the cookie cutter mold it allowed her and us to let her tackle college in her own way on her own time line. All our lives are much better for it but it took awhile to get to this realization.</p>
<p>Again, just a thought.</p>
<p>(also, many colleges will allow you to accept and start school the next year)</p>
<p>A thing I've learned from reading on CC this past year is that there is a world of difference between community colleges. I don't know what your local situation is. For instance, where we live the cc is very low level academically--students I know who have gone there say that the courses are much, much easier than high school classes, students are not motivated and very few finish associate degree or transfer on to a four year. However, I've read about other places where the cc's sound very strong.</p>
<p>Personally, I would encourage the LAC. I don't know what is her dream school--but I know that both of my son's colleges (private) did not accept any cc hours--however the state U's did.</p>
<p>Much comes down to the money side and what she will agree to positively. Good luck with "the talk".</p>
<p>I'll say it straight out: I'm not a fan of community colleges unless you're entering a trade or money is a big issue.</p>
<p>While there are exceptions noted already (maybe Texas) I feel one loses out on that wonderful freshman period of discovery and bonding and it's very, very hard to make it up later.</p>
<p>Around my area, community colleges - even those with good reputations - are no match for any four-year above the Devry level, for a variety of reasons. </p>
<p>I'd say visit the other schools - or even apply to another one or two - and then decide on the four-year option.</p>
<p>You've gotten poor advice about the 5th year programs. If you can afford it, I think the 5th year is a great option. I've seen a number of students BLOSSOM in that year--under the tutelage of some very fine teachers and counselors. Colleges look at those transcripts slightly differently. All of the 5th year students that I know went on to colleges that were completely out of reach in their senior year.</p>
<p>In a 5th year program, your D would also get better counselling regarding her college choices. And I owuld heed her concern about not being ready for college freedom just yet. There are tremendous social adjustments to be made in collge--you want her to be as confident as possible.</p>
<p>A 5th year program accomplishes some of your objectives including a switched-on peer group.</p>
<p>From experience, I am opposed to community college--it is an option of the very last resort. I do not believe it offers a fraction of the residential college experience. The peer group is at best, mildly intellectual--at worst, anit-intellectual. CC is best used by older, highly motivated students on a strict budget. Please don't flame me, this is my opinion which you are free to ignore.</p>
<p>I would like to revise my post after reading that your daughter is only 16. Our CC system has a couple of different honors programs where the goal is to transfer to excellent 4 year schools, such as JHU, and others. Their regular transfer program is guaranteed to allow the child to transfer to any state public school without losing credits.
My child is an older Senior, she will be 19 in Oct and she is having "cold feet" about leaving home. She did have separation issues and we have talked about her seeing a counselor, short term, to get some help with this anxiety.</p>