<p>One way to evaluate 5th year programs is to look at the scattergrams for her dream school for their 5th year students. Those directors should be able to say whether or not she has a prayer of getting into that school. Ideally, her 5th year school is a feeder for her dream school.</p>
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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?
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<p>Have you thought about bribing her best friends $50 apiece to badmouth Dreamschool U? Nothing like peer influence to change the mind of a teenager.</p>
<p>Cheers, I know what you're saying. Part of me would love to present her with that option, but then there's a part of me that resists it, too. I guess the practical part of me is saying that there are other ways to mature, like getting a job for a year, volunteering at a hospital, or whatever. It just seems so indulgent to say, okay, here you go, another year of high school, prep-school style! Also, my husband isn't keen on the idea and that has created a lot of family friction too, which can't be discounted. It's not a unilateral decision I can make.</p>
<p>The pitfalls of a community college are many -- the caliber of students, of facilities, of everything. I don't really know how to gauge whether it's one of the "good" cc's or not. I visited, and I met some dedicated staff. The kids didn't look like morons :) but what do I know? I am planning to revisit with my D next week.</p>
<p>Bottom line is I know she's probably not ready for this huge transition. She could use more time. But aside from presenting her with options that we're all comfortable with, I don't know how to "save" her from this potentially difficult and painful time.</p>
<p><<i don't="" really="" know="" how="" to="" gauge="" whether="" it's="" one="" of="" the="" "good"="" cc's="" or="" not.="">></i></p><i don't="" really="" know="" how="" to="" gauge="" whether="" it's="" one="" of="" the="" "good"="" cc's="" or="" not.="">
<p>Do the same type of due dilligence that you'd do with a four year school. Contact the CC you are considering and ask about the percentage of students who successfully transfer in two years (and to which schools), the percentage who drop out, the percentage of full time vs. part time students, the percentage of full time vs. part time faculty, likelihood/difficulty of getting the courses she would need to transfer, etc.</p>
<p>If she does decide to go the community college route, her best chances of transferring to a specific school are to use the time in community college taking any general education course requirements that the 4-year school might have, NOT courses in her intended major. </p>
<p>Another possibility that has not yet been mentioned is to consider some of the private junior colleges as an alternative to the CC. They would give your daughter the whole "going away to college" experience, are usually very supportive, and many are much better at helping their students transfer. Two that I can think of off the top of my head are Dean College in Mass. and Marymount in California, but there are others as well. And, given the young age of your daughter, you might also check into Simon's Rock College of Bard, a school designed specifically for younger students.</p>
<p>Finally, I'd suggest you look very carefully at the actual transfer application numbers for the 4-year school in question. How many applications for how many slots? Are there special programs to help transfer students get adjusted and fit in? What are the problematic aspects of getting her degree in four years as a transfer in her major? Keep in mind that there are NEVER any guarantees when it comes to admissions, especially two years down the road. </p>
<p>If it was my child, I'd probably lean towards attending the LAC where she's already been admitted with an open mind and heart. In two years, if she feels she made the wrong choice, she can consider transferring then, and may have an entirely different set of criteria in mind. But, that is MY personal leaning -- your child is obviously NOT my child. You are the one who knows your child best, so ultimately what strangers tell you to do should not factor in at all. </p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
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