So, recently I’ve been realizing that I probably could have saved more money applying to certain colleges as a freshman than as a transfer, simply because of better financial aid and scholarship opportunities. It dawned on me that, overall, I’m probably looking at spending more on college through community college then transfer, than I would having just applied as a freshman. And it’s really making me depressed and nervous.
Given that I already have around 12 AP credits and I’d of course be earning credits during my first semester at community college, could it be possible for me to still apply as a freshman for spring semester to colleges? Is there any way I could do this? My parents are adamant about me not taking a gap year (during which, I could easily work full time, my part time job basically guaranteed me that if I wanted to), so that is not really an option. Right now Im starting 4 CC classes this semester.
Colleges I’m looking to potentially transfer to:
American University
Rowan University
Rutgers University
Temple University
Rider University
Thank you guys so much in advance for any support.
So, my mom relented and said it’s up to me. What I was thinking of doing was working full time (so 40 hours a week, 5 days a week). Now, would it be possible for me to take a couple of CC classes as a non-degree seeking student for credits, and still be able to apply as a freshman for the fall term?
You need to check each school’s frosh versus transfer policy. Some schools consider students with any post-high-school college attendance to be transfers, while others allow some limited number of credits. If you want to be safe in terms of preserving your eligibility to apply as a frosh everywhere, do not take any college courses after high school graduation. Or check the policy of every school you could possibly apply to and stay within the most restrictive limits of all of those schools.
What kind of high school grades and test scores do you have? These can make a big difference in terms of what scholarships you may get, and therefore whether it will likely be less expensive starting as a frosh at a university with scholarship, versus starting at a community college and transferring later.
My unweighted GPA was a 3.45. I’m not sure what my weighted GPA was, but almost all of my classes were at the Honors or AP level my last 2 years. Weighted, I was in the top 11% of my high school class. My SAT Scores were 2000.
On my AP tests, I got a 5 in Euro, a 5 in APUSH, a 5 in AP Psychology, and a 4 in Gov.
Looking at a couple schools, I fit the general criteria for some of the top freshman scholarships at those schools.
Okay, so I took a closer look at two of these colleges. Rowan University requires that I have completed less than 12 credit hours at another institution to be eligible to apply as a transfer. For Temple University, the threshold is less than 15 credit hours at another institution.
Now, I assume this does not count credits earned through AP Tests correct? Also, I assume this means that if I have less than 12 (or in Temple’s case 15) credit hours, I can apply as a freshman, correct?
Your AP exam scores aren’t counted as college credits when you apply.
To know exactly how Rowan and Temple would treat your application, call them and ask.
If you qualify for the big scholarships, ask if you would be awarded them as a spring semester applicant, or if they are only for students who start in the fall.
To be perfectly honest, your best option is probably to take the gap year (or semester) and not take any college courses anywhere. That way you won’t have to worry about those courses causing any problem for you.
Yeah, I’m going to call up Rowan and Temple tomorrow to get a good idea. Thank you for the assistance. I’d still ideally like to take some CC courses under the limit to be a freshman still for those 2 schools, just because it’s less work I have to do later. Again, thanks.
One more thing. It says, “first time, full time freshman” for the scholarship awards. What would constitute “first time full time”?
Ask each college if you are not sure what it’s definition is.
If you have more than 12-15(depends on the college)then you are considered a transfer student…so their would be no need to apply as a freshman unless you went to a college in high school. Im also applying to rutgers and temple.
In my own experience, most schools aren’t going to allow freshman applicants who have already received college credit. You have to provide transcripts of all college courses you’ve completed, which makes you a transfer student.
It’s incredibly unusual to end up paying MORE after transferring from a CC. Even with a slightly smaller financial aid package at a university as a transfer (which isn’t always the case by any means), it doesn’t seem likely that two years of CC + two years of university are going to be more than 4 years at a university. I transferred from a CC. My annual tuition at my CC was a little over $3000. My annual tuition at UIUC is just over $20,000.
A first time, full time freshman is just what it says. Someone who is a freshman, and has never attended college.
These things are going to vary from school to school though. Your best bet is to contact advisers at these schools and ask them directly.