Everyone has there own views on transfers, let alone colleges in general. As for me, I have been thinking about attending Community college as a means to save as much money as possible, to get over preliminary requirements, and even transfer to a four-year school (such as a state school or intensive private school like Cornell etc…). Saving money is my biggest focus as my family has ten people and makes under 50k (USD) annually.
I have the grades and SAT scores to reach many good schools yet feel as if I missed a lot of opportunities in my high school coursework rigor. This, in part, to my resource teachers advising me not to due to my tendency of being stressed and a learning disability. (I have much less stress as of now and feel as if I’m ready to push myself). Community college could possibly allow me to supplement my lack of APs with their equivalent classes.
(I have one college credit for an engineering course and took a honors biology class.)
As of starting my senior year of high school… I have the following:
3.865 unweighted GPA
1350 SAT
Volleyball Team
Several hours of community service [at least 100] …(Can’t say off the top of my head)
Have been previously employed (Agriculture, Tobacco)
Mentored 2-5 graders
Plan on majoring in Computer Science
My question is less definitive as to an answer and more based on personal opinion. Is it worth it to transfer from community college to a competitive school?
It partly depends on where you are located and your financial situation. I think doing well at a CC (like pretty much 4.0) could set you up well for a selective college. However, if you need financial aid, often. transfer students are not given the same treatment as students who start as a first-year.
But there are exceptions, and public flagships in particular has some strong pathways from CCs. Private colleges can be tougher routes, especially selective ones.
Can you tell us what state you’re in and what major you’re interested in?
What kind of 4-year colleges are you interested in? Knowing this will allow those here a better idea of kind of pathways might work.
Congrats on your success in high school and keep up the good work!
What is your home state? Most community colleges have articulation agreements with 4 year colleges.
If you live in NYS, there are a number of community colleges that have articulation agreements with Cornell. In addition if you live in NYS, I would recommend applying for SEEK, EOP and HEOP. IF you live in NYC, NYU has articulation agreements with the CUNY community colleges (and one of the few programs with generous financial aid).You should also speak with your GC about what kind of financial aid could be available to you through your state’s office Department of Education, office of Vocational Rehabilitation programs.
You sound like you may be a good candidate for Questbridge, I recommend that you submit an application
They tagged @thumper1 to see if they might reply to you given some expertise on this topic.
One thing to know is that when you attend CC and apply to transfer is that you will be assessed based on your CC record – grades and involvement – not HS. Even your SAT/ACT may not be considered. I’m not saying this to deter your interest but just to make sure you’re aware that you are essentially building a new portfolio at the CC.
Do you know what your family’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is? If not, you can go to any college’s Net Price Calculator (NPC) to find out. You will need financial information (mainly tax return information and financial and bank account information) so your parents will need to be involved. Once you have that EFC number you should discuss it with your parents regarding what they are able to pay to see how closely the numbers match. If you need financial aid
Also, what kind of rigor do you think you missed in high school? I don’t think community college is a place to ‘top off’ your high school career from a more selective college’s perspective which is the way you seem to be thinking about it. Once you go to CC and apply to transfer you are put in a whole different category and for selective colleges the number of students selected from that category could be very small, esp. at private colleges.
Others may see it differently, but I think that community colleges are an affordable route to a 4-year degree and offer a lot in terms of small classes, but I think by and large they do not ‘boost’ your chances to get into a ‘better’ 4-year school. If that is your main goal and you have the financial resources, I think your better shot would be to transfer from one 4-year college to another more selective one if you’ve done very well at the first college . But, as I said earlier, it can be tough to find good financial aid as a transfer student so that may only work if you have a lot of financial resources at your disposal after you transfer.
