<p>S's friend was a Spring admit this past January to one of our state u's (not flagship). It was his first choice school. He already had friends there so his transition was easy. He moved right in an apt. with friends. He did the CC classes during the Fall semester. </p>
<p>Another student we know got a spring admit to another of our state u's (again not flagship but her first choice) last year but couldn't bear the thought of starting late so went to her second choice in Aug. and has been very happy there. I had never really heard of the spring admit until these two aquaintances were offered it. Apparantly it is getting more common in our state on every level.</p>
<p>Like Rodney's D, my S was admitted to USC for Spring 09. I'm concerned about the social adjustment too, but they do enroll about 300 freshmen "springers" and I've heard these kids bond at their own orientation. Housing is not guaranteed, which concerns me, and the freshman honors program is unavailable to him. </p>
<p>But...USC is very generous with AP credits. My S has never had an AP class, but will have self-studied for 6 exams. With any luck this May, he'll be 2/3 of the way through his freshman year before he starts in January. Even after the half-tuition scholarship he gets, missing that one semester will save us around $16,000! There's a silver lining for ya! I still don't know if he'll choose USC (the big allure is he was admitted to the film program), but IMO the spring admit program is far better than a waitlist. This binds the college, as opposed to leaving it up to their whim.</p>
<p>Do no schools give applicants the option of checking a box stating they would not mind beginning in the Spring? I would have been more than happy to have an extra 5 months of freedom!</p>
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Do no schools give applicants the option of checking a box stating they would not mind beginning in the Spring? I would have been more than happy to have an extra 5 months of freedom!
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I think a lot of kids wouldn't mind doing fall semester abroad or at CC or just working if it would let them into their dream college.</p>
<p>Brandeis has had a January Admit program for years. They have a special January orientation programs for these kids; it seems to work out really well there.</p>
<p>I also like the idea of moving to the city where the college is and taking CC classes, if this works out logistically. For fall semester. On a related note, at UC Santa Barbara, kids who didn't get in can go to Santa Barbara CC for a year and live in dorms with USCB kids - there is some dorm there that is common to the two colleges. It can be called the back door route to admission there - transfer after a year of CC, but during that year of CC, it is a lot like you were there at the college.</p>
<p>FishOutOfWater said
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if the school is a dream school like it was for me, don't let spring admission keep you from attending. You'll be able to make it work.
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</p>
<p>I think we will see more of this. It prevents "non-revenue generating" empty dorm rooms on campuses in the spring.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I don't think it's a matter of being offended, but rather a question of whether a student will be integrated fully into the "college experience"....<<</p>
</blockquote>
<br>
<p>Some of them are clearly offended. You see them complaining every year right here on CC. They consider it "a slap in the face," at best a left-handed acceptance, and that the school "didn't really want me." They consider it a form of rejection instead of a form of acceptance. Which is unfortunate. Most if not all the problems created by showing up a quarter or semester late are gone after one term.</p>
<p>I know SEMO has started doing more of the Spring Admissions lately because the university is out of space! They have bumped up the application dates and they are different if you live more than 50 miles away than if you live within that 50 mile radius. Record freshmen classes the last couple years has led to a need for more residence halls. They can only build so fast ;)</p>
<p>Renovations are ongoing in an apartment building the University Foundation has purchased right next to campus and construction has begun on a new residence hall slated to open in time for Fall 2009.</p>
<p>I have heard similar things to this. Let me provide a couple of other examples and comments:</p>
<p>One student I know was accepted at Georgetown and was all set to go, though he was on the wait-list at Harvard. Harvard called and offered him a spot in next year's class instead. So, he took a year off and will attend Harvard starting in the fall. So, does the acceptance count toward this year or next? How does this apply to Harvard's yield for next year? How wide spread is this practice and how does it impact the broader statistics?</p>
<p>I am sure it is not just Harvard that does this but I found myself asking if it was a way for them to fill their class a year in advance.</p>
<p>The second example is a little different, in fact it is somewhat the opposite. Some schools are starting to accept students early and asking that they start right away, i.e. in January, forgoing the end of their senior year in high school. This is done for certain recruited athletes like Jimmy Clausen the QB at Notre Dame. The rationale is that it gets them acclimated to the place and also gets them a jump on classes that would satisfy eligibility.</p>
<p>Both of these examples are interesting and I would like to understand how they evolve in the future. I would also be interested in others perspective on how the stats would get reported.</p>
<p>At least two of the schools that I expect my son to be interested in offer the spring admit with a London semester. He (from the lofty vantage point of a world traveler currently residing in Provence, just back from his trips to Paris, London, and Venice!!) thinks it would be really <em>kewl</em> to start that way. Looking at his projected courses for the next two years, even if he didn't go to a CC or the London semester, he may have enough AP credits to be a 2nd semester freshman on entering.</p>
<p>If it gets him in where he wants to be -- what's the problem??</p>
<p>My son was accepted to Northeastern for their Spring semester. But they expect him to be caught up with those that start this fall, by the fall of 2009. He plans to major in Chemical Engineering, so finding the classes for engineers he needs to take locally is difficult (he didn't apply to any local colleges). And he was really interested in staying there and taking the classes at NU in the summer of 2009. So, he's on to other choices that he has.</p>
<p>"If it gets him in where he wants to be -- what's the problem??"</p>
<p>In your case, cnp55, there is no problem....But many Spring admit schools offer NO program in the fall through their universities; If my d was given an option as yours was, it would have been a no-brainer.....</p>
<p>I know a kid who started at Colorado College spring semester a few years ago. It worked out fine for him, but he was an athlete in a spring sport, so he arrived to a ready-made social network.</p>
<p>" I don't think it's a matter of being offended, but rather a question of whether a student will be integrated fully into the "college experience"..</p>
<p>I used to teach college, and I saw students who transferred in spring semester who were able to fairly easily integrate themselves into college. The way? Getting involved in extracurriculars, which do seek and welcome new members in the spring just as they do in the fall. </p>
<p>As for the idea that all of the cliques form fall semester, that's not true. Typically some students will meet and cling together out of almost desperation since they are new at college. However, permanent friendships take longer to evolve. Plenty of people don't meet the students who become their lifelong friends untll soph year or later.</p>
<p>Lots of freshmen also go so wild first semester or put on acts to act like the person whom they think will attract others. Spring, they are calmer and more likely to act like their real selves, which could work to the advantage of a student who starts spring semester and is looking for friends.</p>
<p>Also, college isn't like high school. Most people don't stay in cliques, but have wider social socials than exists in most high schools.</p>
<p>As for graduating with one's class, it's fairly typical at many colleges for students to take more than 4 years to finish. Some also take less than four years if they came in with lots of college credits. And college students, unlike what's the case with many high school students, tend to have friends who span classifications, so it's not as if one will be left friendless if one enters a semester behind one's high school cohort.</p>