My daughter was only recently notified that her school greatly reduced her FA. While we could maybe afford the increase (which is substantial) we definitely can’t justify it. And we aren’t ready to forego our retirement or take out loans to make it happen (even though the school did come back with some additional funding). She went to the NACAC site, found a few schools she thought might work, and has been working on transfer apps. I think reality is setting in, and now she’s kind of shutting down due to the stress, and feels like she wants to wait until spring to make a decision, and maybe even add some additional schools. What are the pros and cons or considerations we should be thinking about with a fall transfer vs spring? My initial thought was fall transfer keeps the momentum going and keeps her graduating on time. I wondered if you all had some BTDT things we should be considering.
At some colleges which have both fall and spring admission, admission selectivity to the school and/or major may be significantly different between fall and spring, due to application volume relative to space available.
If she does not attend a four year school that she intends to graduate from in the fall, will she take a gap semester (or year if not admitted to a suitable school for the spring) to work, or will she attend a community college for a semester (or year)?
Thanks @ucbalumnus. Re your first paragraph, which admit would be more difficult? Or does it depend on different factors? She has (likely) 5 potential admits for fall. She’s not super excited about any of them, unfortunately. She loves her school and wants something similar, and she’s not finding it. She keeps saying she needs more time, doesn’t want to choose the wrong school. She’s stressed about making decisions such as room/roommate selection (actually I’m assuming she won’t have much say on this front) as well as rushing to select courses. She’s a very methodical thinker!
Spring would open up at least two more choices, but I honestly don’t think she’d be any more excited about them. I’m just not sure how hard to push her to make a decision for fall.
If she does decide to apply as a spring admit, she will continue working and possibly take a college course. But she’s also nervous about that. She took Chemistry this summer at a local college and had to jump through hoops before Rochester told her she’d get credit for it. She’s nervous what class(es) she takes might not transfer.
We do not really want her to consider taking an entire year off, and thus far she has not mentioned it as a possibility.
What would you do if it were your kid?
Personally I would have her start with one of her five options this fall. It sounds like she really really doesn’t want to leave Rochester no matter where she goes, and that won’t be any different in the Spring. If anything, it might be even worse/harder for her.
Generally speaking, more transfers start in the Fall so she should have an easier time finding other transfers and have more supports. Some schools even do special orientations for transfer students.
If she digs her feet in, I’d have her take the whole year off and start in Fall of '20. That gives her the whole application season to submit her applications.
Good luck. It’s a rough position to be in and I’m sorry Rochester didn’t step up with the FA.
It probably depends on the specific college and major. Most US colleges are set up for most students starting in the fall, but may have some space for students to start in the spring due to early or late graduates often having one fewer spring than fall semester (also students who drop out may drop out after a fall semester). But, for those which accept applications specifically for spring start, the volume and strength of applicants may be higher or lower relative to the number of places in spring than in the fall. Of course, not all selective colleges accept applications for spring start.
If she has five suitable choices to transfer to this fall, and any additional possibilities in the spring are unlikely to be strongly preferred, then it makes sense to start at one of those five in the fall.