<p>I am currently a rising junior at Barnard, and have recently been informed that I will not have any institutional aid for the 2010-2011 term. My family's EFC is <$3500, so it's not easy for me to pay tuition. </p>
<p>I transferred into Barnard this past semester from a community college, but I was never in love with the school. I applied transfer to two schools just in case I did not like Barnard after the entire semester was over, and did not gain admission into either institution. I thought I would learn to love the school, but I still feel out of place for academic reasons (it isn't the best place for my major), costs (both financial aid, and just the cost of living in NYC), and social reasons.</p>
<p>Is it worth staying here for the remainder of my undergraduate career, knowing that I will have no financial aid for the next academic year? If not, will any schools even accept me as a transfer student?</p>
<p>Stats:</p>
<p>Major: Math/Physics
Gender: Female
GPA: ~3.7/4.0
First generation college student</p>
<p>ECs: I had an extensive resume from working with the Young Dems and Obama Campaign, but I did not do much this past semester because I just came to Barnard. I am however participating in Physics research from a NASA grant at Columbia right now.</p>
<p>Some schools allow Spring transfers, you can do a search and find the list, that may be your best option. Just keep in mind some schools require you to complete 60 credit hours (2 years) before you can graduate, so you may graduate a semester late.</p>
<p>Yeah, I transferred into my current school in this past spring term. Would colleges even want me though? I was told by an adviser at Barnard that they wouldn’t want me because I transferred already…</p>
<p>Plenty of people have transferred twice and gotten into top schools</p>
<p>Really? So the adcoms will just overlook it or will I have to explain my situation in depth?</p>
<p>If you can’t pay for Barnard, then that is a good reason for having to transfer. If you can’t pay the bills there, I would suggest you look in your state of residence at a public university…and finish your undergrad degree. At this point, you need to find an affordable place where you can finish your undergrad degree.</p>
<p>One thing about transfering again and again…at some point you may find yourself having to go to school a semester (or two) longer to complete your required graduation courses…so be careful.</p>
<p>If you are a rising junior (and want to transfer) you might be better off taking a leave of absence. Some colleges don’t accept students with too many credits. </p>
<p>If you chose to return can you get the loans you need to attend for the next two years? As a rising junior you will have a lot more options than a rising senior. </p>
<p>Shameless plug, but have you checked out Wellesley? The financial aid is amazing even for transfers, and I’ve been really happy with the math department.</p>
<p>I’m curious, did you get financial aid for last semester? Why would they start denying you aid with such a low efc?</p>
<p>Since it’s harder to transfer in for spring (and you wouldn’t want to pay for another semester), maybe you could withdraw for the year and prepare applications for fall 2011. If you can’t afford Barnard, you shouldn’t have to suck up the big price tag for two years.</p>
<p>Barnard does not offer financial aid for spring transfers, regardless of EFC.
Thank you, everyone, for your insights. I really appreciate it.</p>