Fresh or Stale? Transfer advice wanted

<p>I graduated from high school this year. I couldn't apply last year for 2008 class due to some unavoidable conditions. I will be applying for freshman class of 2009. In the meantime, I want to enroll in a local college here just to get the feel, spend time with profs and do some research. But I wouldn't want to transfer any credits whatsoever. Will I be able to apply as a freshman in this case? I will be taking my name off the local college as soon as I get admission into an us college. Will that be problem? My first priority however is to apply (and probably get into) a college as a freshman in 2009 and I wouldn't one any activity hindering it .... Please advise!!</p>

<p>If you went to a community college and received credit, then wouldn't your application status for 2009 be considered ' transfer'? I mean, I don't see how you can simply ignore the credits you receive at CC. Still, I'd call and ask the colleges you're interested in and ask them about specific gap year policies and how they accept credits from CC.</p>

<p>The moment you enroll at any school whether it's a CC or a 4-year you would have to apply as a transfer student.</p>

<p>The point is I don't want to transfer any credits. I wanted join some college just like that and cut my name off its register at the end of the year. That way I would have some fruitful way of spending my gap year.
In no way, will be applying as a transfer student. NO QAY. I will bunk the idea of just-joining-a-local-college completely then ... what sau???</p>

<p>Sorry for the typos ......</p>

<p>I was in the same place you are after high school. You have a couple options. Apply as a transfer, which it seems like you don't want to do. Or you can take no classes what so ever and try to apply again with a gap year. I would recommend the first route though. I'm not exactly sure why you're so against it, but it really isn't that bad of a way to go.</p>

<p>I've never heard of a student "cutting their name off its register". Once you enroll and take classes, those credits remain on the college's register (computer system) forever. I suppose there are some people out there that attempt to hide the fact they've been to a previous college by not supplying the information or transcripts... but considering how interconnected the world is today based on your Social Security number and other search options... if the college you are trying to transfer (I mean, apply as a fake "freshman" after taking CC classes) figures out you lied on your application, I wouldn't want to be around for the fallout.</p>

<p>Check out your transfer institutions to see what they consider a freshman vs transfer student. Sometimes if you stay below a certain threshold (ie: 12 or less credits), you can be considered a freshman applicant. This will vary from college to college, so you need to do your own research.</p>

<p>Also, you may want to consider doing 2 years at a CC and transfer - some colleges actually have a higher transfer rate admission than freshman. Berkeley is one such example (22% for incoming freshmen, 33% for transfer - approximate numbers from about a year ago). Other places, like Stanford, are the opposite (10% for incoming, 1% for transfer, approximate numbers from a year ago).</p>

<p>Annika</p>

<p>I don't want to provoke lying or falsifying any info on an application, but adrivit seems to genuinely want to learn instead of wasting time without it hurting his college experience. As to why you are so adamnt about being a freshman, I'm not sure, but if I were you, I would do as I please, and just never report it. Say you took a gap year and that's it. No college will scan every school in the U.S. to find out if you actually attended. At the same time, your school won't inform your new school that you went there because they don't know what you're doing either. It's as simple as not reporting anything.</p>

<p>Unless you are already have a 4.0 or solid grades, I just don't see how a couple of As from a community college can hinder you unless you're in that Stanford 10% v 1% transfer case that annikasorrensen explained.</p>

<p>So, yeah, I wouldn't report.</p>

<p>I am from India ... an International .......... and the HUGE problem is ... that the local college stamps on my mark sheet that admitted to " " and if take my name off it again stamps "TC given" or "name taken off (something like that stating I am no loneger part of that college)"... so thats a problem i guess .........
And I genuinely want to learn .... why would I lie? I have been waiting 12 years to get to MIT and bloody hell i couldn't apply last year .... so here am I stuck ............</p>

<p>I would recommend taking a gap year and doing something productive with it. Look for a job or internship, travel, do volunteer work or get involved in some organization. Apply to the colleges you want as a freshman and explain the gap year and what you plan to do with it. It will only enrich your application.</p>

<p>I am in my gap year now and doing some pretty nice things ..... so ... no just-joining-college for me then??</p>