<p>My son was admitted to a well-known university as a midyear student, entering January 2007. I have a few questions and I'd greatly appreciate any information or guidance.</p>
<p>He still has his eyes set on his dream school, and claims he wants to transfer. While I'm sure this desire will fade when he enters in January, I always like to have my bases covered. Transfer to the school he wants however is in April, so he would not have completed a semesters worth of work by that time (assuming the term ends in May?). He would somehow have to manage to get some sort of progress report from the school showing his grades at the time. However, the school claims they want a year's worth of academic work by the transfer deadline. </p>
<p>To complicate matters...</p>
<p>The school he was admitted to allows him to take classes at a school of his choosing for non-degree seeking credit. He's going to be taking a few courses at a school in the Boston area. At first he was thinking of taking 4 classes in the fall to ensure he keeps pace in terms of graduation credits, but he has learned that the school will take 2 of his AP credits as graduation equivalency, so now he's thinking of only taking two courses at a nearby college or university. These two courses coupled with some kind of progress report, I'm afraid, won't be enough for his dream school to make an informed decision. The only way I see it working is if he takes 4 courses at a well known university (I assume places such as Harvard, BU etc. will allow non-admitted students to take courses for non degree credit?- correct me if I'm wrong here), does well, and then takes his classes at his school and sends his dream school both transcripts. He would simply use the AP Credit later if the transfer did not go through and take two 3-course semesters. </p>
<p>Finally, to add on to things even further, my son wants to go to grad school for psych. I'm afraid that if he uses 3 AP courses, and 4 credits at a local college or university, they would only have three years of academic work to look at in making their decision. I don't know if this is a hindrance in any way. Is it looked negatively upon?</p>
<p>I know I put forth a ton of information, and quite a few questions. I'm a long time reader, first time poster, and I'm seeking any advice I can get. Any responses are most appreciated!</p>
<p>Well I'll take a crack at it. IMHO it's WAY too early to be worrying about graduate school. As for transferring to one's Dream School, I believe this topic has been extensively discussed in previous threads. At the risk of over simplifying, I believe the advice boils down to doing very well during the Freshman year (or Freshman and Sophomore years) and then applying for transfer. I have no first hand experience, but DW tells me that one semester of academic history provides, um, a pretty thin resume. If your S wants to impress, he'll probably be better off having a full academic year of work to present.</p>
<p>Does anyone know if one can only take courses for non-degree credit at community college? Or can he join a class at Harvard, Boston University, or Northeastern, for instance?</p>
<p>Have your son call all the schools he's interested in taking these for credit and find out now. The sooner reality is discovered the more realistic he will need to be. </p>
<p>My guess is that not all colleges will have the same policies regarding this AND your son should be sure to ask about registration time tables and how his opportunities to get the courses he wants/needs may be effected by his being a non degree seeking student. Usually registration is for degree seekers first.</p>
<p>Good luck and I hope your son loves his college in January and doesn't need to try to juggle too much!</p>
<p>Harvard, Boston University and Northeastern all have courses for adult students.</p>
<p>In some cases, these courses are taught by the same professors and use the same curriculum as the equivalent course in the four year college.</p>
<p>However, I am uncertain as to whether an admissions committee would give an extension school course the same weight as enrollment in a course as a regularly admitted student.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>If your son was not admitted to his dream school as a freshman, he probably will not be able to transfer there after finishing less then a semester elsewhere. His best bet would be to try to transfer as a junior (though he might change his mind altogether by that time).</p></li>
<li><p>Although AP credit is usually awarded in a very straightforward way, it can be VERY difficult (and often impossible) to get any credit for classes taken elsewhere - even at a top university (and those classes are usually expensive).</p></li>
</ol>