<p>hello. i'm a freshman at a small, small liberal arts college in central ohio, about seven hours away from home. i'm looking to transfer somewhere closer to home, for personal and family-related reasons. i'd like to do so, but there is one issue. if you haven't guessed it already, it's "money." here's what's up.</p>
<p>i'd prefer to transfer as soon as possible, which means ideally i'd transfer after this semester's over. but i've heard
1. a transfer right now would be hard, as i haven't really got a college gpa yet (i did call the school i'm looking to transfer to, and they said they'd use my high school transcript to decide, then receive a copy of my college transcript once this semester was over).
2. there are far less opportunities for financial aid/grants/etc. for spring transfers, as priority is given to fall transfers.</p>
<p>which wouldn't kill me. but
1. the college i'm enrolled in now has offered me a wonderful deal. like "i'll only owe $25,000 after i'm finished" wonderful. i understand that a college will not offer me a free ride like that if i transfer. at all. which will make my life harder in the long run, but it's something i'm willing to deal with.</p>
<p>my plan, originally, was this. i'd apply to a few colleges now, then see what i was offered financially. if these offers weren't enough, i'd reapply in the spring and gauge my options there. but here's my big worry about that plan (and my main concern):</p>
<p><strong>IF I START APPLYING TO OTHER COLLEGES NOW, WILL THE COLLEGE I'M CURRENTLY AT DECIDE TO TAKE AWAY MY CURRENT GRANT/SCHOLARSHIP MONEY ONCE THEY REALIZE I'M LOOKING TO LEAVE?</strong></p>
<p>god forbid I decide not to transfer and end up stuck here next semester with the same amount (or even more!) debt accruing than if I'd just left.</p>
<p>-</p>
<p>i don't know who to talk to on my campus about a question like that. will they be honest with me and give me real advice? will i be placed on some sort of watchlist? that's paranoia speaking, of course, but i have to remember that college, in the end, is a business.</p>
<p>my high school gpa was 4.0+ and my combined sat score was 2130. i'm looking to transfer, right now, from a small liberal arts college (~1600 students) to a large public university (~22,000 students). my concerns are not so much with admission as they are with finances.</p>
<p>any advice would be dearly appreciated, of course. thanks in advance.</p>