<p>Tell me what you think: after how many terms/semesters/years of post-highschool education do you think it's just too late to transfer to another school?</p>
<p>I'm not specifically referring to community colleges; imagine going from high school to some public or private 4-year school, and then deciding to transfer after X semesters. What is (to you) the maximum sensibly allowable value of X?</p>
<p>Also: what do you think the upper limit for number of transfers is? (IE: How many times do you think a student can transfer schools before it just begins to seem weird and disturbing?)</p>
<p>Most public 4-year institutions will accept students with senior standing (that is, who would enter as seniors). Privates, from what I've seen, tend to put the cutoff at junior standing.</p>
<p>Yeah, most tier 1 schools will only accept juniors ( at the most). I don't know if it "looks good" if you transfer more than once. If you really need to though, just make sure you have an explanation for why you did it twice.</p>
<p>It's not just a question of whether the university will let you transfer in. A transfer student also has to meet the residency requirement. The residency requirement means you have to earn X credit hours at the university you are transferring to in order to be awarded a degree from that university. X is usually somewhere between 30 to 60 semester hours, or the equivalent in quarter hours. You could actually be admitted but have to take additional courses you wouldn't otherwise need just to meet the residency requirement.</p>
<p>If your current university really isn't a good fit, it can be a good move to transfer even if you have less than two years left. Even if you have three or only two semesters left, that's a long time to stick around at a place that isn't working.</p>
<p>FWIW, I technically transferred three times and only attended the university that awarded my degree for 1 1/2 years. The first transfer was unavoidable, as I started at a community college. The second transfer was out of a university which was an extremely poor fit. The third was a technicality. I'd been taking some classes for a semester at directional public university within commuting distance while deciding what to do next.</p>
<p>Would it have been better not to have to transfer repeatedly? Definitely.</p>
<p>But was transferring better than sticking around a university that just wasn't a good fit? Again, definitely.</p>
<p>First, think about your reasons for transferring long and hard. It's not a decision to be taken lightly. If you still think transferring makes sense, then go for it, even if you only have a limited amount of time left.</p>
<p>Moving, Take3. Thanks for sharing your experience. It is in some ways analogous to mine; although I'll only be transferring twice in the end.</p>
<p>I can only hope that the schools I'm applying to don't see me as someone attempting to transfer when it's "too late," as a student who may be sharp with nice stats but is just too bloated with credits. I worry that I'll have to devote much of my energy to mitigating this view of me.</p>
<p>Thank you for your insights, Take3. By the way, did any of the colleges you transfer to have a core curriculum? I am looking at one school I really like, but it has a core and I am afraid that if I apply for junior status my chance at being admitted will be a lot lower because admissions may not feel that I will be able to complete the core requirements within 2 years or so. Any ideas?
Thanks!</p>
<p>parisha and ccTransfer10: You're welcome. I'm glad it helped - after all, people here have tried to help me.</p>
<p>Yes, I (intentionally) transferred to a liberal arts college which required a core curriculum of 12 liberal arts courses. In my case, about half of them were complete anyway. Would it have mattered if none of the core courses were already completed? Would it have mattered if the core was as in-depth as the core at, say, Columbia or the University of Chicago? I don't know.</p>
<p>I actually don't know to what extent universities have a problem with multiple transfers and/or transfers fairly late in the game. Purely looking at admissions standards, the university I eventually graduated from was a safety school. Would either situation have mattered at a match school? I don't know that either.</p>
<p>A transfer out of a community college hopefully doesn't "count", given that it's inevitable after starting at the community college.</p>
<p>Do you have reasons for wanting to transfer that are specific and compelling? The application might ask you why you want to transfer. Even if not, most applications give you a chance to provide any additional information about yourself. Expressing these reasons well in writing can only help your case.</p>