<p>I'm a freshman at GW, and am seriously considering transferring to Smith. My situation is kind of strange, as this was my first semester of college, as I deferred my enrollment a year and a half to intern abroad via a state department scholarship. My ACT score was a 28, and my high school GPA was around a 3.5W, 3.0UW. It was higher but I seriously screwed up my last semester of high school, as I was admitted to GW ED and had senioritis/was depressed because of a death in the family at the beginning of the semester. </p>
<p>My question is, is it too late to for me to apply? I saw on the website that the priority deadlines have passed, but that Smith accepts applications until May 15. I also saw that last year Smith was on the Space Availability List of colleges that have spaces to fill after May 1. Would my application still be considered, and do I have a shot? Also, would I still be eligible for need-based financial aid? According to the website, the deadline for aid was Feb 15 and "If you intend to apply for financial aid, you must do so when you apply for admission and by the published deadlines. If you do not, you will not be eligible for college aid until you complete 32 credits at Smith." Does anyone know if there's any flexibility in this policy? My family has a really low EFC and could not afford Smith otherwise.</p>
<p>Any insight would be very much appreciated, thanks for reading!</p>
<p>On the financial aid issue, I’d check with the Admissions Office. Usually when it comes to flexibility and financial aid deadlines the answer is “no”, but for transfers, the situation may be different. </p>
<p>Re: the general question about your admission: if the website says they accept applications until May 15, then they accept and consider applications turned in by that date. However, keep in mind that it’s very likely to be a space available thing. I.e., they have to see how many spaces they have open in the sophomore class over all, how many transfers who applied by earlier deadlines accepted, and what they can offer. Your application I’m sure would receive full consideration, but just prepare yourself for possible rejection. If that happens though. you could always re-apply to transfer for the spring 2013 semester.</p>
<p>Also, as an aside, for the benefit of some people on here who are deciding between Smith and GW, what is it that is making you want to transfer, or any general info you can give on the topic of Smith vs. GW. Thanks.</p>
<p>Thanks, Smithieandproud. I think I will make some calls tomorrow to the admission/FA office. I really would like to transfer for the Fall semester, just as I had to start at GW in Spring and it was kind of an awkward time to start, and I wouldn’t really want to go through that again unless I have to. </p>
<p>Bossof51 - GW is a good school for those who are really driven and interested in International Affairs or Politics. I thought (when I was applying to college 2 years ago) that I wanted to study International Affairs, but recently I’ve decided that I would like to major in foreign language. GW’s not really a liberal arts college, and doesn’t really have good language programs. Also, I don’t really like the social scene all that much. I feel like anyone at GW could find their niche, but I don’t like the Greek scene, which is becoming more prevalent every year. The fact that most students here are really wealthy, and like to make that known is annoying as well.
My friends who go to liberal arts colleges all tell me about the cool classes they are taking, or how great their advisors are, and I don’t really feel like I get that at GW. I’m stuck in a lot of large, intro level courses, and I only liked about half of my classes this semester. My advisor barely knows who I am (though she is helpful most of the time) and it can be difficult to get an appointment with her. She often refers me to other people when I have questions, and is not helpful about fellowships, etc. The red tape at GW is terrible as well, and I feel like most of my professors are inaccessible. Also, I find it frustrating that a lot of other schools offer grants or other resources to their students if they would like to study abroad, or complete an internship for example. Such resources do not exist at GW, and this really bothers me, as the school certainly has the means to provide these and most schools that are comparable to GW do. </p>
<p>With this being said, I’m not saying GW is a bad school or that I’m unhappy here. I would just rather go to a liberal arts college, and would prefer more individual attention. This has just been my experience in general, but if anyone has any specific questions, I would be happy to help.</p>