Hi! My son was accepted ED to a school that was a bit of a reach for him. It is a small LAC. They accepted him as a January Admit, with the option of spending his Fall in London with Arcadia University College of Global Studies.
We would love to hear from anyone whose children did a similar program - any specifics on the London program especially are most welcome. I am also interested in any tips you might have for the transition into college life upon his return. Thanks!
Hmmm, does this small LAC have a lot of students graduating one semester late (or one semester early)? Having some students start in the spring may be a way to balance out the enrollment between fall and spring semesters.
If the school was a reach for the student, spring admission could also be a way to keep lower stat students out of the reported income fall frosh class stats.
With respect to the London program, check what courses are offered and how they would transfer to the LAC. Pay attention to the LAC’s general education requirements and his possible majors’ major requirements. Pay attention also to whether the courses offered are at the correct level for his placement.
Check also what other options the school accepts (e.g. fall semester at a local community college, fall semester as a gap semester working or doing other non-school activity).
Thanks for your help! They accept 40 students for Jan admission - fills up the housing when junior students go abroad I guess. All of the units from London transfer, and he can graduate on time. If he goes to community college, getting all the units to transfer is a bit trickier. I think one additional benefit of London is that he will be with 20 -30 other incoming freshmen from his school.
Have you checked the school-specific board to look for other families’ experience? I seem to recall a few schools that do something like this.
Yes, thanks I have posted on the Hamilton page. I know other schools do this as well, so I was hoping to reach a wider audience.
Back in the day I was a January admit to another college. Later I was offered normal September start but I stuck with the plans I had made.
In my case the January arrivals made it difficult to make good enough friends for housing draw for the next years rooms. Fortunately I had additional transfer credits and I got a better housing lottery number and got a single. If I hadn’t ended up with a single, I would have been in a pickle. If I remember correctly, housing draw was just after spring break. Not a lot of time to get to know people well.
The upside to January entry is that the stupid wildness that some freshmen engage in was over.
I’d make the decision to attend the school as a January admit first, and then make the decision about starting the fall semester in London. Does he want to go to this school even if he can’t start until Jan? Pros, cons? Meeting friends, joining activities, fall sports, parents’ weekend? If he decides it is the right school, then consider what he wants to do in the fall. Work, goof off, go to London, take community college classes (if the school allows). Also decide if he’s mature enough to go to the semester away. He won’t have connections on campus if he has questions about HOW to be a college student, won’t know how to approach a teacher for help, won’t have an established gpa should one of the overseas classes take a wrong term.
My daughter is leaving for study abroad tomorrow. She hasn’t packed, decided she has a tooth ache and needs to go to the dentist in the morning, there is a problem with her FA and she needs to call the school in the morning, forgot to buy a gift for her host family, and is basically a mess. She’ll be 21 next week, and I don’t think she would have been ready to go as an 18 year old. She has some contacts on campus, knows who to call about the FA, has met her roommate, has a few sorority sisters studying in other cities in England/Scotland. And she’s still a mess.
^^^hugs.