<p>Any parents who have experience with this? Anyone with a high-stats kid who didn't like their college as a freshman, then transferred for sophomore year and was awarded meaningful merit aid at the second school?</p>
<p>I have looked into this, and the bottom line is that it varies from school to school. You need to look at specific websites and call the admissions offices.</p>
<p>Our experience - great offers as a freshman to nothing as a transfer. There is a huge huge gap. NMF D was offered nothing at her transfer school. They want you at the first. If you come later, they figure you want them....</p>
<p>It doesn't hurt to ask - my son transferred after his freshman year and the school he transferred to did offer him a scholarship, just about equal to the amount he was received from his first school. He couldn't find any information on their website and the admissions office wasn't sure either. We were quite surprised.</p>
<p>Do your kids feel in hindsight that transferring was a good thing to do? Do they miss very much about their first school?</p>
<p>My D is transferring into the University of Virginia in January. Her transfer financial aid package was just as good as that of her freshman year. She is thrilled about her upcoming transfer. The academics are far superior at UVA, plus many other things. Wahoo!</p>
<p>Gotopractice, yes. </p>
<p>My D spent her first year at a highly regarded LAC, with substantial merit aid. Transferred to a lesser known LAC this school year with equally good merit aid, which was a requirement to be able to transfer. </p>
<p>I will admit her merit was not due to being "high-stat" but instead was based on leadership in a particular field for 5 years and being a top-ranked (awarded) student filmmaker. I suspect it varies by schools (just as acceptances varies), depending on what they're looking for. </p>
<p>She misses nothing about her previous school. For her, the transfer was a blessing.</p>
<p>This is somewhat reassuring. Son may want to transfer to brother's school after finding he is more interested in his brother's field than he was initially. A late bloomer, I guess. If I had known I would have insisted he go to brother's school in the first place. </p>
<p>Problem is, he has a fantastic scholarship at current school. We need to find out if new school is $ friendly to transfers. I am not looking forward to this!</p>
<p>mommusic, I can relate. The conversation with my D was reassuring about the acceptance, but hesitant about the scholarship. I was quite concerned. Fortunately it worked out well for D. I hope it does for your S as well. It's a shame when $ has to end up being the deciding factor. But it is what it is.</p>
<p>Anyone else with transfer experience? We're trying to put together a list of schools that offer merit scholarships to transfer students.</p>
<p>I was also wondering about this, as I am considering transfering and I need some form of money to do it, either merit aid or needbased or both. It is good to know that some people are getting money.</p>
<p>It seems that usually kids transfer from public to private or big to small etc. but has anyone known or had experience with kids who have transfered comparibly (ie. Small Liberal Arts college to another small LAC )?</p>
<p>My daughter hopes to transfer next fall, but we know that there is no merit aid at the school she wants to attend. Fortunately, the school has excellent need based aid ... we know this because she was accepted this year & turned them down. The difference between the school she now attends, where she received a large merit scholarship as well as a small need based grant, and the other school isn't enough to make a difference.</p>
<p>I am interested in knowing how your kids handled/are handling their time at the current school, waiting to hear from the other school. D has friends at her school & is involved in things. However, she is so upset with herself for not going to the other school in the first place, and so worried that she won't get in again ... it is really affecting her emotionally. We had a HUGE blow up this morning as she prepared to drive back to school. It doesn't help that we had more than 9 inches of snow & she has a 10-11 hour drive ... but that was more a distraction ... the real problem was her dwelling on what she can't change. She made the best decision at the time last spring, and things have changed in her career plans. She had no clear first choice last spring, and the final choice came down to the 2 schools (of 8 possible). After weighing pros & cons, she chose the one she attends. Now she DOES have a clear preference ... the other school ... and she simply doesn't want to be at her current school anymore. She picks everything apart (believe me, it is not a bad fit at all for her & she would be happy there had her goals not changed --- and I believe they changed because of her current school --- so it's a blessing in disguise that she is there --- not that she believes that!). Anyway, had she not been carpooling with a classmate, I don't think we would have been able to get her to go back to school.</p>
<p>Any words of wisdom from those who have been through this? I thought the drama was over last May 1, but I obviously need more gray hair & stress-fat.</p>
<p>Aww Kelsmom. I know how you feel. Even though I am not a parent I feel similarly to the way your D. feels. I havea couple of friends and I am involved in actitivites but I don't know, I don't feel I mesh with the school. I also get that feeling of I don't want to go abck , etc. If you don't mind me asking what did she change her major to?</p>
<p>"Any words of wisdom from those who have been through this?"
She needs to keep her focus on her classes, and try to get the highest grades possible. She can also contact the admissions office at the school she is reapplying to and let then know she is reapplying, and ask what she need to do to be competative. My son did this when he decided to reapply to a college he had been accepted at, and kept in touch with an admissions officer through the school year. He was reaccepted. He was NOT reaccepted at a very competative Ivy that had accepted him the year before [ they took very few transfer students because of overenrollment of the incoming freshman class.]</p>
<p>She originally planned to be a dentist, so any major would have worked. However, she realized that she may be very good at math & science, but she doesn't LIKE them at all. She spent time thinking about what she really wants to do, and she realized that she wants to either work in the music industry (representing independent artists) or managing a nonprofit. She wants to take classes in the social sciences, but she also wants business classes. Her current school does not offer the kind of programs she wants; the other one does. She would need to intern if she is to get into the music industry. Internships are unpaid, so she wants to be located where the jobs are (so she can work in the industry & go to school at the same time). Same with nonprofits (there are good options to choose from in the new school's location). If you knew her in high school, you would never guess that she would decide to do this --- but it makes sense, because she has always been drawn to music & because she has a deep commitment to volunteering. She figured out that following her passions will lead to a career she loves ... and she knows a great education will allow her to excel in whatever she chooses to do.</p>
<p>If you are feeling the way my daughter feels, defying, I am giving you a virtual hug ... you need one!</p>
<p>menloparkmom, I have been telling her to keep in contact with admissions. The transfer specialist didn't return her call, so I told her to call again. I will relay your son's experience to her. Maybe it will spur her to action.</p>
<p>I have also encouraged her to keep her grades as high as possible. Her current school is known for grade deflation (only a 2.75 is required to keep merit scholarships, for a good reason). I don't think that will be a problem, though, because the new school is familiar with the current school. Her grades are not "bad," just not the 4.0+ of high school. She chose a no-A prof last term because he was awesome. This term (trimester) she did keep the grading scale in mind, but the profs are still ones she will learn from.</p>
<p>^^ OK, is she considering transfering to USC? They take a LOT of transfer students [ over 1000] each year, and they have both a Music program [Thorton School of Music, which has music industry classes] a well as the Marshall School of Business.And you can't beat the LA location for it's connections to the music industry/ Hollywood.</p>
<p>Actually, all of my son's communication with the admissions officer at the college he was transfering to was by email, so maybe she ought to do that instead of trying to reach him by phone?</p>
<p>No. Vandy. BUT ... what a great idea!! I don't think she even looked at USC. She was hoping to come up with another school that would fit her laundry list of wants for a transfer school. I am going to suggest she look into USC. She was complaining the other day about not having another school the right size, in a city, with the right programs. It's a great suggestion. Sorry to hijack the thread ... but I do love the advice I find here.</p>
<p>Aww thanks! Wow that is a radical change but if it is what she loves I say she should go for it. </p>
<p>The schools I am looking at are pretty comparible to the schools I am at now and noone understands why I want to transfer and it is pretty frusterating. The most common reasons are realizing that your school doesn't have the right major for you as your D. did or going from rural to city or vice versa, big to small, public to private, my mom thinks I am being to vague and do not have concrete reasons , though they do support me, and it is frusterating.</p>